Books

Here are 100+ books to learn about all 50 states (and then some)

4:42pm June 01, 2022

by Maureen Pao

Planning a summer trip and want to learn more about your destination? We have a list of more than 100 book recommendations for all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Portrait of Children's book author, Margarita Engle, 2019 NSK award winner for World Literature Today

Books

Margarita Engle explores what it's like to be an outsider in 'Singing with Elephants'

4:19pm June 01, 2022

NPR's A Martinez speaks with Cuban-American author Margarita Engle about her novel: Singing with Elephants.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, written by Judith Viorst with illustrations by Ray Cruz, was published 50 years ago.

Books
Arts

For 50 years, Alexander's been having terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days

3:01pm June 01, 2022

by Elizabeth Blair

Judith Viorst's best-selling kids' book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was published 50 years ago. At 91, Viorst reflects on the book's legacy with the real Alexander.

The Man Who Broke Capitalism, by David Gelles

Books
Arts

Short-term profits and long-term consequences — did Jack Welch break capitalism?

2:16pm June 01, 2022

by Dave Davies

The General Electric CEO wowed investors and mingled with celebrities. But New York Times correspondent David Gelles says Welch's aggressive tactics also caused irreparable harm to American industry.

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Writers and readers from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico share their picks for books that tell us something about the places where they live.

Traveling this summer? Here are book picks for all 50 states (and then some)

11:27am June 01, 2022

Poets laureate and other literary luminaries from all 50 states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico recommend quintessential reads that illuminate where they live.

a map of all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico

Books
Arts

What book best represents your state? We want to know

11:17am June 01, 2022

by Natalie Escobar

NPR Books asked state poets laureate, librarians and bookstore owners to recommend books they love about their states. Now, it's your turn.

New graphic memoir shows how punk rock helped a young Black man find his identity

5:54pm May 31, 2022

by Mallory Yu

James Spooner's graphic memoir is The High Desert. It tells the story of how he discovered punk rock, and how it helped him find belonging and identity.

Books
Arts

In 'Happy-Go-Lucky,' David Sedaris reflects on his fraught relationship with his dad

8:28am May 31, 2022

by Heller McAlpin

Happy-Go-Lucky is more somber than David Sedaris' usual fare, but there are some fresh, funny bits wedged between the weighty boulders.

Sedaris likens this photo, taken in the Los Angeles County Library Children's Department before they opened, to a Playboy magazine author photo.

Books
Arts

David Sedaris reflects on the driving force of his life: His war with his dad

5:00am May 31, 2022

by Terry Gross

"My father was not a good person, but he was a great character," Sedaris says. The humorist writes about his efforts to make peace with his memories of his late father in Happy-Go-Lucky.

How 'Gone Girl' hold up 10 years later, according to a book critic

4:51pm May 30, 2022

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with book critic Maris Kreizman about Gone Girl and the long shadow it still casts over the psychological thriller market, 10 years after it was published.

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