Books

Books
Arts

Poisoned Cigars And A Painful Chapter In Our History

11:54am April 12, 2014

This week saw celebrations of the anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and revelation of the ZunZuneo scandal. Paul Reyes and Ralph Eubanks recommend The Cultural Cold War and We Are Not Afraid.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

After A Disaster In 'Family Life,' Relief Never Comes

8:12pm April 10, 2014

by Meg Wolitzer

Akhil Sharma took over a decade to write his novel, Family Life, a mostly autobiographical account of an immigrant family and an accident that shatters their dreams for the future.

Queue Listen Now

In her memoir Living With a Wild God, Barbara Ehrenreich describes the mystical visions she had as a teenager.

A Nonbeliever Tries To Make Sense Of The Visions She Had As A Teen

2:35pm April 08, 2014

Barbara Ehrenreich — a rationalist, atheist and scientist by training — has written a new memoir called Living With a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything.

Queue Listen Now

"If Jesus had not been declared God by his followers, his followers would've remained a sect within Judaism, a small Jewish sect," says historian Bart Ehrman.

If Jesus Never Called Himself God, How Did He Become One?

6:26am April 08, 2014

In How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman explores how a Jewish preacher from Galilee was transformed into a deity. "Jesus himself didn't call himself God and didn't consider himself God," Ehrman says.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Peter Matthiessen On Writing And Zen Buddhism

2:57pm April 07, 2014

Fresh Air listens back to our 1989 interview with Snow Leopard author and Paris Review co-founder Peter Matthiessen, who died Saturday at age 86. His new novel In Paradise comes out Tuesday.

Queue Listen Now

In his six-decade career, Peter Matthiessen has written 33 books, including The Snow Leopard and Shadow Country.

Books
Arts

'In Paradise,' Matthiessen Considers Our Capacity For Cruelty

1:43pm April 07, 2014

by Tom Vitale

At 86, Matthiessen has written what he says "may be his last word." In Paradise, a novel about a visit to a Nazi extermination camp, caps a career spanning six decades and 33 books.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

In Book's Trial Of U.S. Justice System, Wealth Gap Is Exhibit A

6:56pm April 06, 2014

by NPR Staff

Journalist Matt Taibbi investigates the differences between punishment for white-collar and blue-collar crimes in The Divide. He also questions beliefs about who is "appropriate for jail."

Queue Listen Now

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 17: Dinaw Mengestu poses for a portrait on Monday, September 17, 2012 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eli Meir Kaplan/Getty Images for Home Front Communications)

Books
Arts

Dinaw Mengestu Embraces The Vastness Of Love And War

7:34pm April 03, 2014

by Meg Wolitzer

Meg Wolitzer says All Our Names, told in the alternating voices of two lovers, is a subtle masterpiece. It tackles huge themes — relationships, violence, identity, racism — but never overreaches.

Queue Listen Now

Jolie Kerr says when you have a fresh red wine stain, pouring table salt — no water — on it will suck it right up. "You can go pour some wine on your carpet tonight and try it out!" she says.

Books
Arts

Embarrassing Stains? This Housekeeping Guide Gets That Life Is Messy

4:48pm April 03, 2014

Jerry Seinfeld joked that if you have bloodstains on your clothes, you have bigger problems than the laundry. But Jolie Kerr helps with all the stains in a new book, My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag.

Queue Listen Now

Stefan Zweig was born to a prosperous Jewish family in Vienna. He wrote novels, short stories and biographies.

Books
Arts

The Rise And Fall Of Stefan Zweig, Who Inspired 'Grand Budapest Hotel'

9:54pm April 02, 2014

by NPR Staff

The Viennese writer was once one of the world's most translated authors, but after his death he was forgotten — until now. Wes Anderson credits Zweig's writing at the end of his latest film.

Queue Listen Now