Books

Books
Arts

Chuck Klosterman On Batman, Bad Guys And Wearing 'The Black Hat'

6:00pm July 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

From Darth Vader's grown-up fan base to why people like mysterious vigilantes, Klosterman's I Wear The Black Hat is a meditation on villainy, both real and imagined.

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In his new book, Alfredo Corchado writes about the escalating violence in Mexico.

Drugs, Chaos And Violence Darken Mexico's 'Midnight'

2:11pm July 09, 2013

Journalist Alfredo Corchado covers Mexico for the Dallas Morning News. His new book, Midnight In Mexico, is part memoir and part recent history of the upheaval in the country. He talks to Fresh Air about the power of the cartels, the rampant corruption and the hopes for the future of Mexico.

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'Five Star Billionaire' Shows The Human Cost Of Progress

12:37pm July 09, 2013

by Ellah Allfrey

Tash Aw's Five Star Billionaire, set in Shanghai, explores the dynamic tumult of that city. Reviewer Ellah Allfrey says that Aw, with gentle compassion and keen understanding, shows his characters succumb to the lure of a city where everything seems possible.

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How 'Dancing In The Street' Became A Protest Anthem

12:37pm July 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

Mark Kurlansky's book Ready for a Brand New Beat is a history of the song "Dancing in the Street." It was the soundtrack for the summer of 1964, when race riots and war protests spread across the United States.

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Portrait of Marie Duplessis by Charles Chaplin (1846)

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The Tragic Story Of 'Traviata' Muse Marie Duplessis

8:12pm July 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

The 19th-century courtesan died at 23 of tuberculosis, but her legacy inspired a successful play, several movies and the great Italian opera La Traviata. In The Girl Who Loved Camellias, Julie Kavanagh tracks her journey from Normandy peasant girl to romantic heroine.

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Novelist Sara Gran also writes for the HBO show Southland.

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American Mystery Finds A New Voice On 'The Bohemian Highway'

3:32pm July 02, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

This is the second mystery in Sara Gran's series featuring 40-ish bad-girl detective Claire DeWitt. Critic Maureen Corrigan says that reading a noir novel written by a Brooklyn-born author gave her a rush of private-eye, patriotic pride.

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Steamy Novel An 'Education' In Youth, Love And Mistakes

1:23pm July 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

Susan Choi departs from research-heavy books to write about people and relationships — and winds up writing about love and sex. My Education looks at a graduate student who doesn't learn what she anticipated.

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Tomi Ungerer's 1967 book Moon Man follows its lonely protagonist as he visits Earth for the very first time.

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From Kids' Books To Erotica, Tomi Ungerer's 'Far Out' Life

4:00pm July 01, 2013

The famed author and illustrator broke the rules of American children's literature in the '50s and '60s, but many Americans have never heard of him. A new documentary, Far Out Isn't Far Enough, looks at his life and work.

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An ancient tablet contains records written in Linear B — a script that was discovered in the 19th century and remained undeciphered for decades.

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How One Woman Nearly Deciphered A Mysterious Script

12:17pm July 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

For decades, no one could crack the code to a mysterious ancient script called Linear B. In her new book, Margalit Fox tells the story of the forgotten woman who almost figured it out.

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From the Toronto Islands, one of many real-life Toronto locales in Robert Rotenberg's legal thrillers, visitors have a clear view of the city's skyline.

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Rotenberg's Toronto Thrillers Mix Canadian Courtesy With Murder

11:10am July 01, 2013

by Linda Wertheimer

Lawyer turned author Robert Rotenberg takes great pains to re-create the relatively calm atmosphere of Canadian courtrooms in his suspense novels. But not all of his characters play by the rules. "Well, they are murder mysteries," he says.

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