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Deconstructing Gov. Chris Christie's 'Bridge To Redemption'

1:47pm January 25, 2016

Journalist Matt Katz discusses Christie's rise to power in New Jersey, the "Bridgegate" scandal and his performance in the '16 Republican presidential primary. Katz is the author of American Governor.

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Ariell Johnson has combined her love of comic books with a place where people can socialize in her new business, Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse.

Books

Move Over, Comic Book Guy: Philly Comics Store Prizes Diversity In Its Heroes

9:57am January 25, 2016

by NPR Staff

At Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse in Philadelphia, owner Ariell Johnson says diversity isn't just an afterthought. She tells NPR's Michel Martin that new faces keep the heroics interesting.

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Finnish Authors Heat Up The Speculative Fiction World

10:00am January 24, 2016

by Jason Heller

Finland hosts the World Science Fiction Convention in 2017 — but if you can't make it to Helsinki, hit the library: more and more Finnish speculative fiction authors are getting English translations.

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Arts

Passion And Obsession En Pointe In 'Girl Through Glass'

7:47am January 24, 2016

by NPR Staff

Author Sari Wilson's new novel follows a young dancer in New York City in the 1970s, and a grown professor of dance years later — both of whom find their lives upended by dangerous relationships.

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Death Memoirs: Why The Grave Subject Sells So Well

7:47am January 24, 2016

Why do we love to read about dying? NPR's Rachel Martin asks critic Michelle Dean about the enduring popularity of books like "The Last Lecture" and "Tuesdays with Morrie."

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'The Road To Little Dribbling' Is A (Mostly) Pleasant Journey

7:00am January 24, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Bill Bryson follows up his classic travelogue Notes From A Small Island 20 years later — older, grayer, and definitely crankier. It's a charming trip, though marred by a little too much grumpiness.

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Groucho Marx Spared No One — And His Biographer Isn't Pulling Punches, Either

7:24pm January 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

Lee Siegel, author of Groucho Marx: The Comedy of Existence, wanted his biography to uncover the real man behind the iconic mustache. What Siegel found, he says, was "a thoroughgoing misanthrope."

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In First Novel, Former Hostage Ingrid Betancourt Tells A Story Of Captivity

1:43pm January 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

The Blue Line follows a woman who is detained during Argentina's Dirty War. Betancourt says writing the novel helped her process the years she spent as a captive of Colombian revolutionaries.

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'Black Wings' Is A Devilish Trip Worth Taking

7:00am January 23, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Elliott Chaze's classic 1953 noir about an escaped prisoner, a secretive blonde and one last big heist has just been reissued. Critic Michael Schaub says Chaze's writing stands out from the pulp pack.

A Birthday Cake for Washington has been the subject of much criticism because it portrays slaves as being happy.

Books
Arts

Teaching Kids About Slavery: Picture Books Struggle With The Task

7:06pm January 22, 2016

by Eyder Peralta

Experts say picture books that whitewash the history of slavery are just a symptom of an adult society. How can we explain it to kids, they argue, if we can't talk about it ourselves?

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