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Arts

5 buzzy books out this week that look inward

7:00am April 08, 2025

A number of books out this week — a tale of tribal politics, a close-focus mystery, measured criticism and a unique relationship — are tied up in answering the question: How do we define ourselves?

Howard Berkes (seated, front row right) volunteered to be part of a COVID-19 research study this year. He says his family, photographed here in the 1960s, had a history of stepping up during difficult times. That includes his grandparents (in middle), who

Why I'm A Vaccine Volunteer: Doing What Needs To Be Done

7:00am December 13, 2020

by Howard Berkes

The power of family history can lead a person to do lot of things. For Howard Berkes, the family tradition of facing crises head-on led him to sign up for experimental testing of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Books

Tweet Little Lies: Embracing False Selves In The Internet's 'Trick Mirror'

8:13am August 05, 2019

by Rachel Martin

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to New Yorker Staff Writer Jia Tolentino about "Trick Mirror: Reflections On Self-Delusion," her new book of essays about the Internet, marriage, womanhood and more.

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Traditional architecture and modern skyscrapers overlap in central Seoul.

World News

In Seoul, Where Everything Moves Fast, There's Also Longing For The Past

8:28am August 02, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

In recent weeks, NPR's Ari Shapiro has been reporting from Seoul. He's found South Koreans take great pride in their country's progress over the past 50 years, but it's often tempered by nostalgia.

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Mohsin Hamid is also the author of three novels, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Moth Smoke.

Pakistani Author Mohsin Hamid And His Roving 'Discontent'

10:40am February 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

Mohsin Hamid combines the personal and political in his new book, Discontent and Its Civilizations. NPR's Scott Simon talks with the Pakistani author about his new collection of essays.

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