Books

Books
Arts

Delicious Short Stories, Ripe On The Vine In 'Honeydew'

2:06pm January 22, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

Reviewer Alan Cheuse has rapturous praise for Edith Pearlman's new story collection: "The first thing I wanted to do after finishing was, well, I wanted to go right back and start from the beginning."

Author Scott Blackwood based See How Small on a real incident, a multiple murder at an Austin, Texas, frozen yogurt shop in 1991.

Books
Arts

The Vastness Of Violent Loss In 'See How Small'

1:57pm January 22, 2015

by Michael Schaub

Scott Blackwood's new novel, based on a real murder case, follows a community rocked by the slaying of three teenage girls. Reviewer Michael Schaub calls it "brutal, necessary and near perfect."

Books

Book Review: 'The Convert's Song' By Sebastian Rotella

10:39am January 22, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

Alan Cheuse reviews "The Convert's Song" by Sebastian Rotella.

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The Ethics Of Torture, Explored In A Painful Fable

10:39am January 22, 2015

by Laila Lalami

This week, the Senate released a report that details the interrogation techniques used by the CIA after Sept. 11. Author Laila Lalami grapples with the questions it raises by turning to literature.

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Arts

In 'The Evil Hours,' A Journalist Shares His Struggle With PTSD

5:35pm January 21, 2015

While embedded with troops in Iraq, David Morris almost died when a Humvee he was riding in ran over a roadside bomb. His book explores the history and science of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Arts

'The B-Side' Sings A Sad, Sad Song

3:03pm January 21, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

Ben Yagoda uses the battle between music licensing organizations ASCAP and BMI to sketch out a broader lament about the long fade-out of the American Songbook and the segue to modern pop music.

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Arts

A Cool, Painstaking Account Of A Difficult Past In 'Fatherland'

2:14pm January 21, 2015

by Etelka Lehoczky

Nina Bunjevac tackles two troublesome subjects in Fatherland: Her Serbian nationalist father, and the occasionally violent, extremist history of his country — all in a controlled, icy-cool style.

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Arts

'Gateway To Freedom': Heroes, Danger And Loss On The Underground Railroad

11:35am January 21, 2015

While writing his new book, historian Eric Foner relied on a recently discovered record of slaves' escapes. He says the documents paint a "revealing picture" of life on the Underground Railroad.

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Three-Minute Fiction Round 10: Leave A Message After The Beep

11:07am January 21, 2015

by NPR Staff

This round of the short story contest for weekends on All Things Considered will be judged by author Mona Simpson. For Round 10, she wants original fiction with the "texture of voice."

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Resurrections, Do-Overs, And Second Lives: A 2015 Poetry Preview

3:23pm January 20, 2015

After the troubles of 2014, critic Craig Morgan Teicher offers up a full shelf of poetry for a brand new year — offering no solutions, but full of ambivalence and precision, balm and fire.