'Phantom Tollbooth' Author Norton Juster Dies At 91
Norton Juster, author of the beloved children's book "The Phantom Tollbooth" died yesterday at 91, due to complications from a recent stroke.
Books
The Victims, Rather Than The Killer, Are At The Center Of 'Last Call'
The victims of the man dubbed the "Last Call Killer" were all gay men; Elon Green tries to shine a light onto their complicated lives, the messiness of who they were, and an era of queer life in NYC.
A Small Village Takes On Big Oil In 'How Beautiful We Were'
Imbolo Mbue's new novel is set in an unnamed country that could be any West African nation beset by international oil companies — and yet, it's a story of rebellion and rebirth, not calamity.
Walter Isaacson's 'Code Breaker' Spotlights The Woman At The Forefront Of CRISPR
The gene-editing technology is at the center of an ethical debate. Isaacson examines it through the life of Jennifer Doudna, co-recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry for CRISPR's discovery.
CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life
The Code Breaker profiles Jennifer Doudna, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist key to the development of CRISPR, and examines the technology's exciting possibilities and need for oversight.
'Until The World Shatters' Explores Jade's Role In Myanmar's Struggles
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to author Daniel Combs about his book Until the World Shatters, which explores the connection between Myanmar's jade industry and a long-running civil war.
Seeing Through A Trans Lens: Torrey Peters Pens 'Detransition, Baby'
Torrey Peters' new book features three people who struggle with parenthood and family questions. She says a transgender lens can help everyone understand the limits of how we define gender.
Annabelle Gurwitch's Mid-Life Maelstrom: Divorce, Cancer, 'Downward Mobility'
You're Leaving When? is a witty memoir of Gurwitch's many middle age misadventures — and it doesn't even cover the stage IV lung cancer diagnosis she received in the midst of the pandemic.
'Year of the Beast': How Tara Wray Used Photography To 'Process Fear And Uncertainty'
Wray explores the difficulties of 2020, balancing the pandemic, family and work through her photography in a new book. She hopes "people will see themselves ... or loved ones in these pictures."
'Once Upon A Quinceañera' Has Fairy Tale Charm
Monica Gomez-Hira's debut novel follows a Miami teen whose job as a party princess brings her into contact with the ex who ruined her chance to have her own quinceañera — and of course, sparks fly.