Books

Books

For Baseball's Rick Ankiel, Losing His Pitching Ability Led To An Unusual Comeback

1:52pm April 24, 2017

Ankiel entered the major leagues in 1999 as a gifted pitcher, but one day suddenly lost that gift. He talks about his pitching demons, his troubled childhood and his way back to baseball.

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'Thunder In The Mountains' Tells Tragedy Of Two Strong, Opposing Leaders

7:00pm April 23, 2017

Daniel Sharfstein's new book Thunder In the Mountains sheds new light on the Nez Perce Indian wars, and the two historical figures on each side of the conflict: Chief Joseph and Oliver Otis Howard.

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Arts

'Janesville' Looks At A Factory Town After The Factory Shuts Down

5:53pm April 23, 2017

Washington Post reporter Amy Goldstein talks about her book Janesville: An American Story, that's about a factory town in Wisconsin that lost its lifeblood when its factory shut down.

Books

'The Handmaid's Tale' Is Among A Resurgence Of Dystopian Literature

8:07am April 23, 2017

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was a best-seller list after the 2016 election. We reread the dystopian classic to prep for a new TV miniseries that begins next week.

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In Ann Brashare's Latest, Two Kids From A Fractured Family Meet At Last

8:07am April 23, 2017

by Lynn Neary

The author behind the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series writes from experience — her parents divorced when she was young, and she says the divisions remain "to this day."

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Books

Flash Fiction: Telling Big Stories In Fewer Words

1:23pm April 22, 2017

by Bethany Chafin

This weekend, writers from around the state will gather in Greensboro for the North Carolina Writers' Network Spring Conference.

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Dark Lives Of 'The Radium Girls' Left A Bright Legacy For Workers, Science

10:28am April 22, 2017

by Mary Louise Kelly

Kate Moore's new book digs into the short, painful lives of the Radium Girls, who worked painting luminous dials on watches and clocks — and were poisoned by the glowing radium paint they used.

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Arts

David McCullough's Collected Speeches Will Give Your 'American Spirit' A Boost

10:00am April 22, 2017

by Michael Schaub

Speeches in book form are a reliable cash cow for publishers, and tend to fall into the "last minute gift idea" category. But David McCullough's new The American Spirit is a happy exception.

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Arts

Author Alison MacLeod Tries To Find Humor In Terrorism

8:14am April 22, 2017

In her new book of short stories, Alison MacLeod spins biography, news stories and family history into surreal fiction. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly asks her about All the Beloved Ghosts.

Imagine Wanting Only This by Kristen Radtke

Books
Arts

Wanting More From 'Imagine Wanting Only This'

7:00am April 22, 2017

by Etelka Lehoczky

Kristen Radtke is an experienced writer and artist, but her graphic memoir — about grief, loss and obsessive travel — disappoints with rudimentary illustrations and spotty storytelling.