Books

'The High Mountains of Portugal' By Yann Martel

Books
Arts

Author Yann Martel On 'That Deeply Unreasonable Phenomenon' Of Faith

5:32pm February 02, 2016

by NPR Staff

Martel's new book, The High Mountains of Portugal, shares some themes with his 2001 novel, Life of Pi: Both feature animals (in this case, a chimpanzee) and both struggle with questions of faith.

Queue Listen Now

Who Are America's 'Homegrown Terrorists'?

1:27pm February 02, 2016

CNN's Peter Bergen describes how the Internet and social media have been used to radicalize and recruit Americans to jihad — and how some new jihadists then use those same tools to draw in others.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'The Yid' Puts A Brash, Screwball Spin On Soviet Anti-Semitism

1:27pm February 02, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Paul Goldberg's debut novel is an ambitious historical fantasy about Stalin's 1953 plan to purge Jews from the Soviet Union. Critic Maureen Corrigan says The Yid is a wildly inventive "what if" story.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

A Blizzard, Meth And A Missing Mom Make 'Sweetgirl' A Harrowing Read

11:15am February 02, 2016

by Michael Schaub

A story about violence, drug addiction and family dysfunction could have been too bleak, but Travis Mulhauser's Sweetgirl is nuanced, with sympathetic characters and carefully built suspense.

Cover detail from One Child, by Mei Fong.

How China's One-Child Policy Led To Forced Abortions, 30 Million Bachelors

5:16pm February 01, 2016

Journalist Mei Fong tells Fresh Air that China's one-child policy drastically reshaped the country's demographic make-up. "China has 30 million more men than women," she says. Her book is One Child.

Queue Listen Now

To Rebuild 'The Collapse Of Parenting,' It's Going To Be A Challenge

2:30pm January 31, 2016

by NPR Staff

Parents struggle with the balance of being a friend versus being a taskmaster. Their job, says Dr. Leonard Sax, is to "keep your child safe" and "give kids choices in some domains but not in others."

Queue Listen Now

Book Diagnoses Darwin With Anxiety And Warhol As A Hoarder

8:55am January 31, 2016

by NPR Staff

Journalist Claudia Kalb uses biographical material and modern-day mental health to get inside the heads of history's great personalities. Her new book is called Andy Warhol Was A Hoarder.

Queue Listen Now

A Birthday Cake for Washington has been the subject of much criticism because it portrays slaves as being happy.

Books
Arts

How Do We Read Books Embedded With Racism?

8:31am January 31, 2016

by NPR Staff

We received a lot of criticism for a story on reading racist and difficult material to your children, and it's clear it's a topic you'd like us to revisit.

Books
Arts

Diane Rehm Finds New Life In The Profound Challenge Of Being Alone

10:50am January 30, 2016

by NPR Staff

For decades, she's hosted her own talk show — but one of her toughest struggles came with the pain of her husband's death. She tells NPR's Scott Simon how it inspired her fight for assisted suicide.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Alexander Chee's Voice Shines Through In 'Queen Of The Night'

8:30am January 30, 2016

by NPR Staff

The long-awaited novel follows a famous opera singer on her journey of constant reinvention. Despite the 19th century France setting, Chee admits there are autobiographical elements.