Books

Watch an interactive of the Supreme Court justice narrating her personal family photos. (Above: Sotomayor, 1959)

A Justice Deliberates: Sotomayor On Love, Health And Family

3:27pm January 14, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is open about how she benefited from affirmative action, how she came to terms with her diabetes and the "out-of-body experience" of being appointed to the high court. Sotomayor spoke with NPR just before the release of her new autobiography.

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Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, has retired. He'll start working with the Center for American Progress, a progressive research and policy organization, on issues of faith and gay rights.

Retired Bishop Gene Robinson On Being Gay And Loving God

2:25pm January 14, 2013

The first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church will start work with the Center for American Progress, focusing on issues of faith and gay rights. "Gay is not something we do," he says. "It's something we are." His book God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage was published in September.

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A 'Beautiful Vision' In Science Forgotten

1:48pm January 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

Dorothy Wrinch was the first woman to ever receive a doctorate in science from Oxford University, and she was the first person to design a protein structure. But her name is largely unknown. I Died for Beauty, a biography of Wrinch by Marjorie Senechal, tells her story.

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Books
Arts

The Seedy Underbelly Of The Belle Epoque, 'Painted'

12:54pm January 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

The belle epoque was not particularly belle if you were poor and female — like the young girl who modeled for Edgar Degas' famous sculpture, The Little Dancer, Aged 14. A new novel by Cathy Marie Buchanan tells the story of that girl, ballet student Marie van Goethem.

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Cover image for Amar'e Stoudemire's STAT: Slam Dunk.

NBA Star Aims To Inspire Young Readers With 'Slam Dunk'

12:08pm January 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

New York Knicks captain Amar'e "STAT" Stoudemire is a six-time All-Star, an education activist and the author of three books for middle-schoolers. In his latest release, an injury helps an 11-year-old STAT learn lessons both on and off the court.

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Books
Arts

No Going Back: A Hard Look At Bipolar Disorder

6:11pm January 11, 2013

by Ellen Forney

Juliann Garey's novel, Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See, is a searing exploration of mental illness. Author Ellen Forney says it's a vivid and accurate depiction of bipolar disorder.

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Books
Arts

In 'Sliver Of Sky,' Barry Lopez Confronts Childhood Sexual Abuse

9:03pm January 10, 2013

The nature writer has an essay in January's Harper's Magazine that details the four years of his childhood during which he says he was routinely raped and molested by a family friend.

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Books
Arts

'A Life In Friendships' Is A Life Well-Lived

6:31pm January 09, 2013

by Meg Wolitzer

Susanna Sonnenberg's life has been full of interesting women, and in a new memoir she tells their stories. Reviewer Meg Wolitzer says that She Matters: A Life in Friendships is a beautifully written book about the bonds, and the boundary issues, between women.

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The Fall of the House of Dixie is by Civil War historian Bruce Levine.

Books
Arts

'The Fall Of The House Of Dixie' Built A New U.S.

1:50pm January 08, 2013

In a new book, Civil War historian Bruce Levine says that from the destruction of the South emerged an entirely new country, making the Civil War equivalent to a second American Revolution. Integral to the Union's victory, he says, were the nearly 200,000 black soldiers who enlisted.

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'Full Planet, Empty Plates'

12:23pm January 07, 2013

In Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity, Lester Brown says the world's food supply is tightening, and the reasons are many. People in developing countries are eating more meat, a grain-intensive food; farmers are overpumping, causing water tables to fall; and crop yields have plateaued, despite technological advances.

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