Author Interviews

Books
Arts

Before 'Humans Of New York,' Terkel Showed Dignity In Everyday People In 'Working'

2:49pm September 26, 2016

by Radio Diaries

Iconic journalist Studs Terkel was creating a best-seller, when he interviewed people around the U.S. for his book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.

Queue Listen Now

Katherine Johnson sits at her desk with a globe, or "Celestial Training Device."

Books
Arts

'Hidden Figures': How Black Women Did The Math That Put Men On The Moon

1:16pm September 26, 2016

by NPR Staff

Back in the days of the space race, "computers" were people — often women — who performed vital calculations. Hidden Figures tells the stories of the women who got some of the first men to space.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Depicting Sexual Predators As Villains In Fiction Is Tricky

8:37am September 25, 2016

Humbert Humbert, the main character in Lolita, is one of the most famous "sympathetic" villains in history. Today, a story from the point of view of a sexual predator might not get told in literature.

Books
Arts

'Let There Be Laughter': Modern Jewish Jokes Poke At Assimilation

8:59am September 24, 2016

Michael Krasny's new book is called Let There Be Laughter. He tells NPR's Scott Simon about this treasury of great Jewish jokes, and why they matter.

Books
Arts

Mary Karr On Writing Memoirs: 'No Doubt I've Gotten A Million Things Wrong'

3:47pm September 23, 2016

Karr discusses the faults of memory, the challenges of writing about loved ones and the pain of deleting pages because "there was something untrue about them." Originally broadcast Sept. 15, 2015.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Emmys, Comedy And Your Spooky Grandpa

11:27am September 23, 2016

by Stephen Thompson

An assortment of odds and ends, including an Emmys recap, David Greene's interview with comedian Hari Kondabolu, and Petra Mayer's discussion with English writer Alan Moore.

Queue Listen Now

In 1948, eight African-American men joined the Atlanta police force. They could not drive squad cars, step foot in police headquarters, or arrest white citizens. They are the inspiration for Thomas Mullen's new novel, Darktown.

Books
Arts

'Darktown' Imagines What It Was Like For Atlanta's First Black Policemen

8:30am September 23, 2016

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In 1948, eight African-American men joined Atlanta's police force. Those pioneer officers — who couldn't drive squad cars or even step foot in headquarters — inspired Thomas Mullen's new novel.

Queue Listen Now

If You Think Eating Is A Political Act, Say Thanks To Frances Moore Lappe

7:16pm September 22, 2016

by Allison Aubrey

When Frances Moore Lappe wrote the best-selling Diet For A Small Planet back in 1971, she helped start a conversation about the social and environmental impacts of the foods we choose.

Queue Listen Now

"You can't have the modern American restaurant without Delmonico's," explains Yale historian Paul Freedman. The restaurant opened in 1837, setting the bar very high for fine dining. Above, a dinner in honor of an admiral held at Delmonico's in 1906.

Food For Thought: 10 Restaurants That Shaped America

4:30pm September 21, 2016

by Neda Ulaby

A Yale historian's new book explores America's changing tastes, and what they say about our culture — from class mobility to civil rights to women's changing status.

Books
Arts

In 'Reputations,' A Political Cartoonist Faces Crisis Of Conscience

6:53pm September 20, 2016

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Colombian author Juan Gabriel Vasquez about his novel, Reputations.

Queue Listen Now