Books

Poet Amiri Baraka, pictured above in the 1970s, died in 2014 at the age of 79.

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Arts

Amiri Baraka Didn't Worry About His Politics Overpowering His Poetry

10:14pm February 02, 2015

by Tom Vitale

"The real hallmark of an effective political artist is that the politics is accepted with the art," said Baraka. A new career-spanning anthology collects his work from 1961 to 2013. He died in 2014.

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Excerpted from A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Text copyright 2014 by Kristy Dempsey. Illustrations copyright 2014 by Floyd Cooper. Excerpted by permission of Philomel Books.

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8 Picture Books You Don't Have To Be A Kid To Love

1:12pm February 02, 2015

by Nicole Cohen

Here at NPR Books, we may be grown-ups, but we still enjoy channeling our inner 7-year-old. And this week, we have the perfect excuse: Monday's Caldecott Medal announcement for picture book artistry.

As America Grays, A Call For Dignity In Aging And Elder Care

11:42am February 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

In The Age of Dignity, Ai-jen Poo says getting older should be viewed not from a place of scarcity and fear but as an opportunity. And, she writes, the U.S. must fix its flawed care system.

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'Happy' Isn't So Happy, But It Packs A Punch

4:13pm February 01, 2015

by Nishant Dahiya

Novelist and playwright Yasmina Reza's new book is a slim collection of interlocking stories that's confusing but compelling. Reviewer Nishant Dahiya says it crackles with emotion and playfulness.

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'History Of Loneliness' Explores The Complexity Of Priest Sex Abuse

11:41am February 01, 2015

A History of Loneliness addresses the difficult subject of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with author John Boyne about his novel.

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Be More Awesome — With Help From Kid President

11:39am February 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

Kid President (aka 11-year-old Robby Novak) is an Internet sensation whose sunny, personality-driven YouTube videos have garnered over 75 million views. Now, he's written a book on how to be awesome.

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Prime Minister Loses His Noggin But Keeps Talking In 'Head Of State'

11:05pm January 31, 2015

Who says a beheaded man can't still be head of state? NPR's Scott Simon speaks with British journalist, author and TV host Andrew Marr about his novel, Head of State.

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Impressions From The Ice: A Poet Returns From Antarctica

6:30pm January 31, 2015

by NPR Staff

Jynne Dilling Martin spent six weeks living on the bottom of the world and watching scientists work. The experience inspired many of the poems in her new collection, We Mammals in Hospitable Times.

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Colleen McCullough at home on Australia's remote Norfolk Island in 1990 — she told an interviewer she moved there to escape her difficult family.

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Remembering 'Thorn Birds' Author Colleen McCullough

1:20pm January 31, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Australian writer Colleen McCullough has died at 77; she was best known for her doomed Outback romance saga The Thorn Birds, famously adapted for TV with Richard Chamberlain as a passionate priest.

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A Mismatched Crew Dreams Of Swashbuckling In 'We Are Pirates'

1:20pm January 31, 2015

Acclaimed writer Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snickett, drew criticism last year for a racist comment at a literary event. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Handler about his new novel, We Are Pirates.

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