Author Interviews

Arts
Books

MSNBC host Ali Velshi chronicles his ancestors’ migrations across three continents

4:35pm June 04, 2024

by Dave Davies

In his memoir, Small Acts of Courage, Velshi traces his family’s journey, from India to South Africa — where his grandfather crossed paths with Mahatma Gandhi — to Kenya, Canada and the U.S.

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How James Patterson and the late Michael Crichton collaborated on 'Eruption'

10:25pm June 03, 2024

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with James Patterson and Sherri Crichton. The new novel “Eruption” is written by Patterson and Crichton's late husband, Michael.

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Books
Arts

For 'Such Kindness' novelist Andre Dubus III, chronic pain is a fact of life

5:05pm May 31, 2024

by Terry Gross

Dubus talks about the injuries he faced as a carpenter and his relationship with his dad. His a new collection of personal essays is Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin. Originally broadcast in 2023.

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Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie are unsung heroes of the civil rights

1:55pm May 29, 2024

by Michel Martin

A new book by Larry Tye -- The Jazzmen -- traces how the popularity of musicians Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie affected the civil rights movement.

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Triptych of Taylor Swift, Mona Lisa and Beyoncé

Arts
Books

What's the recipe for fame? For one, you need more than talent

7:17am May 29, 2024

Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Why are The Beatles, well, The Beatles? Behavioral economist Cass Sunstein explores the alchemy of fame.

Health & Safety

After a traumatic C-section, journalist takes on the medicalization of birth

3:50pm May 28, 2024

by Tonya Mosley

When Rachel Somerstein had an emergency C-section with her first child, the anesthesia didn't work. She recounts her own experience and the history of C-sections in her book, Invisible Labor.

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'All the World Beside' by Garrard Conley blends faith and love in puritan America

11:40pm May 27, 2024

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with author Garrard Conley about his new novel "All the World Beside." The book is set in puritan America, with gay men in love as the primary characters.

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There's not an easy answer for 'How To Become Famous'

6:00pm May 27, 2024

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with behavioral economist Cass Sunstein about his latest book, “How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be.”

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'The Hamilton Scheme: An Epic Tale of Money and Power in the American Founding'

7:05am May 27, 2024

by Steve Inskeep

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with historian William Hogeland about little-known facts he learned about founding father Alexander Hamilton while researching his new book, "The Hamilton Scheme."

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Mama in the Moon, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Brian Cronin

When Baby Sloth tumbles out of a tree, Mama Sloth comes for him — s l o w l y

8:43am May 25, 2024

by Samantha Balaban

Did you know on average a sloth will fall out of a tree once a week for its entire life? It's true — and the inspiration for Brian Cronin and Doreen Cronin's new children's book, Mama in the Moon.

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