Books

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Books
Arts

'Inexplicable Logic' Maps A Teen Boy's Complicated Mind

7:00am March 16, 2017

by Caitlyn Paxson

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is as much a doorstopper as any young adult fantasy novel, but the world it builds is inside the head of teenaged Sal, who's struggling with difficult new emotions.

In The Age Of Fake News And Alternative Facts, Al Gore Remains Optimistic

4:28pm March 14, 2017

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with former Vice President Al Gore about the new edition of his book, The Assault On Reason.

The Vine That Ate The South by J.D. Wilkes

Books
Arts

'The Vine That Ate The South' Blends Folk Tales With Southern History

7:00am March 14, 2017

by Michael Schaub

Rockabilly singer J.D. Wilkes hints at supernatural happenings in his novel about an unbelievable adventure through a kudzu-infested forest in western Kentucky.

Books
Arts

Author, Modern Love Essayist Amy Krouse Rosenthal Dies At 51

5:18pm March 13, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Rosenthal won hearts with her children's book and memoirs — and broke them with her essay announcing her terminal illness, a Modern Love piece called "You May Want To Marry My Husband."

Author Adam Alter says that smartphones and other technologies are designed to be addictive.

Books
Arts

'Irresistible' By Design: It's No Accident You Can't Stop Looking At The Screen

2:46pm March 13, 2017

Technology is designed to be addictive, offering gratification that's similar to that of drug abuse or gambling. Author Adam Alter says a new frontier could soon provide another escape from reality.

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Cover photo of Heretics, by Leonardo Padura

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Arts

Refugees Are Turned Back And A Rembrandt Goes Missing In Suspenseful 'Heretics'

2:08pm March 13, 2017

by Maureen Corrigan

Leonardo Padura's new novel opens in 1939, when a ship carrying Jewish refugees is turned away from Cuba. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Heretics "spans and defies literary categories."

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Marin's family started calling him Cheech when he was a baby. His real name is Richard.

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Arts

Cheech Marin On How His Famed Comic Collaboration Was Like Chicano Art

11:49am March 13, 2017

by David Greene

Marin, who has been collecting Chicano art for years, writes about the art of Cheech and Chong's comedy in Cheech Is Not My Real Name ... But Don't Call Me Chong!

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Books

A Litany Of Tragedy In 'The Rules Do Not Apply'

8:14am March 12, 2017

New Yorker writer Ariel Levy lost her son, her wife, her house — tragedies and grief that are outlined in her new memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply.

Books

'White Tears' Is A Mystery, A History, A Coming-Of-Age Story

8:14am March 12, 2017

A Brooklyn hipster, old blues music, cultural appropriation, a ghost story: these are ingredients in Hari Kunzru's new novel, White Tears. He talks with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

Books
Arts

'How To Read A Dress' Connects Centuries Of Women Through Fashion

7:00am March 12, 2017

by Genevieve Valentine

Lydia Edwards gives a knowledgeable introduction to Western European dresses. It feels bare at times but Edwards is more interested in providing insights rather than an extensive history.