Books

Cover of the upcoming book How to Be Fine.

Books
Arts

The Not-So-Life-Changing Magic Of Self-Help Books

1:54pm January 30, 2020

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

Are self-help books actually helpful? That's the question Kristen Meinzer sought to answer in her upcoming book, How to Be Fine: What We Learned From Living by the Rules Of 50 Self-Help Books.

When The Tide Goes Out, Mudlarks Dig Into The Thames In Search Of History

1:31pm January 30, 2020

by Sam Briger

Mudlark author Lara Maiklem scours the edge of London's River Thames looking for historical artifacts. Among her finds: Roman pottery, medieval jug handles and a 500-year-old child's shoe.

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'Black Wave' Author Chronicles Cultural, Religious Upheaval In The Middle East

1:30pm January 30, 2020

by Terry Gross

Kim Ghattas grew up in Lebanon during the civil war and covered the Mideast for the BBC for 20 years. She says events in the region in 1979 set off waves of extremism and violence that continue today.

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Books

After Threats, 'American Dirt' Publisher Cancels Author's Tour

7:52am January 30, 2020

The publisher of American Dirt has canceled the remainder of author Jeanine Cummins' book tour following threats. NPR's Steve Inskeep asks author Reyna Grande for her thoughts on the book's critics.

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A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream, by Yuval Levin

When Institutions Are Used As Stages, People Lose Trust, Book Argues

7:52am January 30, 2020

by Steve Inskeep

We now think of institutions less as formative and more as performative, less as molds of our character and more as platforms for us to stand on and be seen, says National Affairs Editor Yuval Levin.

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Books
Arts

'A Castle In The Clouds' Is A Grand Hotel Romp

7:00am January 30, 2020

by Alethea Kontis

Kerstin Gier's new young adult novel takes place at a grandly faded resort high up in the Swiss Alps, where young intern Sophie is surrounded by a complex, international cast of characters.

Law professor Richard Hasen warns that the 2020 presidential election could be compromised by voter suppression, inept election officials, and foreign and domestic manipulation through social media and fraud.

'Election Meltdown Is A Real Possibility' In 2020 Presidential Race, Author Warns

5:13pm January 29, 2020

by Terry Gross

Law professor Richard Hasen is sounding the alarm about Russian hacks, voter suppression and other threats to the 2020 election. "There's lots of ways that things could go south," he says.

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Author Susan Straight with her three daughters.

Author Susan Straight Takes Us 'In The Country Of Women'

6:16am January 29, 2020

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In her new memoir, Straight tells the story of the women in her family—her Swiss-German blood relatives and her African American, Indigenous and Creole in-laws who crossed the U.S. to settle in Calif.

detail from the cover of Children of Virtue and Vengeance

Books
Arts

YA Fantasy Where The Oppression Is Real

7:37am January 28, 2020

by Leah Donnella

Tomi Adeyemi's new book, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, is fantasy for young adults. But the issues it's dealing with — racism, oppression and war — are very real. And they're not sugarcoated.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Books
Arts

Eating Crow With 'Miss Peregrine' — And Enjoying It

7:00am January 28, 2020

by Juanita Giles

Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles says she avoided the Miss Peregrine series for years because it seemed too creepy — but now she regrets all the time the books spent untouched on her shelf.