'Upgrade' takes a unique, fun path to the end
Blake Crouch spins out grounded, accessible tales with an admirable internal precision no matter the genre. His newest, Upgrade, is no different.
Books
This author's 'Normal Family' includes a sperm donor dad and 35 siblings
Chrysta Bilton's mother was a lesbian who asked a man she'd just met to be her sperm donor. It was only much later that Bilton learned the same man had donated sperm to countless other women.
Remembering Richard Taruskin, a writer who made you care about 1,000 years of music
Hear the towering – and polarizing – author in conversation about his 4,000-page book, The Oxford History of Western Music.
Encore: In 'She Memes Well,' Quinta Brunson describes the path to her comedy career
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with actor and stand up comedian Quinta Brunson about her first book, an essay collection called She Memes Well.
Elisa Albert's newest book explores the dark side of the fertility industrial complex
NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Elisa Albert about her new novel, "Human Blues."
Carmen Rita Wong reckons with her identity after learning a secret hidden for decades
Carmen Rita Wong's mother was Dominican and father was Chinese, or so she thought. In her memoir, Why Didn't You Tell Me, she reckons with the truth that was kept from her for 31 years.
'Jane the Virgin' writer recounts growing up undocumented in 'Illegally Yours'
Rafael Agustin's parents were physicians in Ecuador, but when they came to the U.S. they worked at a car wash and Kmart to get by. It wasn't until he was a teen that he learned they were undocumented.
Ada Limón named new U.S. poet laureate
Ada Limón was named as the nation's 24th poet laureate by the Library of Congress. She will take over from Joy Harjo, who has held the position since 2019.
Blind loyalty is helping sustain Trump's power in the Republican party, new book says
NPR's Juana Summers talks with journalist Mark Leibovich about his new book Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission.
'Legacy of Violence' documents the dark side of the British Empire
By by 1920, the British Empire covered 24% of the Earth's land mass. Historian Caroline Elkins says British rulers portrayed themselves as benevolent, but used systematic violence to maintain control.