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'Outpost': Stories Of Diplomacy In The World's Most Harrowing Places

1:51pm October 05, 2014

Former Ambassador Christopher Hill has written his memoir, Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Hill about his tenure as a diplomat in Iraq.

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Professor Laurence Steinberg, of Temple University, says adolescence should be conceived of as lasting from puberty to the early 20s.

Q&A: Plumbing The Mysteries Of The Teenage Brain

9:46pm October 04, 2014

by Anya Kamenetz

In Age of Opportunity, psychologist Larry Steinberg applies neuroscience to risk-taking, peer influence, the boredom of high school and other adolescent conundrums.

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One Military Family, Two Lost Sons: One To Combat, One To Suicide

8:51pm October 04, 2014

by NPR Staff

In The Invisible Front, journalist Yochi Dreazen tells the story of the Grahams, a close-knit family that lost two sons in the span of a year and then took up the fight against military suicide.

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Horror Of Horrors: Is H.P. Lovecraft's Legacy Tainted?

6:42pm October 04, 2014

by NPR Staff

Lovecraft, the author who famously invented Cthulhu, was also known for his highly racist opinions. This has created some controversy around the World Fantasy Award statue that bears his likeness.

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Behind The Sunglasses: The Lives Of Secret Service Agents

8:11pm October 03, 2014

by Ben Dolnick

This week, following a series of security lapses, the Secret Service director resigned. For a look at the agency beyond the scandal, author Ben Dolnick recommends the novel Big If by Mark Costello.

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Two Dead Writers Come Alive In New Collections

1:09pm October 03, 2014

by Alan Cheuse

Italo Calvino's Into the War and Philip K. Dick's We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, two posthumously published books of short fiction, contrast greatly but deliver stimulating reading experiences.

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Nicholas Sparks attends the Professional Bull Riders 2014 Monster Energy Invitational VIP Party. A film adaptation of Sparks' novel The Best of Me is scheduled to be in theaters on Oct. 17.

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Book News: Nicholas Sparks Is Accused Of Racism And Homophobia

7:19am October 03, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

The allegations come in a lawsuit filed by the ex-headmaster at a school that the best-selling writer founded. Also: The Authors Guild reveals it's requested a Justice Department probe of Amazon.

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'Lies' May Be Fiction, But Its Story Rings True

2:44pm October 02, 2014

by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Robin Talley's new young adult novel about the first group of kids to desegregate Southern schools combines hard truths about the civil rights struggle with a thrilling, head-over-heels love story.

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A Poetic Look At A Medical Pioneer, 'Dr. Mütter's Marvels' Jolts The Heart

1:40pm October 02, 2014

by Jason Heller

Moving ably from verse to historical prose, poet Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz chronicles the life and work of an unsung medical innovator in the exhaustively researched Dr. Mütter's Marvels.

Phil Klay, who served in Iraq's Anbar province from January 2007 to February 2008, was also longlisted for this year's National Book Award.

Books
Arts

Book News: National Book Foundation Fills Out Its '5 Under 35' List

7:22am October 02, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

The list, which picks five promising writers under 35 years old, includes Phil Klay, an Iraq War veteran longlisted for this year's National Book Award. Also: An unpublished Bond story gets new life.