Books

'Ray And Joan' Chronicles Complex Life Of Kroc's Philanthropic Wife

8:14am November 19, 2016

It's often quoted that Ray Kroc made a fortune and his wife spent it — on causes he may not have agreed with. Lisa Napoli talks to Scott Simon about the life and love affair in her new book.

Moonglow by Michael Chabon (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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'Moonglow' Shines A Light On Hidden Family History

8:12am November 19, 2016

by NPR Staff

Michael Chabon's new novel is based on deathbed conversations with his own grandfather, as strong painkillers unlocked the stories of a long full life — stories Chabon says he'd never heard before.

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Colson Whitehead's 'Underground Railroad' Is A Literal Train To Freedom

1:43pm November 18, 2016

Whitehead was recently awarded the National Book Award for his novel about a young slave who has escaped a Georgia plantation and is heading north. Originally broadcast Aug. 8, 2016.

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Nick Offerman Shares His Love Of Woodworking In 'Good Clean Fun'

6:28pm November 17, 2016

Comedian and actor Nick Offerman became a star as the Libertarian Ron Swanson in the hit sitcom, Parks and Recreation. He's also pretty good in the woodshop. In fact, building things out of wood is a serious passion. And he's written about it in his latest book, Good Clean Fun.

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Before His Name Was Known At All, Seuss Put Creatures On The Wall

4:20pm November 17, 2016

by Jeff Lunden

Decades before he became a beloved children's book author, Theodor Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) created a series of whimsical sculptures he called "Unorthodox Taxidermy."

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The Term 'Graphic Novel' Has Had A Good Run. We Don't Need It Anymore.

3:49pm November 17, 2016

by Glen Weldon

Coined in an era when comics were considered 'junk' culture, graphic novel is a hoary, meaningless, and often completely inaccurate term. Comics are comics; stop apologizing for them.

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Beautiful, Horrifying 'Blood Of The Dawn' Gives Voice To Peru's Victims Of Violence

7:00am November 17, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Claudia Salazar Jiménez's new novel is short and brutally effective. It's the story of three women from different walks of life, all caught up in the violence that convulsed Peru in the 1980s.

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Colson Whitehead, Rep. John Lewis Among National Book Award Winners

11:12pm November 16, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

Six writers emerged with the literary prize: Whitehead in fiction; Ibram X. Kendi in nonfiction; Daniel Borzutzky in poetry; and Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell in young people's literature.

Amerigo Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto) kisses the hand of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) in a scene from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather.

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To Make 'The Godfather' His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A Studio Battle

6:03pm November 16, 2016

Coppola was 29 years old when he signed on to direct a film. "I was young and had no power," he says, "so [the studio] figured they could just boss me around." But the young director fought back.

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In 1876, O.G. Mason, Bellevue's official photographer, took a carefully staged photograph of a blood transfusion in progress.

Bellevue Hospital Pioneered Care For Presidents And Paupers

4:34pm November 16, 2016

by NPR Staff

The history of New York's Bellevue hospital is also the history of medicine in the United States. From the days before doctors believed in germs through AIDS, the hospital led the way in innovation.