Books

After losing her family, Sarah Winchester became convinced that ghosts were haunting her; so she built an enormous, maze-like mansion — now known as the Winchester Mystery House — to ward them off. (At least that's how the story goes.)

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Skeletons In The Closet: What Ghost Stories Reveal About America's Past

5:47pm October 12, 2016

by NPR Staff

Why are so many ghosts unmarried women? And why doesn't Richmond, Va., have ghost stories about slavery? Writer Colin Dickey explores all that and more in a new book called Ghostland.

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Former Nobel Laureates React To Winning Literature Prize

4:33pm October 12, 2016

by Lynn Neary

The 109th Nobel Prize for Literature will be awarded Thursday morning. The Academy is known for its cloak-and-dagger methods to prevent leaks about its choice. NPR has a look at past winners and their reactions to winning.

How The 'Cannabis Catch-22' Keeps Marijuana Classified As A Harmful Drug

4:18pm October 12, 2016

Author John Hudak says federal law makes it hard to prove the medicinal value of marijuana. "As a Schedule 1 drug, it is very difficult to do research on the plant," he explains.

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In 'Singing Bones,' An Artist Recasts The Grimm Tales — Literally

7:00am October 12, 2016

by Etelka Lehoczky

Illustrator Shaun Tan puts his skills to a new test in The Singing Bones. He's taking the familiar Grimm fairy tales and condensing each one down to a single, wordless photo of one of his sculptures.

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Jonathan Safran Foer On Marriage, Religion And Universal Balances

1:51pm October 11, 2016

Safran Foer's new novel, Here I Am, is told from the points of view of different members of a Jewish family. He says it's about things falling apart — but also about "people trying to mend things."

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A Coming-Of Age Melodrama Is Steeped In Social Politics In 'The Mothers'

1:51pm October 11, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Britt Bennett's debut novel centers on three African-American friends dealing with their community's expectations and their own mistakes. Critic Maureen Corrigan says it is full of "mini epiphanies."

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American Philosophy by John Kaag (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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A Neglected Library Leads To Love In 'American Philosophy'

7:00am October 11, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

John Kaag's new memoir-slash-philosophical treatise begins at a low point in his life, and follows his quest for answers to a dusty old library that proves to be a treasure trove of American thought.

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David Szalay's 'All That Man Is' Charts Life Of Man In 9 Stories

4:40pm October 10, 2016

Short listed for the Mann Booker Prize, the new book, All That Man Is lives somewhere between short story collection and novel. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to author David Szalay.

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Native Americans and other activists march to a sacred burial ground site that was disturbed by construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Hundreds of people have joined the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's protest of the oil pipeline.

On Columbus Day, A Look At The Myth That 'All The Real Indians Died Off'

10:01am October 10, 2016

by Leah Donnella

Two Native American authors tackle the perpetual challenge of combating ignorance, stereotypes and the notion that there's such a thing as a "real" Indian.

Books

Billy The Kid: New Novel Separates The Man From The Myth

7:59am October 10, 2016

Renee Montagne talks to author Ron Hansen about his novel based on the life of legendary outlaw Billy the Kid. It's called The Kid: A Novel. The outlaw died on July 14, 1181, but his legend lives on.

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