Books

Books
Arts

'The Disasters' Could Be The Beginning Of A Great Story

7:02am December 19, 2018

by Caitlyn Paxson

M.K. England's new novel starts with a bang: A group of space-school rejects must save the universe. It never quite delivers on that premise, but the characters are so appealing, you'll want more.

Cardi B; Ethan Hawke in First Reformed; Sandra Oh in Killing Eve.

'Fresh Air' Favorites: Our Critics Pick 2018's Best Books, Movies, Music And TV

2:53pm December 18, 2018

Find everything our critics loved this year, all in one place: Maureen Corrigan's book list, movie pairings from Justin Chang, music recommended by Ken Tucker and David Bianculli's must-see TV list.

Ben Whishaw voices the perpetually well-meaning bear in Paddington 2.

Books
Arts

2018 'Ghost List' Revisits The TV, Books And Movies A Critic Wishes He Covered

1:41pm December 17, 2018

by John Powers

Each year, Fresh Air critic-at-large John Powers finds himself haunted by the books, movies and shows that he loved but wasn't able to review on the air.

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Books
Arts

From Slavery To 'American Wonder': Revisiting Frederick Douglass' Remarkable Life

1:40pm December 17, 2018

by Dave Davies

Historian David Blight's new biography describes Douglass' escape from slavery, his passionate leadership in the abolitionist movement and his gift as a writer and orator.

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Author Joshua Harris influenced a whole generation of evangelical Christians with his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Now he has a new documentary, called I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye, about his new ideas on dating.

Evangelical Writer Kisses An Old Idea Goodbye

1:34pm December 17, 2018

by Sarah McCammon

Joshua Harris wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye when he was 21 years old. It became the bible of the evangelical purity movement, which promotes putting off sex until marriage. His ideas have changed.

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In the story "The Mole and the Sun," Mole's mother is sick. A medical seer tells him she will recover if his friend Ya Sun can orbit the earth in the opposite direction that it's rotating. The sobering moral is that you can't go against the rules of natur

Magical Photos Bring Fables From Mbomo To Life

9:53am December 17, 2018

by Rachel D. Cohen

The fables were gathered from people in the Congo Basin and illustrated with a touch of magical realism in the new book Congo Tales: Told By The People Of Mbomo.

Books

'Justice' Is Merriam-Webster's 2018 Word Of The Year

7:06am December 17, 2018

The dictionary publisher says the word justice is used in phrases such as racial justice, social justice and obstruction of justice — which has its own, popular entry.

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Books
Arts

In 'The Dakota Winters,' Finding A New Story To Tell About John Lennon

8:01am December 15, 2018

by Scott Simon

Tom Barbash's new novel is set in the famed Manhattan apartment house where Lennon spent the last year of his life — and where, in this telling, he befriends a washed-up talk show host and his son.

Illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi based The Broken Ornament's Christmas fairy Tinsel on his wife, Angela, who helped with the book.

Books
Arts

This 'Broken Ornament' Led To Christmas Magic

4:22pm December 13, 2018

by Lynn Neary

Award-winning illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi got the idea for his new children's book when his own daughter accidentally dropped a beloved Christmas ornament, and he made up a story to comfort her. W

Obama Photographer Uses 'Shade' To Contrast Presidents, Political Landscapes

11:00am December 13, 2018

by Cameron Pollack

On Instagram and in his latest book, former White House photographer Pete Souza juxtaposes images of the 44th president as critical counterpoints to headlines and tweets generated by the 45th.