Author Interviews

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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Books
Arts

'An Amerikan Family' traces the legacy of Tupac Shakur's influential family

3:11pm June 14, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

The late rapper — who was killed at 25 in 1996 — would have turned 52 this year. Santi Elijah Holley's new book follows the Shakur family tree and their work in the Black Liberation Movement.

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In 'Loot,' Tipu's Tiger tells a story of war, art and love

4:21pm June 13, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Tania James about her new novel, Loot. The plot travels from India to Europe, touching on war, immigration, love and art.

The Catholic Church profited from slavery — 'The 272' explains how

1:27pm June 13, 2023

by Terry Gross

"You don't hear about enslaved people at Mass or in Sunday school," says Rachel Swarns. Her new book tells the story of 272 enslaved people sold in 1838 to help save what is now Georgetown University.

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