Books

Books
Arts

Harper Lee's Friend Says Author Is Hard Of Hearing, Sound Of Mind

3:12pm February 06, 2015

by Lynn Neary

News of a second novel has raised concerns that the To Kill a Mockingbird author is being taken advantage of in her old age. But friend Wayne Flynt says Lee, 88, can "understand what's going on."

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First Book President and CEO Kyle Zimmer reads to children during a book distribution event.

Nonprofit Fights Illiteracy By Getting Books To Kids Who Need Them

3:09pm February 06, 2015

by Lynn Neary

For kids to be exposed to reading, families have to have books to read to them, which isn't a given — especially in low-income areas. First Book works to get quality literature into those communities.

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In 2007, Asali Solomon was named one of the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35." Her previous book, Get Down, is a collection of short stories. She teaches English literature and creative writing at Haverford College.

Books
Arts

Novelist's 'Disgruntled' Heroine Is Drawn From Her Own Childhood

1:18pm February 06, 2015

Asali Solomon's novel is about a girl growing up in West Philadelphia whose parents were black nationalists. "My parents taught us to revere Africa — people at school made fun of Africa," she says.

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In 1941, superheroes like Captain America were big business for Marvel publisher Martin Goodman. But after the war, as superhero popularity faded, Goodman favored Westerns and romance comics.

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Arts

Marvel At 75: Still Slinging Webs And Guarding Galaxies

2:30pm February 05, 2015

by Mandalit del Barco

What became Marvel Comics got its start in 1939 as Timely Publications. It went through many changes — but one constant has been writer Stanley Lieber, better known as Stan Lee.

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Steven Brill is a journalist who also founded Court TV, American Lawyer magazine, 10 regional legal newspapers and Brill's Content Magazine. He teaches journalism at Yale.

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'America's Bitter Pill' Makes Case For Why Health Care Law 'Won't Work'

2:07pm February 05, 2015

Journalist Steven Brill's latest book critiques the Affordable Care Act, which he calls "unsustainable." In the next few years, "something is going to snap," he says. "We cannot pay for this."

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Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of February 5, 2015

11:48am February 05, 2015

Jennifer Senior examines the effects children have on their parents in All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. It appears at No. 13.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of February 5, 2015

11:42am February 05, 2015

Laura Ingalls Wilder's never-before-published autobiography, Pioneer Girl, debuts at No. 7.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of February 5, 2015

11:40am February 05, 2015

Private detective Jack Morgan stumbles into a murder ring in James Patterson's Private Vegas. It debuts at No. 8.

Books
Arts

This 'Future Lover' Is A Library

10:03am February 05, 2015

by Michael Schaub

Ander Monson's new essay collection is a thoughtful, original celebration of libraries; more than just buildings full of books, they're a living exchange of ideas and a way for people to connect.

David Linden is a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and is a former chief editor of the Journal of Neurophysiology. He also wrote The Compass of Pleasure.

Fingertips To Hair Follicles: Why 'Touch' Triggers Pleasure And Pain

4:39pm February 04, 2015

In his latest book, neuroscientist David Linden explains the science of touch. He tells Fresh Air how pain protects, why fingertips are so sensitive and why you can't read Braille with your genitals.

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