Books

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Arts

'Gingerbread' Is A Delightfully Spicy Family Fable

7:00am March 09, 2019

by Michael Schaub

Helen Oyeyemi played with fairy tale ideas in the past; her new novel takes off from "Hansel and Gretel" for the story of a mother, a daughter and a mysteriously powerful family gingerbread recipe.

An American Summer: Love And Death In Chicago, by Alex Kotlowitz

'An American Summer' Presents The Human Side Of Gun Violence In Chicago

1:31pm March 08, 2019

by Gabino Iglesias

Alex Kotlowitz's new book amplifies the words of those who have witnessed tragedy and makes their experiences available to readers — a chronicle that is painful but also necessary.

Books
Arts

A Look Back At 'The Godfather,' With Mario Puzo And Francis Ford Coppola

1:20pm March 08, 2019

by Terry Gross

Fresh Air marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Puzo's novel by listening back to our '96 interview with Puzo, and our '16 interview with Coppola, who adapted the novel into the film.

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In the American Gods season 2 opener, Shadow (Ricky Whittle) approaches The Carousel, which will ... you know what, it's tough to explain.

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'American Gods' Is Back For Season 2, Awash In Style, Color And Blood

5:01am March 08, 2019

by Glen Weldon

The Starz series based on Neil Gaiman's novel about a clash between gods of the Old World and the New is back for season 2, having assembled a huge cast of characters — too huge, arguably.

'Spies Of No Country' Offers Nuanced Understanding Of Israel's Complexity

12:39pm March 07, 2019

by Lily Meyer

For half a decade, Matti Friedman has been working hard, and publicly, to dispel easy narratives about Israel. In his book about four spies, he aims to show that Israel is "more than one thing."

Books

'Survival Math' Is A Memoir About Growing Up Black In Oregon

11:53am March 07, 2019

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with author Mitchell Jackson about his second book, Survival Math, which details the calculations he made to survive as a young black man growing up in Portland, Ore.

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detail from cover of Instructions for a Funeral by David Means

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Arts

David Means, Defender Of The Short Story, On His 'Instructions For A Funeral'

5:40pm March 06, 2019

by Audie Cornish

The author has a new collection of short fiction, his fifth. In an interview, he says that his father's death got him thinking about parenthood — and what he might want at his own memorial.

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Books
Arts

In Wildly Satirical 'Man-Eaters,' Teen Girls Turn Into Ferocious Panthers

7:00am March 06, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

In the world of writer Chelsea Cain and artist Kate Niemczyk, women are seen as dangerous animals. They bring that world to life with pages and pages of ephemera: fake ads, pamphlets, even a magazine.

Long Live The Tribe Of Fatherless Girls, by T Kira Madden

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Arts

'Long Live The Tribe Of Fatherless Girls' Is Compassionate, Without Being Apologetic

6:01am March 06, 2019

by Ilana Masad

In exposing the bad and ugly of girlhood alongside the good, T Kira Madden has succeeded in creating a mirror of larger concerns, even as her own story is achingly specific and personal.

The last Nobel Prize in Literature winner was Kazuo Ishiguro, who took the honor in 2017. The Swedish Academy will award two literary prizes in 2019, the Nobel Foundation says.

Books
Arts

Nobel Foundation Confirms It Will Award 2 Literature Prizes In 2019, With Changes

2:18pm March 05, 2019

by Bill Chappell

A year after the Swedish Academy faced a crisis, the body "no longer includes any members who are subject to conflict of interest or criminal investigations," the Nobel Foundation says.