Author Interviews

W. Kamau Bell performs at Vulture Festival Comedy Night in New York City in 2014.

Books
Arts

W. Kamau Bell's 'Awkward Thoughts' On Racism And Black Comedy

2:28pm May 01, 2017

by Terry Gross

Feeling out of place is a fact of life for Bell, who describes himself as a "black and proud ... mama's boy." He celebrates his outsider status in the new memoir The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell.

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Arts

Gabourey Sidibe's Message To The World: 'Mind Your Own Body'

11:58am May 01, 2017

by Rachel Martin

"I am plus-size, I have dark skin and I am 100 percent beautiful," the actress says. Her new book, This Is Just My Face, is a collection of essays about body image and her rise to fame.

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Books

Author Uses Humor To Shed Light On Feminism, Race, The Internet

7:56am April 30, 2017

Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Scaachi Koul of BuzzFeed about her new book of essays, cheerily titled One Day We'll All Be Dead And None of This Will Matter.

Books

Inside 'The Black Hand' Crime Wave A Century Ago

7:57am April 29, 2017

Stephan Talty's The Black Hand tells the story of the Black Hand crime wave that gripped New York City in the early 1900s and the one policeman who took it on. He talks with NPR's Scott Simon.

Books

Documentary Filmmaker On The Personal Essays In 'You Don't Look Your Age'

7:57am April 29, 2017

NPR's Scott Simon talks with award-winning documentary filmmaker Sheila Nevins about her new book, You Don't Look Your Age...And Other Fairy Tales.

Books
Arts

Whose Side Was She On? 'American Heiress' Revisits Patty Hearst's Kidnapping

1:36pm April 28, 2017

Legal expert Jeffrey Toobin says Hearst, who was abducted in 1974 and declared allegiance to her captors, "responded rationally to the circumstances." Originally broadcast Aug. 3, 2016.

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Fortified dwelling and open air banquet, detail from a mosaic portraying a Nilotic landscape from El Alia, Tunisia. Roman Civilisation, 2nd century. Musée National Du Bardo (Archaeological Museum)

What Did Ancient Romans Eat? New Novel Serves Up Meals And Intrigue

10:10am April 28, 2017

by Kristen Hartke

In ancient Rome, food was a bargaining chip for position for slaves and nobles alike. At the center of Feast Of Sorrow is real-life nobleman Apicius, who inspired the oldest surviving cookbook.

Books
Arts

Paula Hawkins Prepares To Dive 'Into The Water'

9:24am April 28, 2017

by Petra Mayer

Author Paula Hawkins was down on her luck when her 2015 book The Girl on the Train became a smash hit. Now she's grappling with success and preparing to launch her followup, Into the Water.

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Michael Bloomberg And Carl Pope On 'Climate Of Hope'

7:30am April 26, 2017

Rachel Martin speaks with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former chairman of the Sierra Club Carl Pope about how cities should respond to climate change. Their book is Climate of Hope.

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Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg speaks at the American Enterprise Institute in 2016.

Books
Arts

'Just Show Up': Sheryl Sandberg On How To Help Someone Who's Grieving

5:10pm April 25, 2017

by Ari Shapiro

The Facebook executive lost her husband in 2015. She says, "Rather than offer to do something, it's often better to do anything. Just do something specific." Her new book is called Option B.