Author Interviews

Taylor Schilling plays Piper in Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, which is based on Piper Kerman's memoir of her year in prison.

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Arts

Behind 'The New Black': The Real Piper's Prison Story

11:18am August 16, 2013

When she was 24, Piper Kerman dated a woman who was part of a drug smuggling ring. Years later, after being named as part of that ring, Kerman served time in a federal prison and at one point shared a cell with her former girlfriend. Her memoir of that experience inspired the Netflix series.

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Of Neurons And Memories: Inside The 'Secret World Of Sleep'

2:13pm August 15, 2013

Think of everything your brain processes in a single day: your breakfast, a stain on a book cover, a meeting at work. If you remembered all those things, your brain would reach capacity. Author and neuroscientist Penelope Lewis says sleep helps sort through the memories that are worth keeping.

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The Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a Spanish-Moorish landmark, was built in 1929.

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Arts

In 'Alphabet' Mysteries, 'S' Is Really For Santa Barbara

9:27am August 15, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

Private investigator Kinsey Millhone is one of the most well-known characters in modern crime fiction, but there's another star in Sue Grafton's thrillers: the fictional city of Santa Teresa, based on Santa Barbara, Calif.

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Ninety percent of what we wear, eat and consume is carried by container ships like this one at the state-run Jaya Container Terminal of Sri Lanka's port of Colombo.

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Arts

Shipping: The 'Invisible Industry' That Clothes And Feeds You

4:38pm August 14, 2013

Rose George spent several weeks aboard a container ship to research Ninety Percent of Everything, her book about the shipping industry. She writes, "There are more than one hundred thousand ships at sea carrying all the solids, liquids and gases that we need to live."

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'Dork Diaries' Reveal Secrets Of 'Not-So-Fabulous' Teen Life

7:13pm August 08, 2013

by NPR Staff

Rachel Renee Russell's very popular series stars a not-so-popular protagonist. The Dork Diaries are written by Nikki Maxwell, a misfit at a new school. Russell was inspired to write the books after seeing her own daughters struggle with the "dork" label during their teenage years.

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2012 Election Was 'Collision' Between Two Americas

4:05pm August 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

In his new book, Washington Post correspondent Dan Balz offers an insider's account of the forces that shaped the political strategies of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and the flaws and misfires that led to Romney's defeat. He discusses the 2012 campaign and the future of the Republican Party.

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According to author David Epstein, hitters like the Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols look at the movement of the pitcher's shoulder, torso or hand to help them hit the ball.

Talent Or Skill?: Homing In On The Elusive 'Sports Gene'

11:59pm August 05, 2013

Do big league hitters have naturally faster reflexes? Are African-Americans predisposed to be better athletes? In his new book, Sports Illustrated's David Epstein says science now has answers — or at least insights — to all these questions.

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Arts

Charles Manson: Master Manipulator, Even As A Child

6:38pm August 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

More than four decades after the cult leader planned nine vicious murders, he is still part of American culture. Jeff Guinn's new biography digs through details of Manson's troubled childhood, with access to family members and photos never reported on before.

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British rockers Led Zeppelin pose in front of their private plane, dubbed "The Starship," in 1973.

On The Road To Rock Excess: Why The '60s Really Ended In 1973

9:58am August 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

In the new book What You Want Is in the Limo, author Michael Walker argues that a peak year in the careers of Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper and The Who also marked a cultural shift — from the peace, love and understanding of 1960-era music to '70s rock decadence.

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'Looking For Palestine': A Once-Split Identity Becomes Whole

8:46am August 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

Najla Said's father, Edward Said, was an outspoken professor and prominent voice for Palestinian independence. Yet Najla's life felt less grounded. Growing up as a Palestinian-Lebanese-American in New York City, she balanced competing cultures and multiple lives, searching for a place to fit in.

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