Let's Stop Requiring Advanced Math, A New Book Argues
Algebra, trigonometry and calculus keep millions of people from graduating. And they're unnecessary, argues author and professor Andrew Hacker.
Books
The Final Chapter Of A Tale Of Books, Love And Mystery In Minneapolis
Gary Shulze and Pat Frovarp have run the beloved Once Upon A Crime bookstore for 14 years. They fell in love there, bought it together and married there. Now, they're retiring.
Single By Choice: Why Fewer American Women Are Married Than Ever Before
Rebecca Traister, author of All the Single Ladies, says the declining marriage rates among adult women are less about the institution of marriage and more about the choices available to women today.
Provocative Book Explores The Connection Between Loneliness And Art
Olivia Laing surveys the landscape of urban alienation in her new book, a work that is part-memoir and part-criticism. Critic Maureen Corrigan says The Lonely City is "absolutely one of a kind."
Sentenced To Death For Murder, A Woman Tells Her Story From 'Memory'
In Petina Gappah's new novel, an albino Zimbabwean woman named Memory is charged with murdering her adoptive father. She narrates the tale from inside a maximum security prison in Harare.
'Lonely City' Is More Than A Cry For Connection
Writer Olivia Laing recalls her days as an expatriate Brit in New York in her new book, a meditation on modern life and loneliness. It's a lonely read, too, but full of heart-piercing wisdom.
Originals: How To Spot One, How To Be One
Adam Grant, author of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, tells us what makes an original, how parents can nurture originality in their children, and its potential downside.
Teen Girls And Social Media: A Story Of 'Secret Lives' And Misogyny
Author Nancy Jo Sales says the Internet fosters a kind of sexism that is harmful to teen girls. Her new book is American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers.
'The Ballad Of Black Tom' Offers A Tribute And Critique Of Lovecraft
Growing up, Victor LaValle loved reading the horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft. It wasn't until later that LaValle recognized the racism in Lovecraft's work and felt the need to respond.
'The Martian' Started As A Self-Published Book
The movie that was nominated for several Oscars began as a self-published book by Andy Weir. NPR's Lynn Neary looks at how an unknown author's book became a hit audio book and major motion picture.