HBO's 'Hero' Tells A Slow Story In Too Many Hours
NPR TV critic Eric Deggans reviews the anticipated new HBO show from The Wire's David Simon, Show Me a Hero.
Arts & Life
Dealing With Freedom — And Disaster — In 'Fortune Smiles'
Author Adam Johnson won the Pulitzer in 2013 for his novel The Orphan Master's Son. Now, he's branching out to places as diverse as Louisiana and East Germany in a new collection of short stories.
Love Lines: A Summer Sampler Of Romantic Manga
Our Summer of Love rolls on with a roundup of romance manga. Japanese comic books can be a daunting field to enter — but we've picked three of the sweetest for your summer reading pleasure.
'Evan Hansen' Makes Music Out Of Teen Angst And Anxiety
A new musical by Tony-nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen is a comedic drama that deals with teen suicide in the age of social media.
Discovering Movies, And How Visions Are Seldom All They Seem
NPR film critic Bob Mondello remembers the first movie he ever saw in a theater — Sleeping Beauty — and what it meant to him.
Letters: Greek Migrants, Summer Movies
NPR's Robert Siegel and Melissa Block read listener letters, including reaction to an interview about boatloads of migrants washing up on the Greek Island of Chios, and a Bob Mondello piece about good movies to cool you off on a hot summer's day.
'Show Me A Hero' Offers A Nuanced Take On Public Housing Discrimination
David Simon's new HBO mini-series, Show Me a Hero, examines racial biases in New York City's public housing laws. Critic David Bianculli says, "This 25-year-old true story couldn't seem more timely."
Jason Segel On Breakups, Bromances And 'Freaks And Geeks'
The star of the The End of the Tour may be best known for his "bromance" films. "These kind of buddy movies are allowing men to open up a little bit," Segel says. Originally broadcast March 23, 2009.
David Foster Wallace: The 'Fresh Air' Interview
In 1996, Wallace's novel Infinite Jest was a critical and popular success. The new movie The End of The Tour recreates the author's tour for that book. Originally broadcast March 5, 1997.
How Does A Year Of Following Biblical Rules Change You?
Author and journalist A.J. Jacobs has made a career of being an amateur. He talks about the year he spent living biblically — following the rules in the Bible as literally as possible.