Books

Books
Arts

Louise Erdrich On Her Personal Connection To Native Peoples' 'Fight For Survival'

1:28pm April 16, 2021

by Dave Davies

Erdrich's novel, The Night Watchman, is based on her grandfather's role in resisting a Congressional effort to withdraw federal recognition from her family's tribe. Originally broadcast March 4, 2020.

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Mom Releases Book Based On 10 Years Of Ramadan Traditions

7:36am April 16, 2021

10 years ago, story teller Salma Hasan Ali started a blog marking the month of Ramadan called "30 Days, 30 Deeds." This year, she releases a book of stories and lessons from a decade of the blog.

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Books

National Parks Should Be Controlled By Indigenous Tribes, One Writer Argues

5:14pm April 15, 2021

The National Parks Service has often been called "America's Best Idea." But David Treuer argues that, because that came at the cost of Native American homeland, they deserve to take control.

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The Making of Biblical Womanhood, by Beth Allison Barr

'The Making Of Biblical Womanhood' Tackles Contradictions In Religious Practice

3:35pm April 15, 2021

by Rachel Martin

Biblical womanhood is a pervasive concept among evangelicals. A new book by historian Beth Allison Barr argues those ideas may be more secular than scriptural.

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Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing: Essays, Lauren Hough

Books
Arts

'Leaving Isn't The Hardest Thing' Isn't Just A Cult Memoir

9:41am April 15, 2021

by Ilana Masad

Essay after essay, it becomes clear that writer Lauren Hough is drawing parallels between the Family and good ol' fashioned American Exceptionalism in all its various facets.

Books

How A Humble Bookseller Helped Give Rise To The Renaissance

12:43am April 15, 2021

Mary Louise Kelly talks with author Ross King about his new book The Bookseller of Florence, inspired by the history of the "Street of Booksellers" found in Florence, Italy.

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Books
Arts

2021 Whiting Awards Honor 10 Soon-To-Be-Big Writers

7:45pm April 14, 2021

by Petra Mayer

The winners of this year's Whiting Awards have been announced; the $50,000 prize honors emerging writers, with the aim of enabling them to concentrate full-time on their work.

Tufts University became the first major university to strip the Sackler name from its buildings in 2019.

Journalist Investigates 'Crime Story' Of The Sackler Family And The Opioid Crisis

5:23pm April 14, 2021

by Terry Gross

Empire of Pain author Patrick Radden Keefe says the Sackler family has "thrown a lot of energy" into trying to thwart his reporting about the family's involvement in the opioid crisis.

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Books

'Empire Of Pain: The Secret History Of The Sackler Dynasty' Profiles Pharma Family

5:18pm April 13, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Patrick Radden Keefe about his book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. The book profiles the family that founded oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma.

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Henry Louis Gates Jr. On 'The Black Church' And His Own Bargain With Jesus

1:44pm April 13, 2021

by Terry Gross

When he was 12, Gates made a bargain with Jesus in an attempt to save his mother's life. He talks about how that altered his own life, and his new book and PBS series, The Black Church.

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