Books

Biography Traces Political Mistakes And Personal Scars That Shaped Joe Biden

1:51pm January 22, 2021

by Terry Gross

Evan Osnos talks about Joe Biden's enduring quest to become president. He says Biden has a different mindset today than he once had: "He's a man who is at peace." Originally broadcast Oct. 27, 2020.

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The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine, by Janice P. Nimura

As 19th Century Females, Sisters In 'The Doctors Blackwell' Achieve Many Firsts

3:00pm January 21, 2021

by Martha Anne Toll

Historian Janice P. Nimura tells the story of America's first and third certified women doctors and the role these sisters played in building medical institutions.

With the pandemic, many people are turning to at-home workouts and walks in their neighborhoods. That's good, says Exercised author Daniel Lieberman. "You don't have to do incredible strength training ... to get some benefits of physical activity."

Just Move: Scientist Author Debunks Myths About Exercise And Sleep

2:13pm January 21, 2021

by Terry Gross

Paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman says the concept of "getting exercise" is relatively new. His new book, Exercised, examines why we run, lift and walk for a workout when our ancestors didn't.

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Poet Amanda Gorman performs "The Hill We Climb" during the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

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Arts

After Inaugural Performance, Poet Amanda Gorman Tops The Amazon Bestseller List

12:48pm January 21, 2021

by Petra Mayer

Gorman's debut poetry collection and an illustrated kids' book are first and second on the list — on the strength of pre-orders, since both titles won't be out until September.

Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman speaks at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Books
Arts

A Different Day: A 2021 Poetry Preview, Part 2

10:00am January 21, 2021

Poetry helps us express feelings that don't fit neatly into sentences; confusion and fear but also hope and joy. Here's the second installment of our look ahead at the most exciting poetry of 2021.

White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea, by Tyler Stovall

'White Freedom' Examines The Tandem Development Of The Concepts Of Freedom And Race

10:58am January 20, 2021

by Ilana Masad

Tyler Stovall writes white freedom is "the belief (and practice) that freedom is central to white racial identity, and that only white people can or should be free" — noting nations were built on it.

Books
Arts

In 'Remote Control,' Drones Fly Over The Yam Fields Of A Near-Future Africa

10:00am January 20, 2021

by Jason Heller

Nnedi Okorafor's multi-faceted new novella follows a young girl in a near-future version of Ghana who becomes the Adopted Daughter of Death — but she can't quite figure out how that happened.

Books

Historian Tyler Stovall Discusses His New Book: 'White Freedom'

6:07am January 20, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks to Tyler Stovall about his book: White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea. It traces the complex relationship between freedom and race starting in the eighteenth century.

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An illustration shows medical student Elizabeth Blackwell at Geneva Medical College (later Hobart College) in upstate New York, as she eyes a note dropped onto her arm by a male student, during a lecture in the college's operating room.

'Doctors Blackwell' Tells The Story Of 2 Pioneering Sisters Who Changed Medicine

2:40pm January 19, 2021

by Dave Davies

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in America to earn her medical degree. Her sister Emily followed in her footsteps. Janice Nimura tells the story of the "complicated, prickly" trailblazers.

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Capitol workers remove damaged furniture on from the U.S. Capitol on January 7, 2021, following the riot at the Capitol the day before.

Books

The 'Racial Caste System' At The U.S. Capitol

12:50pm January 19, 2021

by Karen Grigsby Bates

After the Capitol was cleared of insurrectionists on January 6, there was work to be done — and it wasn't lost on many that cleaning up the mess would fall largely to Black and Brown people.