Books

Joseph Lister directing the use of carbolic acid spray in one of his earliest antiseptic surgical operations, circa 1865.

'The Butchering Art': How A 19th Century Physician Made Surgery Safer

5:28pm October 13, 2017

by April Fulton

Before surgeons accepted germ theory, operations often killed patients. All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with the author of a new biography of antiseptic advocate Joseph Lister.

Books
Arts

Exclusive First Read: Philip Pullman's 'The Book Of Dust'

6:00am October 13, 2017

by Petra Mayer

Philip Pullman returns to the world of his beloved Dark Materials trilogy in The Book of Dust. We have an exclusive first peek at young protagonist Malcolm, his canoe, and the day his life changes.

"I'm meant to make people happy. That's my job," says Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon.

Books
Arts

Jimmy Fallon On The School Of 'SNL' And His Tendency To Smile Too Much

7:15pm October 12, 2017

by Terry Gross

"There was a report card from kindergarten and the comment from the teacher was, 'Jimmy smiles too much,' " Fallon says. "I think I would smile even when I was getting yelled at."

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Publisher Chris Jackson is officially relaunching the One World imprint with Ta-Nehisi Coates' new We Were Eight Years in Power. Bones, by Joe Tone, came out earlier this year, also as part of One World.

Books

Chris Jackson And The Book Industry's Attempts To Diversify

5:53pm October 12, 2017

by Lynn Neary

Chris Jackson is revitalizing One World, a division of Random House known for publishing black authors. To celebrate, it's releasing Ta-Nehisi Coates' new book, We Were Eight Years in Power.

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Books
Arts

With 'Voices In The Dark,' An Artist Missteps

7:00am October 12, 2017

by Etelka Lehoczky

Comic artist Ulli Lust's unique, surreal style proves a bad match for this adaptation of a historical novel about the children of Joseph Goebbels and their last days in Adolf Hitler's bunker.

Here Are The 2017 MacArthur 'Genius' Grant Winners

5:10pm October 11, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Jason De León, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Derek Peterson are among the 24 winners of this year's MacArthur Fellowship, which honors "extraordinarily talented and creative individuals."

NZ Federal Budget Expected To Reveal Surplus And New Spending

Rethinking Rx

4:55pm October 11, 2017

How many prescriptions medications have you taken this month?

Books
Arts

'The Apparitionists' Raises The Specters That Haunted America

4:53pm October 11, 2017

by Genevieve Valentine

Peter Manseau skillfully weaves together spirituality, technology and the legacy of the Civil War to tell the story of a "spirit photographer" on trial for claiming he could take pictures of ghosts.

Books
Arts

75 Years Later, A Look At The 'Life, Legend, and Afterlife' Of 'Casablanca'

2:20pm October 11, 2017

Film historian Noah Isenberg revisits the making of the classic Hollywood film in his new book, We'll Always Have Casablanca. "Seventy-five years after its premiere, its still very timely," he says.

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Books
Arts

Electrifying 'Power' Flips The Gender Script To Unsettling Effect

10:00am October 11, 2017

by Michael Schaub

For most of recorded history, men have held power over women. Naomi Alderman's new novel imagines a world where women suddenly have power — actual electrical power — to oppress, hurt and kill men.