Author Interviews

Words Of Wisdom From Young Adult Authors: Jason Reynolds

8:43am August 07, 2016

Jason Reynolds writes "slice-of-life stories" for youngsters. For our "Next Chapter" series, he talks about packing up his belongings in trash bags and moving to New York City to become a writer.

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Wisdom From Young Adult Authors: Tamora Pierce

9:23am August 06, 2016

She's the YA author behind the fantasy series Song of the Lioness and The Immortals. For the Weekend Edition series "Next Chapter," she recalls how college helped her escape small-town poverty.

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New Novel Takes 'The Underground Railroad' Beyond The Metaphor

9:09am August 06, 2016

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Colson Whitehead about his new book, The Underground Railroad, in which slaves ride a a real railroad through time to see racism in different eras.

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What Etgar Keret Learned From His Father About Storytelling And Survival

1:46pm August 05, 2016

Keret's memoir, The Seven Good Years, spans the time between the birth of his son and the death of his father, who was a Holocaust survivor. Originally broadcast June 16, 2015.

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"This iconic photograph became one of the most famous images of the 1970s," Jeffrey Toobin says. It shows Patty Hearst standing in front of a Symbionese Liberation Army flag several months after she was kidnapped.

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

4:34pm August 03, 2016

Hearst was abducted in 1974 and then declared allegiance to her captors. Legal expert Jeffrey Toobin does not believe Hearst was brainwashed, but rather, "responded rationally to the circumstances."

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Blue Monday Vol. 1 By Chynna Clugston-Flores.

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There Could Be No Other Way: 'Blue Monday' Is Back

10:00am August 03, 2016

by Petra Mayer

Chynna Clugston-Flores' cult comic about a music-crazy high-schooler and her mad mod friends is back after more than a decade. It's a largely autobiographical look at teen life in the early '90s.

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'The Fire This Time': A New Generation Of Writers On Race In America

4:32pm August 02, 2016

by NPR Staff

Author Jesmyn Ward invited prominent writers from her generation to pen essays for The Fire This Time. It's a nod to James Baldwin's work of a similar name, which warned of today's racial tension.

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A Neuroscientist Explores The Illogical Behaviors Of The Mind In 'Idiot Brain'

12:20pm August 02, 2016

Dean Burnett says the human brain is like a computer that files information in a way that defies logic. According to Burnett, brains can alter memory, cause motion sickness and affect intelligence.

Jay McInerney is the author of four books, including the 1984 semi-autobiographical novel, Bright Lights, Big City.

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Beyond 'Bright Lights': Jay McInerney Reveals The Trials Of A 'Perfect Couple'

7:28pm August 01, 2016

McInerney became famous in the 1980s for his semi-autobiographical novel about a hard-partying young man in Manhattan. His new book, Bright, Precious Days, probes the challenges of a lasting marriage.

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Megan Abbott's Latest Novel: 'You Will Know Me'

9:06am July 31, 2016

Do we really know those we're closest to? The riveting book "You Will Know Me," set in the world of competitive gymnastics, suggests not. NPR's Elise Hu speaks with author Megan Abbott.