Author Interviews

Before Alaska, the Pilgrim family — seen here in 1992 — lived an isolated life in New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

A Dark Family Secret Hidden For Years In Alaska's 'Wilderness'

8:00pm July 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

When the Pilgrim family first arrived in Alaska, they looked to be from another century. They didn't use calendar months, they called their father "Lord," and they knew how to live in the wild. But, as Tom Kizzia writes in Pilgrim's Wilderness, that rugged facade helped conceal a history of abuse.

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Arts

Racing Hearts, Fluttering Wings: American 'Butterfly People'

6:54pm July 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

After the Civil War, pursuing butterflies was more than a pastime for many Americans — it was a passion. In his book, Butterfly People, William Leach chronicles the infatuation, from its European roots and natural-history tradition to its eventual fall.

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Arts

Searching For Clues In A Dangerous Nairobi

6:39pm July 13, 2013

by NPR Staff

A dead body and a hotel bombing trigger the plot of Black Star Nairobi, the latest crime novel from Kenyan-American author Mukoma Wa Ngugi. Detectives Ishmael Fofona and David Odhiambo search for the perps during the upheaval around the Kenyan elections in December 2007.

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Tyler says as a kid she stood out because of her height, her glasses, and her vegetarian lunches.

Books

Comedian Aisha Tyler Talks About Flipping Off Failure

12:50pm July 12, 2013

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

In her new book, Self-Inflicted Wounds, Tyler writes about her dalliances with failure and humiliation on the long road to success. She says it wasn't easy being the geeky, tall, black girl who loves science fiction and video games. But it was worth it.

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Finding Meaning In The Mosh Pit Among Often-Reviled Groupies

12:49pm July 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

Pop-culture writer Nathan Rabin introduces us to some obsessive fans in his new book, You Don't Know Me But You Don't Like Me, which chronicles his experience following the followers of the bands Phish and Insane Clown Posse.

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Books
Arts

Lessons In Bigotry And Bravery: A Girl Grows Up In 'Glory Be'

5:55pm July 11, 2013

by NPR Staff

It's the summer of 1964, and everything's changing for 11-year-old Glory. She was looking forward to celebrating her 12th birthday at the local pool, but the town has shut it down to avoid integration. Members of NPR's Backseat Book Club share their questions with author Augusta Scattergood.

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Author Kate Christensen weaves her love of food and cooking into a new memoir.

Books
Arts

'Blue Plate Special': A Generous Helping Of Life

3:56pm July 10, 2013

Novelist Kate Christensen makes a plot line of her own life in a memoir that describes her struggles to come to terms with her family, her relationships and her sometimes violent father. A passionate lover of food, Christensen weaves recipes into a story of survival.

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Books
Arts

Chuck Klosterman On Batman, Bad Guys And Wearing 'The Black Hat'

6:00pm July 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

From Darth Vader's grown-up fan base to why people like mysterious vigilantes, Klosterman's I Wear The Black Hat is a meditation on villainy, both real and imagined.

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In his new book, Alfredo Corchado writes about the escalating violence in Mexico.

Drugs, Chaos And Violence Darken Mexico's 'Midnight'

2:11pm July 09, 2013

Journalist Alfredo Corchado covers Mexico for the Dallas Morning News. His new book, Midnight In Mexico, is part memoir and part recent history of the upheaval in the country. He talks to Fresh Air about the power of the cartels, the rampant corruption and the hopes for the future of Mexico.

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How 'Dancing In The Street' Became A Protest Anthem

12:37pm July 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

Mark Kurlansky's book Ready for a Brand New Beat is a history of the song "Dancing in the Street." It was the soundtrack for the summer of 1964, when race riots and war protests spread across the United States.

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