Books

Books

In Comic 'Deathstroke,' Taking Revenge For Victims Of Chicago Gun Violence

8:11am January 28, 2017

DC Comics' Deathstroke has an unusual storyline this week: Chicago mothers hire an assassin to avenge children killed by gun violence. Writer Christopher Priest and illustrator Denys Cowan explain.

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Renowned Biographer Patricia Bosworth Writes A Chapter From Her Own Life

8:11am January 28, 2017

by NPR Staff

The Men in My Life chronicles a 10-year period during which Bosworth married, divorced, finished college, became an actress, and worked alongside some of the biggest movie stars of the 1950s.

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Looping, Twisting 'Number 11' May Be The Perfect Book For Our Time

7:00am January 28, 2017

by Jason Sheehan

Jonathan Coe's new novel is a black-hearted satire about the crumbling of modern Britain, and the point at which childhood gives way to a cold assessment of the world as it is, not as we dream it.

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You, Too, Will Love Big Brother: A Life Of Reading And Rereading '1984'

7:00am January 27, 2017

by Petra Mayer

George Orwell's dystopian classic is dominating the news these days. It happens to be NPR Books editor Petra Mayer's all-time favorite; she says it's one of those books that burrows deep in your mind.

A police officer stands guard in Moscow's Red Square.

Journalist: Russia's Interference Is An 'Assault On The Western Liberal Order'

3:42pm January 26, 2017

Luke Harding, the former Moscow Bureau Chief for The Guardian, says that Putin "wants to turn the clock back to an age ... where strong sovereign nations didn't talk about values or human rights."

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Merriam-Webster's Twitter account weighs in on trending words and phrases and has waded into linguistic matters in politics, including a big campaign question: Did Donald Trump say "bigly" or "big league"?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Has Been Trolling Trump On Twitter For Months

1:32pm January 26, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

Throughout the presidential campaign, the linguistic institution developed its funny style of delicately poking at Donald Trump and his associates on Twitter.

Roxane Gay is also the author of Bad Feminist as well as An Untamed State and Ayiti. She recently wrote World of Wakanda #1, a Black Panther prequel.

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Roxane Gay Pulls Book, Protesting Breitbart Editor's 'Egregious' Book Deal

11:10am January 26, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

When she realized her book was on an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which is also publishing controversial conservative Milo Yiannopoulos, "I just couldn't bring myself to turn the book in," Gay said.

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'The Spider And The Fly' Gets Stuck In A Web Of Self-Regard

10:00am January 26, 2017

by Annalisa Quinn

Reporter Claudia Rowe documents her fascination with serial killer Kendall Francois in The Spider and the Fly — but the book focuses on Rowe's thoughts and needs at the expense of the victims.

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The Black Panther, At Odds With Himself And His Country In 'A Nation Under Our Feet'

7:00am January 26, 2017

by Etelka Lehoczky

Ta-Nehisi Coates continues his tangled, philosophical (and big-selling) superhero tale with Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet. Coates' storytelling resonates, but his character can often ramble.

'1984' Tops Amazon Bestseller List After Trump Aide's 'Alternative Facts'

10:39pm January 25, 2017

by Lynn Neary

George Orwell's 1949 novel, 1984, was a hit when it came out, slipped into obscurity, and then was reborn after the BBC adapted it. It's remained popular ever since, but the Trump administration's "alternative facts" have pushed it to the top of the Amazon bestseller list.

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