Books

A German U-boat sank the luxury ocean liner Lusitania, seen here in 1907, on May 7, 1915.

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The Lusitania Mystery: Why British Codebreakers Didn't Try To Save It

10:29am March 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

The ocean liner's sinking by a German U-boat led to the U.S. entering World War I. Erik Larson, author of Dead Wake, says British intelligence knew the ship was in danger and didn't tell anyone.

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'Bowling Alone' Author Tackles The American Dream

10:29am March 07, 2015

American political scientist Robert Putnam says we've lost sight of America as the land of opportunity. NPR's Scott Simon talks with him about his new book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.

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NPR Bestsellers: Week Of March 5, 2015

6:03pm March 06, 2015

The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.

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NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of March 5, 2015

6:03pm March 06, 2015

Mightier Than the Sword, the fourth book of Jeffrey Archer's Clifton Chronicles, debuts at No. 10.

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NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of March 5, 2015

6:03pm March 06, 2015

In Girl in a Band, Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon looks back on her marriage and career in music. It debuts at No. 5.

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NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of March 5, 2015

6:03pm March 06, 2015

Cynthia Bond's Ruby centers on an East Texas man and the beautiful, traumatized woman he loves. It appears at No. 12.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of March 5, 2015

6:03pm March 06, 2015

Chelsea Handler writes about her life, her loves and the state of the world in Uganda Be Kidding Me. It appears at No. 10.

It took just 18 minutes for the Lusitania to sink after it was hit by a German torpedo.

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Arts

Exclusive First Read: Erik Larson's 'Dead Wake'

2:30pm March 06, 2015

by NPR Staff

The Devil in the White City author Erik Larson turns his attention to the sinking of the liner Lusitania almost 100 years ago — a turning point that helped bring the United States into World War I.

Kazuo Ishiguro is also the author of The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go.

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Arts

Ishiguro's 'Buried Giant' Gets Lost In Its Own Fog

6:55pm March 05, 2015

by Meg Wolitzer

Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel is set in a mythical Arthurian England. Though the premise was promising, the book is too vague to make much of an impact.

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Fans are celebrating World Book Day on Thursday. Here, a man browses through books at the Albertine, a French bookstore and library at the French Embassy in New York.

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Arts

It's World Book Day: Time For Reading Lists And Dress-Up

5:17pm March 05, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Put down that screen: Today's the day to celebrate holding a bound book in your hands. For World Book Day, we bring you a roundup of stories and reading lists.