Book News & Features

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The Consolations (And Controversies) Of Philosophy In 'The Just City'

10:03am January 15, 2015

by Amal El-Mohtar

In Jo Walton's new novel, the goddess Athene assembles a history-spanning group of thinkers and sets them to creating Plato's famed Just City — but then she makes the mistake of inviting Socrates.

Books

Author Robert Stone, Known For 'Dog Soldiers,' Dies At 77

8:01am January 13, 2015

by Petra Mayer

National Book Award-winning author Robert Stone was on the fringes of the utopian counterculture of the 1960s — but he preferred to write about what happened when that dream went sour.

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Books
Arts

Miranda July Balances Weirdness And Reality In Debut Novel

6:45pm January 11, 2015

by NPR Staff

The director and artist says one of the challenges of writing The First Bad Man was shaping her main character's odd psyche. Then, she says, she realized, "I can always take it back if it's too much."

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Books
Arts

This Weekend, Visit San Francisco's Famed Forbidden City In 'China Dolls'

11:26am January 11, 2015

by NPR Staff

In this installment of Weekend Reads, Jean Kwok recommends Lisa See's novel China Dolls, about the unlikely friendship formed by three young women on vaudeville's all-Asian "Chop Suey Circuit."

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'Blood Of The Tiger': Shedding Light On China's Farmed-Tiger Trade

6:47pm January 10, 2015

by NPR Staff

The endangered animals are bred for luxury items, like tiger bone wine and tigerskin rugs. By raising the demand for these goods, the farms pose a threat to wild tigers, says author J.A. Mills.

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Books
Arts

This Weekend, Pick Up The Pieces With 'Gabi'

1:38pm January 09, 2015

by NPR Staff

In our Weekend Reads series, NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Meg Medina about Isabel Quintero's novel, Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. It's the story of a Mexican-American teenager struggling with her identity.

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Books
Arts

Remembering 'Generation Mex' Writer And Proud Outsider Michele Serros

6:17pm January 07, 2015

by Mandalit del Barco

Serros wrote about being a bicultural Chicana who was influenced by both her working-class, Mexican-American heritage and Southern California pop culture. She died Sunday at the age of 48.

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Books
Arts

For The New Year, Ray Bradbury's Buoyant Vision Of The Future

6:23pm January 02, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

We saw a lot of dystopias in both films and books this year. Author Jason Sheehan has had enough. He plans to celebrate the new year with some science fiction that's actually hopeful about the future.

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The Sesame Workshop app called Big Bird's Words helps children not only learn new vocabulary, but also understand the interconnectedness between words.

Education

Vocab Tech For Toddlers Encourages 'Anytime, Anywhere Learning'

11:54am December 31, 2014

by Lynn Neary

Sesame Workshop's games are designed to help kids learn words and have fun. One New York City educator says it's never too soon to teach tykes that technology can be more than just entertainment.

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Books

Morning Edition Book Club Selects Its First Read

9:31am December 31, 2014

The first pick, selected by author Ann Patchett, is the gripping story of the rescue of 33 Chilean miners in 2010. The miners' ordeal is laid out by journalist Hector Tobar in Deep Down Dark.

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