Books

Books
Arts

Author Richard Ford Says 'Let Me Be Frank' About Aging And Dying

1:50pm October 30, 2015

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's most recent book centers on a 68-year-old man dealing with his aging body, a dying friend and his ex-wife, who has Parkinson's. Originally broadcast Nov. 12, 2014.

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'The Other Paris' Goes Beyond The Banlieues

3:56pm October 29, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

Luc Sante's cultural history focuses on the darker corners of the City of Lights, and the rougher and more disreputable citizens of the French capital who, he argues, have made Paris what it is today.

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Arts

'Custer's Trials' Examines The Legacy Of A Complicated American Figure

1:43pm October 29, 2015

T.J. Stiles' biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt earned the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Steve Inskeep talks with Stiles about his new book, Custer's Trials, on George Armstrong Custer.

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Comparing Presidential Candidates' Language To Books In 'The New York Times'

10:41pm October 28, 2015

Josh Katz discusses his most recent graphic "Matching Candidates With Books They Sound Like" for "The Upshot" in The New York Times. The piece compared the speaking styles of different presidential candidates to word choices in popular books based on how complex, positive or negative the candidates' speeches are.

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Disney's Snow White has a scene in which the beautiful queen/stepmother turns into an old hag. Scholar Maria Tatar says it's "probably more frightening for adults than children because it compresses the aging process into about 20 seconds."

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Why Are Old Women Often The Face Of Evil In Fairy Tales And Folklore?

6:02pm October 28, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

Evil stepmothers, witches and crones: When they aren't poisoning princesses, they're mangling mermaids or trying to eat children. One writer traces these villains' roots to a fear of female power.

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Rage And Humor Alternate In 'Arab Of The Future'

5:14pm October 28, 2015

by Etelka Lehoczky

Cartoonist Riad Sattouf uses a loose-limbed comic style to tell the story of his harsh early childhood in Libya, Syria and France — but the cartoony look belies the book's anger and icy cynicism.

Books
Arts

A New Alcott Emerges From The 'Annotated Little Women'

4:01pm October 28, 2015

by Genevieve Valentine

Biographer John Matteson crams all his knowledge of Louisa May Alcott into a massive new annotated edition of her best-known book — in which the author herself emerges as a fascinating character.

Books
Arts

After 40 Years, Dungeons & Dragons Still Brings Players To The Table

3:10pm October 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

Michael Witwer, who has written a book about game co-creator Gary Gygax, says D&D does something that online games don't: It brings players physically together to participate in group storytelling.

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Riad Sattouf is a Syrian-French cartoonist whose graphic novel depicts his life growing up in Syria and Libya in the 1980s. His book was a bestseller in France and is now being published in English.

Syrian Author Finds 'The Arab Of The Future' In His Own Past

3:03pm October 28, 2015

by Eleanor Beardsley

Riad Sattouf is a Syrian-French cartoonist who brings to life the Middle East in the 1980s. Published as a graphic novel, it provides a humorous and intimate view of the author's youth.

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Oncologist Discusses Advancements In Treatment And The Ongoing War On Cancer

1:48pm October 28, 2015

During his decades-long career, oncologist Vincent DeVita helped develop the combination chemotherapy regimen that cures most cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma. His new book is The Death of Cancer.

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