Author Interviews

Parini Shroff's laugh-out-loud debut novel explores caste, domestic abuse and murder

4:38pm June 26, 2023

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with author Parini Shroff about her debut novel The Bandit Queens, a story about a woman in an Indian village with a dangerous reputation.

Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding) by Laura Dern and Diane Ladd

Arts
Books

Thinking she had just months to live, Laura Dern's mother 'spilled the beans'

1:57pm June 26, 2023

by Terry Gross

Actor Laura Dern and her mother Diane Ladd have always shared a profession. But when Ladd was diagnosed with lung disease, the two started sharing so much more. Their new book is Honey, Baby, Mine.

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Books

Jennifer Vanderbes on her book 'Wonder Drug'

7:59am June 25, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe interviews author Jennifer Vanderbes on her new book, "Wonder Drug," about the sleeping pill Thalidomide, which caused birth defects when taken by pregnant women.

Books

Caroline O'Donoghue on her book 'The Rachel Incident'

8:02am June 24, 2023

by Miles Parks

In a new novel, best friends navigate adult life amid the 2008 financial crisis in Ireland. NPR's Miles Parks talks with Caroline O'Donoghue about her book, "The Rachel Incident."

Jenny Xie tackles a fraught mother-daughter relationship in novel 'Holding Pattern'

4:39pm June 20, 2023

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Jenny Xie about her first novel, Holding Pattern. It takes a familiar story — a young adult who decides to move home — and flips it on its head.

'The Brightest Star' tells Anna May Wong's life story from her imagined perspective

4:39pm June 20, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with author Gail Tsukiyama about her new novel The Brightest Star, a fictional account of the life of actress Anna May Wong.

Books
Arts

A new book celebrates the contributions of America's Black working class

1:31pm June 19, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

In Black Folk, Blair Kelley portrays generations of Black workers — Pullman porters, domestic laborers, USPS employees, COVID-19 essential workers — who have contributed to the nation's prosperity.

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Books

Death investigator Barbara Butcher knows 'What the Dead Know'

9:21am June 17, 2023

by Don Gonyea

As a New York City death investigator, Barbara Butcher investigated countless cases, from homicides to natural deaths. NPR's Don Gonyea talks with Butcher about her memoir, "What the Dead Know."

Books

A husband and wife reimagine fairy tales with Black children in mind

5:00am June 16, 2023

by Destinee Adams

In their latest book CROWNED: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora, Kahran and Regis Bethencourt retell fairy and folk tales with Black children as the main characters.

'Jeopardy!' host Ken Jennings says afterlife depictions track pop culture's evolution

7:29pm June 14, 2023

Jeopardy! champion and host Ken Jennings rose to fame for knowing nearly everything about anything. Now he's written a book on destinations of the afterlife called 100 Places to See After You Die.

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