Author Interviews

Books
Arts

'The Book of Jezebel': An Honest Look At 'Lady Things'

4:02pm October 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

Anna Holmes didn't see much reality in beauty magazines, so she started the website Jezebel — a women's mag "without the airbrushing." Now, she's the editor of an illustrated encyclopedia that takes a look at the world according to women.

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Most people associate the Nile with Egypt, but the river also flows through South Sudan, where much of it is bordered by jungle. That makes it a excellent destination for rafting and wildlife enthusiasts, says travel guide author Max Lovell-Hoare.

For The Ultimate Getaway, Why Not South Sudan?

8:02pm October 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

You may not find South Sudan at the top of most dream destination lists, but the authors of a new travel guide say the young country, long isolated by a violent civil war, has much to offer tourists in search of wildlife, culture and natural beauty.

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Books
Arts

Jack London Believed 'Function Of Man Is To Live, Not To Exist'

5:35pm October 18, 2013

by Tom Vitale

A new biography of the writer behind Call of the Wild and White Fang explores the life experiences that informed those works. London grew up in poverty, says biographer Earle Labor. "He was a dreamer, and a visionary. And his dreams and visions almost always outran his finances."

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Stephen Kinzer has served has The New York Times bureau chief in Turkey, Germany and Nicaragua. He teaches journalism and foreign policy at Boston University.

Books
Arts

Meet 'The Brothers' Who Shaped U.S. Policy, Inside And Out

2:18pm October 18, 2013

by NPR Staff

In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed John Foster Dulles as secretary of state, and Allen Dulles as director of the CIA. In his new book, The Brothers, journalist Stephen Kinzer says the Dulles' actions "helped set off some of the world's most profound long-term crises."

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Alan Greenspan served as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006, the second-longest tenure as chairman in the Fed's history.

Greenspan: 'I Probably Could Have Caught' Economic Crises

12:23pm October 18, 2013

by NPR Staff

Alan Greenspan was often celebrated during his long chairmanship of the Federal Reserve. But Greenspan's policies have been blamed by some for the Great Recession. In an interview with NPR about his new book, The Map and the Territory: Risk, Human Nature, and the Future of Forecasting, Greenspan discusses difficulties in predicting economic calamity.

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Books
Arts

Billy Crystal Finds Fun In Growing Old (But Still Can't Find His Keys)

3:48pm October 17, 2013

Crystal isn't happy about turning 65, but at least he's finding a way to laugh about it. The actor and comedian's new memoir — Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? — is on the best-seller list and he'll be back on Broadway in November.

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Billy Crystal returned to voice the role of Mike Wazowski in 2013's Monsters University, sequel to the hit Pixar comedy that introduced the outgoing one-eyed scareball — sidekick to John Goodman's furry blue-and-purple star.

Books
Arts

Billy Crystal's 'Foolin', Full Of Fun — And Feeling

5:07pm October 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

The comic and actor talks to NPR's Scott Simon about his insomnia, his friendship with baseball legend Mickey Mantle, and the love of his life. They're all topics in his memoir, Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell are My Keys?

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After Sept. 11, Special Ops Were 'Injected With Steroids'

5:58am October 16, 2013

Two recent operations in Libya and Somalia offer a vivid example of how members of U.S. Special Operations are being deployed around the world to go after terrorists. Renee Montagne talks to author Jeremy Scahill about his newest book, Dirty Wars, which is about the rise of special forces.

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Jayne Anne Phillips' previous novel, Lark and Termite, was selected as a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction in 2009.

Books
Arts

'Quiet Dell' Revives A Depression-Era Murder Story

6:12pm October 15, 2013

by Lynn Neary

In 1931, Harry Powers killed two women and three children at his home in Quiet Dell, W.Va. Writer Jayne Anne Phillips learned about the murders from her mother, who was a child when the deaths became a media sensation. Phillips' new novel retells the tragedy through the eyes of a young reporter.

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Graham Nash Has 'Wild Tales' To Spare

3:11pm October 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

As part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, the British singer-songwriter helped define a West Coast sound. Here, he discusses the influence of Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers and marijuana on his career, as well as his new memoir, Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life.

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