Books

A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende

Books

'A Long Petal Of The Sea' Finds Love In A Time Of Chaos

7:00am January 27, 2020

by Marcela Davison Avilés

Isabel Allende's new novel follows two refugees from the Spanish Civil War, whose mock marriage as they flee to Chile gradually deepens into real love, set against a backdrop of war and upheaval.

Books

Journalist Joshua Yaffa On New Book, 'Between Two Fires'

5:14pm January 26, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with journalist Joshua Yaffa about his new book Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition and Compromise in Putin's Russia.

Books
Arts

'This Isn't New': Questions For Tochi Onyebuchi, Author Of 'Riot Baby'

10:00am January 26, 2020

by Petra Mayer

Tochi Onyebuchi's slim, devastating novella follows a young man born amidst the chaos of the 1992 Rodney King riots — and his sister, whose terrifying magical powers can't protect him from racism.

Books

Author Interview: Dennis Baron On 'What's Your Pronoun?'

7:56am January 26, 2020

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Baron's new book chronicles the history of the gender-neutral, third-person word, "they."

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Books
Arts

'Processed Cheese' Is Hard To Love — But Easy To Admire

7:00am January 26, 2020

by Michael Schaub

Stephen Wright's new novel is a darkly funny satire of American consumer culture, set in a Day-Glo alternate reality that's unsettlingly close to our own. It's an exhausting but unforgettable read.

Dogs' olfactory capacity — they can sniff in parts per trillion — primes them to detect disease.

How Super Sniffer Dogs Are Helping Detect Disease Around The World

8:55pm January 25, 2020

by John Henning Schumann

Our canine buddies can do more than play fetch. Turns out dogs' incredible sense of smell is a secret weapon in medicine.

Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain

Books
Arts

'Franchise' Tracks The Rise And Role Of Fast Food In Black America

5:32pm January 25, 2020

by Michel Martin

History professor Marcia Chatelain's new book tracks what she calls the hidden history of the relationships between the struggle for civil rights and the expansion of the fast food industry.

Books
Arts

Pain Drives The Creation Of A Sanctuary In 'Remembrance'

10:00am January 25, 2020

by Denny S. Bryce

Rita Woods' ambitious novel spans 200 years and multiple storylines — it's a complex story of loss and survival that doesn't always work. But Woods creates memorable characters readers can relate to.

Books

Marcelo Hernandez Castillo On 'Children of the Land'

7:54am January 25, 2020

by Scott Simon

The Mexican-born poet talks to NPR's Scott Simon about his new memoir and the struggles his family faced as undocumented immigrants.

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Books
Arts

'Interior Chinatown' Puts That Guy In The Background Front And Center

7:54am January 25, 2020

by Scott Simon

Charles Yu's new novel follows a TV actor who often gets stuck playing generic Asian men. Yu says he was inspired by shows that set episodes in Chinatown — but keep Asian actors in the background.