Books

The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

Books
Arts

'Angel Of History' Is A Heartfelt Cry

7:00am October 08, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Rabih Alameddine's new novel begins with Satan and Death arguing, in the mind of a poet on the verge of a breakdown. Satan wants him to remember those lost to AIDS; Death preaches forgetfulness.

After he was sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm, Albert "Prodigy" Johnson, of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, discovered how hard it was to eat healthy behind bars. His new cookbook tells the story.

From Mobb Deep Rapper, A Cookbook For Healthy Eating — In Prison

7:25pm October 07, 2016

by Tove Danovich

Behind bars, it takes ingenuity, other prisoners and a little help from the commissary to approximate a proper diet. That's what rapper Prodigy of hip-hop's Mobb Deep learned after going to prison.

Books
Arts

These Are The 2016 National Book Award Finalists

10:31am October 06, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

Colson Whitehead, Jacqueline Woodson and Rita Dove are just three of the authors on the shortlists for the National Book Awards. The 20 books still in contention for the prizes were unveiled Thursday.

Books
Arts

Cuba Is A Dream That Doesn't Let Go In 'The Mortifications'

7:00am October 06, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Derek Palacio's new novel follows a family who escape Cuba, leaving their political rebel patriarch behind after he refuses to go with them. When he reappears decades later, their lives come apart.

Books
Arts

New Biography Celebrates E.B. White, Who Really Was 'Some Writer!'

6:12pm October 05, 2016

by NPR Staff

Melissa Sweet's colorful, kid-friendly biography includes letters, family photos, illustrations, manuscripts and more from the man behind Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan.

In his new memoir, Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen reflects on how home, roots and family helped shape him and his music.

Bruce Springsteen: On Jersey, Masculinity And Wishing To Be His Stage Persona

2:25pm October 05, 2016

"People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy," Springsteen says. "I want to be that guy myself very often."

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The Wangs of the World by Jade Chang (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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Arts

'The Wangs' Is Sparkling Family Travelogue — With Teeth

7:00am October 05, 2016

by Jason Heller

Jade Chang's debut novel follows former cosmetics magnate Charles Wang, whose business empire has collapsed, as he herds his fractious family on a cross-country roadtrip to their new home.

Italian Journalist Sets Out To Unmask True Identity Of Author Elena Ferrante

6:49pm October 04, 2016

Over the weekend, an Italian financial journalist outed the identity of author Elena Ferrante, whose pseudonym lent intrigue to her bestselling novels. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Dayna Tortorici of n+1 magazine about the outing.

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Books
Arts

'The Angel Of History' Says 'I Will Not Forget'

4:32pm October 04, 2016

by NPR Staff

Rabih Alameddine has much in common with the hero of his new novel: Both are gay, Arab writers in San Francisco. And both lost friends to the AIDS epidemic, and are angry that it's being forgotten.

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A team member from NPO Japan Rescue Dog Association and his dog search for victims in Rikuzentakata, Miyagi prefecture in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.

From Fire Hydrants To Rescue Work, Dogs Perceive The World Through Smell

3:30pm October 04, 2016

Dogs can sniff out people, drugs, bombs, cancer, time of day, oncoming storms and much more. In her new book Being A Dog, Alexandra Horowitz explores the mysteries and mechanics of canine noses.

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