Books

Books
Arts

Why It Took 'Forrest Gump' Author Nearly 20 Years To Write A New Novel

4:30pm October 03, 2016

by Tom Vitale

After Forrest Gump became a best-seller, Winston Groom says he ran out of good ideas for novels — until now. His new book, El Paso, is set during the Mexican Revolution.

Queue Listen Now

Elena Ferrante books are photographed at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass., on April 8, 2016.

Books
Arts

For Literary World, Unmasking Elena Ferrante's Not A Scoop. It's A Disgrace

4:24pm October 03, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

An investigative journalist claims to have uncovered the true identity of a famously private novelist. Writers and readers alike have rejected the claims as an egregious, unnecessary intrusion.

Books
Arts

A Tight, Intense Drama Unfurls Within The Confines Of A Sick Room In 'The Wonder'

1:41pm October 03, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Emma Donoghue's latest novel focuses on an 11-year-old girl who refuses to eat, and the nurse who is responsible for her care. Critic Maureen Corrigan says The Wonder is aptly named.

Queue Listen Now

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her chambers in Washington, D.C.

No, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Does Not Intend To Retire Anytime Soon

11:26am October 03, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

"I will retire when it's time," the 83-year-old Supreme Court justice said in an interview with NPR. She also shares wedding advice from her mother-in-law and reads a letter from her late husband.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Rose Tremain On Her New Novel, 'The Gustav Sonata'

8:57am October 02, 2016

Gustav Perle is a young boy growing up in Switzerland after World War II. And the defining factor in his life is that his mother does not love him. The Gustav Sonata is Rose Tremain's 13th novel.

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comic, writer and actor. She is the creator and co-host of the podcast 2 Dope Queens and the host of the podcast Sooo Many White Guys.

Books
Arts

No, 'You Can't Touch My Hair' And Other Lessons From Comic Phoebe Robinson

8:38am October 02, 2016

by NPR Staff

In her new book, the stand-up comic and podcast host writes about what it's like to be black and female in America. "Black hair seems to raise a lot of nonblack people's blood pressure," she writes.

Books
Arts

Overwhelmed Mom Seeks 'A Basic Amount Of Dignity' In 'Today Will Be Different'

8:38am October 02, 2016

by NPR Staff

Today, Eleanor Flood will only wear yoga clothes for yoga — which today she will actually attend. Novelist Maria Semple says her frazzled heroine "has decided ... to set the bar very low for herself."

Books
Arts

'Wall Of Storms' Sweeps Away Your Expectations, Brilliantly

7:00am October 02, 2016

by Amal El-Mohtar

Ken Liu's even more epic followup to last year's epic fantasy The Grace of Kings picks up several years after the first book, with a completely new and fascinating set of characters and conflicts.

Sports
Books

Former NFL Player Nate Jackson Wades Into The 'Brutality' Of Fantasy Football

5:12pm October 01, 2016

Former NFL player Nate Jackson's new book Fantasy Man explores the growing business and competitiveness behind fantasy football.

Books
Arts

'Cruel Beautiful World' Was Inspired By Two Haunting Relationships

8:28am October 01, 2016

by NPR Staff

Before novelist Caroline Leavitt started dating a controlling boyfriend, she had tragically lost a friend to one. She says writing her new book was "a way for me to forgive myself."