Books

Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football, by John Urschel

From The Gridiron To Multigrid Algorithms In 'Mind And Matter'

5:45pm May 18, 2019

by Michel Martin

MIT mathematician and former Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel has a new memoir out about how he combined his two very different talents into a successful and varied career.

The Candle and the Flame, by Nafiza Azad

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Arts

Language Has Magic In 'The Candle And The Flame'

10:00am May 18, 2019

by Caitlyn Paxson

Nafiza Azad creates a fantastical yet believable Silk Road city in her new young adult novel, building a world of humans and djinns, spices and sounds, woven through with Urdu, Arabic and Hindi.

Books

The Chateau Marmont's Place In Hollywood History

8:12am May 18, 2019

NPR's Scott Simon discusses the glamorous LA hotel Chateau Marmont with Shawn Levy, author of The Castle on Sunset.

Books

Short Stories In 'Orange World'

8:12am May 18, 2019

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Karen Russell about her new, otherworldly, collection of short stories, Orange World.

Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

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Arts

'Red, White & Royal Blue' Reigns As Must-Read Romance

7:00am May 18, 2019

by Kamrun Nesa

Casey McQuiston's tale of a British prince who falls for the son of the U.S. president (who's a woman, by the way) is a snappy, banter-packed rom-com that's also empowering and uplifting.

Novelist Herman Wouk, pictured here in 1955, wrote about a variety of subjects, including World War II, the publishing world and a fictional Caribbean island.

Books
Arts

Herman Wouk, 'The Jackie Robinson Of Jewish-American Fiction,' Dies At 103

5:15pm May 17, 2019

by Rose Friedman

Wouk was famous for writing The Winds of War, Marjorie Morningstar and The Caine Mutiny, which won a Pulitzer Prize. He also helped popularize themes that writers like Philip Roth later tackled.

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Novelist Stephen McCauley Embraces Life On A 'Small, Everyday Scale'

1:24pm May 17, 2019

by Terry Gross

McCauley's novel, My Ex-Life, is a comedy about a couple whose marriage ended years ago when the husband came out as gay. "All relationships evolve," he says. Originally broadcast June 20, 2018.

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A Bend in the Stars, by Rachel Barenbaum

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Arts

Rachel Barenbaum's 'A Bend In The Stars' Tells A Tale Of Injustice And Romance

1:11pm May 17, 2019

by Ari Shapiro

Barenbaum says she was inspired by the story of Albert Einstein's race to prove his theory of relativity. The novel digs into questions of philosophy, time, and whether rules are meant to be broken.

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Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer-member of the Soviet delegation to the Cultural and Scientific conference for World Peace, plays the second movement of his Fifth Symphony at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 27, 1949.

'How Shostakovich Changed My Mind' Touches On The Music-Body Connection

1:00pm May 17, 2019

by Nicholas Cannariato

BBC music broadcaster Stephen Johnson's remarkably diverse aesthetic and personal sensitivity are on full display in his new book on the Russian composer's music — and his own personal struggles.

Natasha (Yara Shahidi) and Daniel (Charles Melton) fall in love over the course of a single day in the film adaptation of Nicola Yoon's young adult romance novel The Sun Is Also a Star.

Books
Arts

'Love Is A Thing That Everyone Wants,' Says Author Of 'The Sun Is Also A Star'

9:10am May 17, 2019

by CHRISTABEL NSIAH-BUADI

A Jamaican teen threatened with deportation falls in love over the course of a single day in the film adaptation of Nicola Yoon's bestselling young adult romance novel.