Frankly, My Dear, Mark Leyner Doesn't Give A Damn
Mark Leyner manages to make run-on sentences, erotic digressions and manic depression engaging in his autobiographical novel, Gone with the Mind.
Books
'Imbeciles' Explores Legacy Of Eugenics In America
Adam Cohen's new book tells the story of the 1927 Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell. The ruling permitted the state of Virginia to sterilize an "imbecile" — a scientific term of the day.
A Writer-Engineer's Historical Fiction Hack: Add Dragons
Before her first book, Naomi Novik was a programmer who wrote Napoleonic-era fan fiction on the side. Then she had an idea: "What could make the Napoleonic wars more exciting? Dragons!"
Comedian Ben Bailey Smith Weaves Rapping Into Children's Book
What does rapping have in common with a good children's book? A lively beat and rhyme. Rapper, comedian and actor, Ben Bailey Smith speaks to NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro about his book, "I Am Bear."
Placid Madonnas Please Antisocial Men Of Genius In 'Almanac'
In A Doubter's Almanac, Ethan Canin tells the story of a book-smart man — "a topologist, who can map the world but not the heart."
Where's The Color In Kids' Lit? Ask The Girl With 1,000 Books (And Counting)
Eleven-year-old Marley Dias went on a quest to collect and donate 1,000 books with a black girl as the main character. Spoiler alert: She did really well.
Written Behind Bars, This 1850s Memoir Links Prisons To Plantations
The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict is the earliest known prison memoir by an African-American writer. Written by Austin Reed in the 1850s, it was discovered at an estate sale in 2009.
Simon & Schuster Launches Imprint For Muslim Children's Books
The books published by Salaam Reads will appeal to Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike, executive editor Zareej Jaffery says — and will represent a wide range of cultural traditions within Islam.
Muhammad Ali And Malcolm X: A Broken Friendship, An Enduring Legacy
A new book, Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, explores how faith brought two African-American icons together and eventually tore their relationship apart.
Social Media And Teenage Girls: Not Your Mother's Adolescence
In her book American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, Nancy Jo Sales looks at the pressures on teenage girls socially and sexually. She talks to David Greene about her book.