Author Interviews

Laura Jane Grace burned her birth certificate at a concert in North Carolina in 2016 in protest of the state's "bathroom bill" requiring transgender people in government facilities to use bathrooms that match the sex on their birth certificate.

For Laura Jane Grace, Punk Was A Form Of Armor

3:43pm April 04, 2017

The founder of the band Against Me! felt so conflicted about her gender growing up that she thought she was schizophrenic. Since transitioning, she's become more in touch with herself.

Queue Listen Now

Mayte Garcia looks back on her relationship with Prince in a new book titled The Most Beautiful.

Mayte Garcia Knew She Would Marry Prince, But Could Never Have Predicted How

11:37am April 04, 2017

In her new book, The Most Beautiful, Garcia explains how an unlikely meeting at one of the pop icon's concerts sparked a relationship full of love, surprises and, ultimately, heartbreak.

Queue Listen Now

Molecules in wine stimulate thousands of taste and odor receptors, sending a flavor signal to the brain that triggers massive cognitive computation involving pattern recognition, memory, value judgment, emotion and, of course, pleasure.

The Taste Of Wine Isn't All In Your Head, But Your Brain Sure Helps

3:17pm April 03, 2017

by Mark Schatzker

Savoring the flavor of wine activates more gray matter than solving a complex math problem, according to neuroscientist Gordon Shepherd. His new book, Neurenology, explores your brain on wine.

Author Looks To Other Countries To Rethink America's Complicated Tax Code

2:13pm April 03, 2017

When it comes to taxes, T.R. Reid says other countries have done "what the U.S. Congress evidently can't do — they've made it simple." His new book is A Fine Mess.

Queue Listen Now

Books

'Fine Mess': You Can Learn A Lot About A Country By Its Taxes

6:41am April 03, 2017

Steve Inskeep talks to journalist and author T.R. Reid, who traveled the world to look at the tax codes of other nations to see how the U.S. might learn from their experience.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'American War' Explores The Universality Of Revenge

7:46am April 02, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Journalist Omar El Akkad imagines a dark, dystopian future in his new novel, American War. It follows a young girl whose curious, trusting nature leads her to terrible acts as she grows up.

'Madame President' Author On 'Street Cred,' Economic Power Of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

6:52pm April 01, 2017

by Michel Martin

Helene Cooper's new book "Madame President" takes a detailed look at the life and career of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female president of Liberia.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Stories Of Parents And Children In 'What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky'

8:04am April 01, 2017

Writer Lesley Nneka Arimah tells Scott Simon about her short story collection, What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, which imagines a world overtaken by the consequences of global warming.

Books
Arts

In 'Our Short History,' A Dying Single Mom Pens A Letter To Her Son

8:04am April 01, 2017

by Scott Simon

Lauren Grodstein's new novel follows a political consultant who's determined to use what time she has left to share as much as she can with her 6-year-old son, including the identity of his father.

During World War II, Even Filmmakers Reported For Duty

3:04pm March 31, 2017

Mark Harris says the military worked with Hollywood directors to create movies about the war. His book, Five Came Back, is the basis for a new Netflix docu-series. Originally broadcast March 3, 2014.

Queue Listen Now