From A Weirdo Nerd To A Guy Who Plays One On TV
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with the actor Rainn Wilson about his new memoir, The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy.
Books
'Welcome To Where We From': Chicago Through The Eyes Of A Poet
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Chicago poet Nate Marshall, who reflects on this week in Chicago and read his poem "Out South."
'The Seventh Bride' Faces Horror — And Still Gets The Biscuits Made
Ursula Vernon (writing as T. Kingfisher) delivers a fleet, stripped-down fairy tale with echoes of Bluebeard and Peter Beagle. Critic Tasha Robinson praises Vernon's tough-minded, distinctive women
'All American Boys': A Young Adult Book About A Police Beating And A Hard Choice
A new young adult book tells the story of a police beating from two perspectives: the black boy who was beaten, and a white boy who witnessed it.
'Tales From The Loop' Doesn't Forget The Robots (Or The Dinosaurs)
Illustrator Simon Stålenhag has put together a compilation of short stories to accompany his haunting, gorgeous paintings of an alternate Sweden full of aliens and strange technology. And dinosaurs.
Philosopher At Play: The Twisty Epiphanies Of 'Memory Theater'
Simon Critchley, a British philosopher, has penned an offbeat essay — or is it an autobiographical novel? A memoir thick with fictions? Whatever it is, Memory Theater makes for a delightful read.
Ernest Hemingway's 'A Moveable Feast' Hits French Bestseller List After Paris Attacks
Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast has hit the French bestseller list a half century after its publication, all because of a French granny. A 77-year-old Paris woman who lives near the Bataclan concert hall gave a TV interview that went viral. In the interview, she calls on her countrymen to read Hemingway's novel of living it up in the "City of Light."
Here Are The 2015 Medal Of Freedom Winners, In Their Own Voices
Athletes, artists and activists crowd the list of winners of the nation's highest civilian honor. Before they get their medals Tuesday, get to know them — in sight and sound.
The Man And The Mistakes That 'Invented Rock 'n' Roll'
In his new book, Sam Phillips, music writer Peter Guralnick profiles the founder of the Sun Records label. Guralnick says Phillips rejected perfection in favor of spontaneity and individuality.
Gaitskill Spins A Swirling Tale Of Love, Delusion And Horses In 'The Mare'
Mary Gaitskill's new novel chronicles the complex relationship between a poor black girl from Brooklyn and her middle-aged white benefactors. Maureen Corrigan calls The Mare a "raw, beautiful story."