Books

Books
Arts

Exclusive 1st Read: 'The City We Became,' By N.K. Jemisin

7:00am March 10, 2020

by Petra Mayer

N.K. Jemisin's new novel kicks off a trilogy of stories about a world in which great cities can be born into human avatars, who must battle eldritch horrors to defend themselves and their people.

It's Not A History Lesson. New Book Tackles Racist Ideas

6:33am March 10, 2020

by Elissa Nadworny

Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi team up to investigate the history of racist ideas through a narrative aimed at young adult readers. It's called: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You.

Queue Listen Now

"You can't be a novelist, you can't be a creative person, if you are so cynical about the world that everything you say and write is negative," says novelist James McBride. He won the 2013 National Book Award for his novel The Good Lord Bird.

Books
Arts

'Emphasize The Positive': James McBride On The Kindness That Shaped Him

2:07pm March 09, 2020

by Terry Gross

McBride's novel, Deacon King Kong, takes place in 1969, in a Brooklyn housing project similar to the one he grew up in. "In this book and in this community, people generally love each other," he says.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Pulitzer Prize-Winning N. Scott Momaday Talks About His New Collection Of Poetry

9:39am March 08, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to native American poet N. Scott Momaday about his new collection, The Death of Sitting Bear.

Books
Arts

'The Mirror And The Light' Author Says Trilogy Is: 'The Central Project Of My Life'

8:43am March 08, 2020

The Mirror and the Light is beloved writer Hilary Mantel's last novel in her acclaimed series about Thomas Cromwell.

Queue Listen Now

Every Reason We Shouldn't, by Sara Fujimura

Books
Arts

There's 'Every Reason' To Read This Charming Love Story On Ice

7:00am March 08, 2020

by Alethea Kontis

Sara Fujimura's new novel is a rich, emotionally layered story about two talented teenage ice-skaters learning to balance life on and off the ice — and also, a lot of deliciously detailed food.

Books

'Crack' Author Interview

5:23pm March 07, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with historian David Farber about his new book, Crack: Rock Cocaine, Street Capitalism, and the Decade of Greed.

Books

New Book Tells Story Of A Secret Love In A Small Town

11:04am March 07, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with author Dennis E. Staples about his debut novel, "This Town Sleeps."

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

When 'Here' Is Home, But 'Here' Keeps Changing — A Family Flees In 'Story Boat'

10:22am March 07, 2020

by Samantha Balaban

"We think of refugees as people who wait a lot and suffer," says author Kyo Maclear. She was determined to tell a different kind of story. Her illustrator, Rashin Kheiriyeh, fled Iran as a child.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Fast, Complex And Funny, 'Deacon King Kong' Is A Love Letter To New York City

7:00am March 07, 2020

by Gabino Iglesias

James McBride's latest novel starts with a shooting: A broken down preacher shoots the local drug dealer, who dodges at the last minute, losing an ear — and kicking off a chain of consequences.