The Complicated Pursuit Of Perfect
NPR's Scott Simon talks with author Elizabeth Tallent about her new memoir, "Scratched," which recounts her lifelong struggle with perfectionism.
Books
Survival Of The Friendliest: How Our Close Friendships Help Us Thrive
In her new book, Lydia Denworth makes the case for the vital necessity of friendship, tracing its effects on your genes, on your brain and even on animals like sheep and fish.
'Little Constructions' Burns With Unstoppable Rage
Anna Burns gained fame in 2018 when her third novel, Milkman, won the Man Booker Prize. Little Constructions is her second novel, about a woman's vendetta against her violent, abusive brother-in-law.
Daughter Of A Numbers Runner Witnessed An Underground Economy In Action
Growing up, Bridgett M. Davis' mother booked and banked bets from their home in Detroit. She writes the role of "the numbers" in the black community in her memoir. Originally broadcast Feb. 4, 2019.
Not Too Rude, Not Too Tame, 'Jake The Fake' Is A Just-Right Read
Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles says she was at her wits' end trying to find a funny (but not mean-funny) book for her son, a budding humorist. Jake the Fake Keeps It Real was just the thing.
Human Connections Light Up 'This Brilliant Darkness'
Journalist Jeff Sharlet's new book is a memoir told through images and stories of other people; it grew out of a series of Instagram posts about night shift workers he met and photographed.
Churchill's First Year As Prime Minister Is Electric In 'The Splendid And The Vile'
One of America's best storytellers does it again: Erik Larson's gripping account of Winston Churchill's leadership through Hitler's bombing campaign against England is nearly impossible to put down.
Exclusive 1st Read: Erik Larson's 'The Splendid And The Vile'
The bestselling author of Dead Wake turns his attention to the first year of Winston Churchill's prime ministership, at a moment when Adolf Hitler overtakes France — and England could be next.
The 'American Sherlock' Was A Pioneer Of Forensic Science
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Kate Winkler Dawson, author of American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI. It's about Edward Oscar Heinrich, an early, great forensic scientist.
'Dark Towers' Exposes Chaos And Corruption At The Bank That Holds Trump's Secrets
New York Times financial editor David Enrich details, in a new book, Deutsche Bank's quest to become the world's largest bank — and how its corporate culture led to countless scandals.