Books
'The Once And Future Liberal' Looks At Shortfalls Of American Liberalism
NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Mark Lilla, author of the book, The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics, which looks at the failure of American liberalism over the past two generations.
Novelist Max Brooks On Doomsday, Dyslexia And Growing Up With Hollywood Parents
Brooks' stable childhood with parents Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft stands in contrast to the wild stories he tells in novels like World War Z and Minecraft: The Island.
Be More Than A Bookstore: A Brick-And-Mortar Shop's Key To Success
Barnes & Noble is experimenting with food, Amazon is replicating its online business and an indie shop aims to be part of the community. Ultimately, they all want to sell more books.
'Hail To The Chin': B-List Actor Bruce Campbell Returns With A Memoir Of Middle Age
Campbell's second collection of rants and ruminations is just as enjoyably smarmy as his first, though the actor's ruthlessly sardonic outlook has mellowed.
'Home Fire' Puts A Topical Spin On Ancient Greek Tragedy
Kamila Shamsie's new book — beautifully written and paced — updates the ancient story of Antigone to tell an explosive story of two families tangled together by love, grief and religious radicalism.
Poet Imagines Life Inside A 1910 Institution That Eugenics Built
Molly McCully Brown, who has cerebral palsy, says that if she'd been born in a different era, she might have been sent to the "Virginia State Colony," an early landmark of the U.S. eugenics movement.
In Children's Storybooks, Realism Has Advantages
Young children have an easier time exporting what they learn from a fictional storybook to the real world when the storybook is realistic, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.
'Ghost Of The Innocent Man' Chronicles Justice Too Long Delayed
Benjamin Rachlin's crisply-written new book tells the story of Willie Grimes, who spent 24 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit — and the tortuous legal struggle that eventually freed him.
YA Books Are Targeted In Intense Social Media Callouts, Rosenfield Says
A young adult novel is fiercely criticized on Twitter and accused of being racist by those who haven't read it. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Kat Rosenfield, who covered the story for Vulture.