Books

Author Benjamin Alire Saenz writes about life on the U.S.-Mexico border. Here he holds his latest book, Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, in front of "$26," a painting by Francisco Delgado (the presidents in the painting appear on American

Vibrant 'Club' Links Two Countries In Award-Winning Book

3:27pm May 06, 2013

by Monica Ortiz Uribe

Benjamin Alire Saenz won this year's PEN/Faulkner award for his latest collection of short stories, Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club. The real-life Kentucky Club is just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, and Saenz joined a reporter there to talk about life in two countries.

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Cover of The Selected Letters of Willa Cather

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'Wonderful Words' In Willa Cather's No-Longer-Secret Letters

3:27pm May 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

Willa Cather's will forbade the publication of her private letters, but that will has now expired. The Selected Letters of Willa Cather contains more than 500 missives — including one that details the real-life story behind Cather's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, One of Ours.

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Gail Godwin, whose latest novel is Flora, has been a finalist for the National Book Award and a Guggenheim fellow.

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Godwin's 'Flora': A Tale Of Remorse That Creeps Under Your Skin

3:20pm May 06, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

The latest novel from three-time National Book Award finalist Gail Godwin takes inspiration from Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Both stories take place in isolated old houses, and both revolve around mental contests between a governess character and her young charge.

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A Tale From The Delta, Born Of The Blues

7:20pm May 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

Bill Cheng's debut novel, Southern Cross the Dog, is full of mythical characters who feel like they rose right out of the Mississippi Swamp, and narratives that churn and swirl like the river itself. Cheng calls the novel "a love note to those old blues players."

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When illustrator Ralph Steadman accepted an assignment with writer Hunter S. Thompson at the Kentucky Derby, he never imagined the weekend that would ensue. Here, Steadman depicts the race's winner, a colt named Dust Commander.

A 'Decadent And Depraved' Derby With Hunter S. Thompson

6:27pm May 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

Illustrator Ralph Steadman had never heard of Hunter S. Thompson before he flew to Churchill Downs on assignment to cover the Kentucky Derby. But after an unforgettable, booze-ridden weekend with the writer, Steadman's life was never the same.

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Book cover detail: Papadaddy's Book For New Fathers

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Advice For New Dads From A Veteran Father Of Four

8:28pm May 03, 2013

Novelist Clyde Edgerton has four kids; one is an adult, and the other three are all younger than 10. His new book, Papadaddy's Book for New Fathers, is a guide for dads that's written from his perspective as an older father. Pay heed, expectant fathers: Install that car seat now.

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Caroline Kennedy's other works include of A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children and A Patriot's Handbook.

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'Poems To Learn By Heart': The Merits Of Memorizing Verse

1:17pm May 03, 2013

Caroline Kennedy isn't just an advocate for reading poetry. In her latest book, Poems to Learn by Heart, Kennedy stresses the importance of memorizing poetry and presents a collection of poems that she believes kids and adults alike should internalize.

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In 1948, Thelma Porter became the first African-American Miss Subways.

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'Miss Subways': A Trip Back In Time To New York's Melting Pot

7:13pm May 02, 2013

by April Fehling

Between 1941 and 1976, New York commuters were charmed by posters of regular New York women while riding the city's trains and buses. "Miss Subways" was selected each month by New Yorkers, in a pageant that reflected America's diversity long before the nation's other beauty contests.

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Casual clothing detail fashion background made in the USA

Ethical Fashion: Is The Tragedy In Bangladesh A Final Straw?

4:05pm May 02, 2013

Since a garment factory collapsed last month in Dhaka, killing more than 400 people, ethical fashion has been in the spotlight. Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion, explains the economy that created this tragedy and what we can do to fix it.

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Criminologist Believes Violent Behavior Is Biological

1:22pm May 01, 2013

In a new book, The Anatomy of Violence, Adrian Raine argues that violent behavior has a biological basis just like depression or schizophrenia. This raises questions about treatment, accountability and punishment, including the death penalty.

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