Books

Historian David Nasaw's new biography of Joseph P. Kennedy unpacks the patriarch's full story.

Books
Arts

Joseph Kennedy, 'Patriarch' Of An American Dynasty

4:03pm December 12, 2012

In a new book, biographer David Nasaw profiles the father of Robert, John and Teddy, and unpacks the elder Kennedy's influence on his children. "He told them over and over again, 'I'm making all this money so you don't have to make money, so that you can go into public service,' " Nasaw says.

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Books
Arts

Oprah's Book Club Turns Over A New Page

5:58am December 12, 2012

by Lynn Neary

Oprah Winfrey says her Book Club grew out of a desire to talk to authors after finishing their books. While the original version of the club ended when Winfrey's television show went off the air in 2011, it has now been rebooted online and on the new Oprah Winfrey Network as Book Club 2.0.

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Thomas Ricks argues that the failures of today's military can be traced back to the Vietnam War.

Books

Tracing Military Failures, Holding 'The Generals' Accountable

4:26pm December 11, 2012

In The Generals, Thomas Ricks examines U.S. military leadership from World War Two to the present day. He concludes that the mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan can be traced to the Army's inability to come to terms with all the lessons of Vietnam.

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The Feds Can Tell Ernest Hemingway's Cats What To Do; Here's Why

11:06am December 11, 2012

by Mark Memmott

Cats descended from one given to the writer live at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West. A visitor filed a complaint with the law. Now, judges have said the U.S. Department of Agriculture can regulate those felines. Yes, Hemingway's cats are a federal case. It's a long story.

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Ayana Mathis is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is her debut novel.

Books
Arts

Oprah's Second Pick: A First-Time Novelist

10:55am December 11, 2012

by Lynn Neary

Oprah Winfrey's second pick for her rebooted book club is The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, by first-time novelist Ayana Mathis. It's a chronicle of the Great Migration of African-Americans leaving the rural South, following a family matriarch who leaves Georgia to start a new life in Philadelphia.

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Books
Arts

Lemony Snicket Dons A Trenchcoat

1:53pm December 10, 2012

In Who Could That Be at This Hour?, a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events, Daniel Handler satirizes pulp mysteries and uncovers the parallels between detective fiction and childhood. In both, he says, an outsider is trying to make his way in a mysteriously corrupt world.

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'Torn': Living As An Openly Gay Christian

12:50pm December 10, 2012

by NPR Staff

Justin Lee grew up in a Southern Baptist family. At age 18, he came out to his family and church, who had trouble accepting him as a gay man. Lee later started the Gay Christian Network to encourage a dialogue between gay Christians, their families and their churches. His new book is Torn.

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Books
Arts

A Wintry Mix: Alan Cheuse Selects The Season's Best

11:50pm December 07, 2012

Critic Alan Cheuse maps out a winter wonderland of fiction and poetry — from ancient Greece to the near-future visions of Walter Mosley, a selection of the best books to give and receive this holiday season. Cheuse says these five books strike the perfect balance between lyricism and narrative.

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Books

'Gray' Has Random House Employees Seeing Green

7:36am December 07, 2012

Fifty Shades of Grey, the best selling tale of kinky passion, has sold more than 60 million copies. Which is why Random House employees are now seeing green. The big announcement at the publisher's Christmas party: a $5,000 bonus for every employee — from editors to the mailroom.

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Though it is a capital offense to leave the country, more people attempt to flee North Korea each year.

Fleeing North Korea Through 'Asia's Underground Railroad'

3:21pm December 05, 2012

by NPR Staff

North Korea remains one of the most isolated and repressive countries in the world. Each year, a brave few attempt an escape to freedom through China. In Escape from North Korea, writer Melanie Kirkpatrick tells the harrowing personal stories of North Korean defectors and their quest for freedom.

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