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A Few Wise Moves Lift 'Prudence' From Melodrama To Something More

10:58am February 04, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

David Treuer's story of death and discord on an Indian reservation could have blundered into melodrama. Instead, the book dodges this fate by retracing its steps, revealing new depths each time.

Harper Lee, seen here receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, actually wrote Go Set a Watchman first. But she set it aside when her editor suggested focusing on Scout's flashbacks instead — and she did, in what became To Kill a Mockingbird.

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Harper Lee Plans To Publish A New Novel Featuring 'Mockingbird' Hero

5:47pm February 03, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

More than 50 years after the release of her classic — and only — novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee plans to publish a second. The newly unearthed book, Go Set a Watchman, will be published in July.

Laura Ingalls Wilder entertained generations of children with her Little House series, which was loosely based on her family's pioneering life. Her memoir, Pioneer Girl, was published in 2014.

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'Little House,' Big Demand: Never Underestimate Laura Ingalls Wilder

10:23am February 03, 2015

by NPR Staff

Wilder's memoir reveals that she witnessed more violence than you'd ever know from her children's books. The South Dakota State Historical Society can barely keep up with demand for the autobiography.

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'Funny Girl' Is A Book Made For Binge-Watching

9:59am February 03, 2015

by Heller McAlpin

Yes, you read that right. Nick Hornby's charming, light yet thoughtful tale of the creative team behind a fictional BBC sitcom in the 1960s takes the pejorative sting out of the word "heartwarming."

Poet Amiri Baraka, pictured above in the 1970s, died in 2014 at the age of 79.

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Amiri Baraka Didn't Worry About His Politics Overpowering His Poetry

10:14pm February 02, 2015

by Tom Vitale

"The real hallmark of an effective political artist is that the politics is accepted with the art," said Baraka. A new career-spanning anthology collects his work from 1961 to 2013. He died in 2014.

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Excerpted from A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Text copyright 2014 by Kristy Dempsey. Illustrations copyright 2014 by Floyd Cooper. Excerpted by permission of Philomel Books.

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8 Picture Books You Don't Have To Be A Kid To Love

1:12pm February 02, 2015

by Nicole Cohen

Here at NPR Books, we may be grown-ups, but we still enjoy channeling our inner 7-year-old. And this week, we have the perfect excuse: Monday's Caldecott Medal announcement for picture book artistry.

As America Grays, A Call For Dignity In Aging And Elder Care

11:42am February 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

In The Age of Dignity, Ai-jen Poo says getting older should be viewed not from a place of scarcity and fear but as an opportunity. And, she writes, the U.S. must fix its flawed care system.

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'Happy' Isn't So Happy, But It Packs A Punch

4:13pm February 01, 2015

by Nishant Dahiya

Novelist and playwright Yasmina Reza's new book is a slim collection of interlocking stories that's confusing but compelling. Reviewer Nishant Dahiya says it crackles with emotion and playfulness.

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'History Of Loneliness' Explores The Complexity Of Priest Sex Abuse

11:41am February 01, 2015

A History of Loneliness addresses the difficult subject of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with author John Boyne about his novel.

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Be More Awesome — With Help From Kid President

11:39am February 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

Kid President (aka 11-year-old Robby Novak) is an Internet sensation whose sunny, personality-driven YouTube videos have garnered over 75 million views. Now, he's written a book on how to be awesome.

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