Books

Former Obama Advisor Explores the Decline of Democracy Across The Globe In New Book

4:25pm June 03, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Ben Rhodes, former advisor to President Obama, about his new book which explores the decline of democracy abroad — and warns that it could happen here, too.

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu, by Tom Lin

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Arts

Yes, There Are Crimes — And Much More — In 'The Thousand Crimes Of Ming Tsu'

7:00am June 03, 2021

by Fran Wilde

Tom Lin's new novel promises — and delivers — lots of crimes in a cinematic Western starring a Chinese American gunslinger on a mission of revenge against the men who sent him to work the railroads.

Books

Publisher Peter Osnos, Who's Worked With Promininent Americans, Pens Memoir

6:38am June 03, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with former journalist and publisher Peter L.W. Osnos about his book: An Especially Good View.

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Civil rights activists are blocked by National Guard members brandishing bayonets while trying to stage a protest on Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968.

Historian Uncovers The Racist Roots Of The 2nd Amendment

3:41pm June 02, 2021

by Dave Davies

Carol Anderson says the Second Amendment was designed to ensure slave owners could quickly crush any rebellion or resistance from those they'd enslaved. Her new book is The Second.

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How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, by Clint Smith

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'How The Word Is Passed' Teaches The Importance Of Reckoning With History

1:29pm June 02, 2021

by Hope Wabuke

Clint Smith seeks out troubling history, including white supremacy, white violence — and the erasure of the oppression of Black Americans — to understand what America tells itself about who we are.

The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nation's Neglect of a Deadly Disease, by Daisy Hernández

'The Kissing Bug' Challenges Which Diseases Matter — And Why

8:15am June 02, 2021

by Kristen Martin

Through the story of her aunt, who died of Chagas, Daisy Hernández raises damning questions about which diseases get attention — and whom we believe to be deserving of care.

Books

Margaret Atwood Reads Her Erotic Poem About Cicadas

5:18pm June 01, 2021

Margaret Atwood reads the poem "Cicadas" from her recent book of poetry called Dearly.

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Books
Arts

Struggling Writers Steal Someone Else's Work In 2 New Suspense Novels

1:45pm June 01, 2021

by Maureen Corrigan

Chris Power's brooding literary novel A Lonely Man and Jean Hanff Korelitz's nightmare of a thriller The Plot explore the dangerous consequences of sticky fingers in the literary world.

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Arts

Mapping A Path Forward For The Asian Diaspora In 'Imagine Us, The Swarm'

12:34pm June 01, 2021

by Jeevika Verma

In her latest collection, Chinese American poet Muriel Leung considers what it means to assimilate, and ultimately heal, against the collective memory of grief and vulnerability.

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Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of the poetry collection Counting Descent.

Slavery Wasn't 'Long Ago': A Writer Exposes The Disconnect In How We Tell History

12:07pm June 01, 2021

by Terry Gross

In How the Word is Passed, Clint Smith visits eight places central to the history of slavery in America, including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation and Louisiana's Angola prison.