Books

Quvenzhané Wallis, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild, plays little orphan Annie in the new film adaptation of the 1977 musical.

Books
Arts

The Annie Of Tomorrow Has The Same Hard Knocks, But Different Hair

2:09pm December 15, 2014

by Neda Ulaby

The famously redheaded orphan is played this time by African-American actress Quvenzhané Wallis. "The original Annie had a red Afro," points out Indiana University scholar Terri Francis.

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Pages from El Deafo by Cece Bell. Click here to enlarge.

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Arts

'El Deafo': How A Girl Turned Her Disability Into A Superpower

1:59pm December 15, 2014

by NPR Staff

Navigating elementary school is already hard enough — try adding in a bulky metal hearing aid. Cece Bell's new young adult graphic memoir captures the experience in a poignant and humorous way.

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Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of December 11, 2014

5:59am December 13, 2014

Haruki Murakami's illustrated short novel, The Strange Library, follows an escape plotted by a lonely boy, a mysterious girl and a sheep man. It appears at No. 7.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Week Of December 11, 2014

4:03pm December 12, 2014

The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of December 11, 2014

4:03pm December 12, 2014

Former Marine Phil Klay taps his military experience in the short story collection Redployment, which appears at No. 6.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of December 11, 2014

4:03pm December 12, 2014

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up provides a guide for decluttering that keeps mental health in mind. It appears at No. 12.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of December 11, 2014

4:03pm December 12, 2014

Really Important Stuff My Dog Has Taught Me offers canine-themed quotes, stories and photos. It appears at No. 15.

Books

When Big Brother Is An Evil, Jewelry-Obsessed Necromancer

7:02am December 12, 2014

Lord of the Rings fans wanted to build a giant Eye of Sauron atop a skyscraper in Moscow, a place that already can make you feel you're being watched. The Orthodox church had officials scrap the plan.

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Scott Saul is an associate professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley and author of Freedom is Freedom Ain't: Jazz and the Making of the Sixties.

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Arts

Richard Pryor, A Comedy Pioneer Who Was 'Always Whittling On Dynamite'

3:14pm December 11, 2014

Scott Saul's new book, Becoming Richard Pryor, describes how Pryor went from being raised by a grandmother, who was a bootlegger and madam, to being a transformative figure in entertainment.

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Books
Arts

Billions Of Years Go By, All In The Same 'Room'

2:52pm December 11, 2014

by NPR Staff

NPR's Rachel Martin talks with Richard McGuire about his arresting graphic novel, Here. It's an austere, profound journey backward and forward in time through the life of a single room.

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