A Love Story Rudely Interrupted By History
Peter Behrens' novel, Carry Me, follows the fortunes of two interconnected families through the World Wars in Europe, as well as the turmoil leading up to Ireland's War of Independence.
Arts & Life
A Father Protects His Mysterious Son From Authorities In 'Midnight Special'
Director Jeff Nichols' new film centers on an 8-year-old boy who may or may not have special powers. Reviewer Justin Chang says Midnight Special is "a road movie that never stops moving forward."
Not My Job: Actor Andre Royo Gets Quizzed On Quinoa
Since Royo starred in The Wire — a show more beloved to NPR listeners than their own children — we've invited him to answer questions about three other things NPR listeners won't shut up about.
'I Grew Up In The Shadow Of This': Writer Reflects On His Brother's Murder
David Kushner was 4 years old when his older brother Jon was killed. "I think with the loss of anybody, that person — they don't disappear," he says. Alligator Candy is his memoir of the experience.
Ta-Nehisi Coates On The Fight Over 'Nina Simone's Face'
Many people have decried the casting of Zoe Saldana in upcoming biopic Nina, but Ta-Nehisi Coates digs deep into why this choice struck a nerve.
#NPRreads: 3 Stories That Will Pass Into Legend
The deep history and literary roots of cowboy poetry. The messiness of family mythologies. And the visions — or delusions — for sale when athletes join forces with multi-level marketers.
With Fear, Determination And Poetry: How Great Writers Face Death
Katie Roiphe's The Violet Hour is a meditation on mortality in which she describes the last days of Maurice Sendak, Sigmund Freud, Susan Sontag, John Updike, James Salter and Dylan Thomas.
Amidst Shadows On Screen, 'Innocents' Wonders What's Real
Dana Spiotta's ambitious new novel follows two women, friends and filmmakers, through decades of conversations about art, film and life — and a dangerous final documentary project.
Dance, Dance, Revolution: When An American Fell In Love With Castro's Spy Chief
A fairy-tale romance between a dancer from Connecticut and a young Cuban studying at Columbia turned into a political thriller — and resulted in the unlikely birth of a new art form in Cuba.
Kidnapping As A Family Business In The True Life Thriller 'The Clan'
The Clan is an Argentine thriller about the real-life Puccio family, which kidnaps for profit. NPR film critic Bob Mondello finds it an unnerving allegory.