Books

Books
Arts

'The Sellout' Is A Profane Riff On Race And Culture

10:40am February 28, 2015

In Paul Beatty's new satirical novel, The Sellout, the narrator wants to re-segregate his hometown outside of Los Angeles. NPR's Scott Simon talks to the author about using humor to write about race.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Book Review: 'Satin Island' By Tom McCarthy

8:13pm February 27, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

Alan Cheuse reviews a new experimental novel by Tom McCarthy called Satin Island.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

This Month (And Every Month), Black Sci-Fi Writers Look To The Future

8:12pm February 27, 2015

by Alaya Dawn Johnson

For years, black authors stood out in science fiction and fantasy because there were so few. Now, says Alaya Dawn Johnson, though there are still obstacles, black authors are making themselves heard.

From Naked Mole Rats To Dog Testicles: A Writer Explores The Longevity Quest

4:03pm February 27, 2015

"Nature knows how to let animals live a very long time," says Bill Gifford, whose latest book is Spring Chicken, a look at the history of anti-aging schemes and current ways people try to live longer.

Queue Listen Now

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Week Of February 26, 2015

4:03pm February 27, 2015

The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of February 26, 2015

4:03pm February 27, 2015

In Richard Price's The Whites, a New York City detective investigates a murder that connects to something in his own dark past. It debuts at No. 4.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of February 26, 2015

4:03pm February 27, 2015

Falconer Helen Macdonald looks back on her decision to train a fierce goshawk in the wake of her father's sudden death in H is for Hawk. It debuts at No. 7.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of February 26, 2015

4:03pm February 27, 2015

An isolated bookstore owner starts to change his life after receiving a mysterious package in Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. It appears at No. 7.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of February 26, 2015

4:03pm February 27, 2015

Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction, about how human activity is affecting different species, appears at No. 6.

Books
Arts

From Poker Amateur To World Series Competitor In 'The Noble Hustle'

1:44pm February 27, 2015

Colson Whitehead's book, now out in paperback, was born of an assignment to write about the World Series of Poker. It's a sharp observational tale of poker: those who play it and how it changed him.

Queue Listen Now