Books

Books
Arts

Love Rides The Q Train In This Supernaturally Sweet Romance

7:00am June 06, 2021

by Kamrun Nesa

In Casey McQuiston's new One Last Stop, cynical August moves to New York, where she meets and falls for Jane, a mysterious punk who seems to have been trapped on the Q train ... since the 1970s.

The Chosen and the Beautiful, by Nghi Vo

Books
Arts

This Retelling Of 'Gatsby' Has Demonic Flair To Spare

5:00am June 06, 2021

by Jessica P. Wick

Nghi Vo recasts the classic book with Jordan Baker at the center, a Gatsby who's literally sold his soul and a speakeasy crowd that's partial to a drop of demon's blood in their illicit cocktails.

Books

In Jesse McCarthy's Debut Novel, A Young Black Man Goes In Search Of Himself

10:03am June 05, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Jesse McCarthy about his debut novel, The Fugitivities. It's the story of a young, Black man trying to form his own identity.

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Books

Ashley C. Ford Explore Her Relationship With Her Father In 'Somebody's Daughter'

8:03am June 05, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Ashley C. Ford about her new memoir, Somebody's Daughter. It's about her childhood and relationship with her father, who served time in prison during most of her life.

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Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous, by Suzanne Park

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Arts

A Wannabe Influencer Gets Sent To Digital Detox In 'Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous'

7:00am June 05, 2021

by Alethea Kontis

Sunny — the protagonist of Suzanne Park's new young adult novel — is mortified when a PG-13 video accidentally goes viral, and even worse, her parents send her to a rural farm to get her off-line.

The Alchemy Of Words And Music: Tayari Jones Talks With Lara Downes

5:00am June 05, 2021

by Lara Downes

The best-selling novelist shares tips for good writing and the stories behind some of the most meaningful music in her life, from Rossini to the O'Jays.

Books
Arts

An Argentinean Novel Spins Countless Stories From A Bicycle Wheel

5:00am June 05, 2021

by Kamil Ahsan

César Aira's The Divorce, a 2008 novel now out in English, centers around one charged moment at a Buenos Aires cafe, when water falling from an awning suddenly drenches a passing bicyclist.

Kennedy's Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy, and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby, by Dan Abrams and David Fisher

Jack Ruby's Trial Moves From Side Stage To Center In 'Kennedy's Avenger'

11:55am June 04, 2021

by Gabino Iglesias

Dan Abrams and David Fisher tell a gripping tale that takes readers into the heart of Ruby's trial, picking up the moment he killed Oswald and then methodically unpacking what followed.

The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Books
Arts

An Office Rivalry Turns Strange — And Maybe Dangerous — In 'The Other Black Girl'

8:00am June 04, 2021

by Bethanne Patrick

Zakiya Dalila Harris drew on her own experiences in publishing for her new thriller, about a young Black woman who hopes for a friend and ally when her lily-white office hires another Black woman.

Books

In 'How The Word Is Passed,' 8 Places Tell The Story Of Slavery In The U.S.

4:25pm June 03, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith about his new book, How the Word is Passed, which looks at slavery as being central in America's history.