Understanding Society Through 3 American Classics
NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Azar Nafisi about her new book, The Republic of Imagination, a reflection on America through three of its most memorable books.
Books
Book News: Toni Morrison's Collection Finds A Permanent Home At Princeton
The Nobel laureate taught at Princeton University for 17 years. Now, her papers — some 180 linear feet of them — are returning to be housed in the school's library. Also: a roundup of new releases.
Amid The Chaos Of Debt Collection, 'Bad Paper' Offers A Riveting Roadmap
It's not often that a book can mix machetes with hedge funds. Then again, few industries are as chaotic, and compelling, as debt collection — which Jake Halpern's book reveals in alarming detail.
Back Across The Wall: Questions For Garth Nix
Author Garth Nix returns to the world of the Old Kingdom with Clariel, the story of a young woman of great magical power who, denied the freedom to live as she wants, chooses a dangerous path.
A Funny Philosopher Tackles A Tough Query: 'Does Santa Exist?'
Eric Kaplan's son had a zoo trip canceled because one mom worried about reindeer-induced questions. So Kaplan, a comedy writer and philosophy grad student, started pondering the puzzle of St. Nick.
424 Steps To Happiness: A Father's Journey Beyond 'The Fall'
A son with cerebral palsy inspires a new way to think about imperfection, exaltation and love in a new memoir by Brazilian novelist and screenwriter Diogo Mainardi.
300,000,000 Is A Horrific, Poetic Anti-Ode To America
Blake Butler's new novel, 300,000,000, is not for the squeamish. This portrait of a serial killer and the detective who hunts him will curdle the blood — and possibly the soul — of any reader.
A Collection Of Poems That Offers An Unlikely Kind Of Hope
In his second poetry collection, The New Testament, Jericho Brown weaves together strains of religious invocations with his uneasy identity as a southern, gay, black man into a beguiling self myth.
Email Just Can't Compete With Heartfelt 'Letters Of Note'
The art of letter writing is also an act of preserving history. The correspondences gathered in the book Letters Of Note tell stories of delight, hope and loss — and the nature of human connection.
Out Of The Lockerbie Bombing, A Bond And A 'Letter Of Note'
Audie Cornish speaks with Frank Ciulla about a poignant letter cherished by his family. It was written after his father was killed in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.