Arts & Life

Tracing The Origin Of The Campaign Promise To 'Tell It Like It Is'

6:50pm July 15, 2015

by Geoff Nunberg

It's a common pledge of candor for a roster of presidential hopefuls. As linguist Geoff Nunberg explains, the promise to "tell it like it is" has its roots in black speech from the '40s and '50s.

Queue Listen Now

Obama: 'No Precedent' To Revoke Bill Cosby's Presidential Medal Of Freedom

4:56pm July 15, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The president said: "If you give a woman — or a man for that matter — without his or her knowledge a drug, and then have sex with that person without consent, that's rape."

Don Winslow has written 17 novels, including The Power of the Dog and The Cartel.

Books
Arts

'Cartel' Author Spins A Grand Tale Of Mexico's Drug Wars

4:42pm July 15, 2015

Novelist Don Winslow spent 10 years researching the Mexican drug wars. His new novel, The Cartel, reveals "a new generation of cartel leaders that are more violent, more sadistic" than ever before.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

After Fight For Life And Media Firestorm, 'Distressed Baby' Is Happy Toddler

2:11pm July 15, 2015

by NPR Staff

When a CEO blamed "distressed babies" for cuts to benefits last year, Deanna Fei discovered her infant was national news. She reflects on how she coped with a baby on life support — and in headlines.

Queue Listen Now

A recent batch of Veena Mehra's yogurt in Houston. She's been making yogurt the same way, with the same starter, for about 40 years.

The 'Immortal' Homemade Yogurt That Traveled 'Round The World

11:53am July 15, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

An Indian immigrant in Oklahoma missed the yogurt she'd grown up with. So when she traveled to India, she brought some back to use to make it herself. Forty years later, that yogurt lives on.

When Weed Is The Cure: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana

11:25am July 15, 2015

Dr. David Casarett used to think of medical marijuana as "a joke." But after taking a deeper look, he's changed his mind. Casarett's new book is Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'Armada' Sinks In A Sea Of Pop-Culture References

11:06am July 15, 2015

by Tasha Robinson

Ernest Cline's new novel follows a teen boy who discovers his favorite video game is real. But critic Tasha Robinson says Armada is light on plot and character.

Books
Arts

'ZeroZeroZero' Argues Cocaine Is Everywhere ... But Is It Really?

11:06am July 15, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

Roberto Saviano reports on the worldwide cocaine trade, from small-scale users to organized crime. Critic Tomas Hachard says that while the book is illuminating, it doesn't quite hit its mark.

Ta-Nehisi Coates Looks At The Physical Toll Of Being Black In America

10:02am July 15, 2015

by NPR Staff

Coates writes about race and social issues for The Atlantic. His new book, Between the World and Me, brings to bear his fear that his life and the lives of his loved ones might end unnaturally.

Queue Listen Now

Residents Of Harper Lee's Hometown Celebrate 'Go Set A Watchman'

7:18pm July 14, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Spencer Madrie, the owner of the Ol' Curiosities and Book Shoppe in downtown Monroeville, Ala., for the reaction to Harper Lee's latest book, Go Set a Watchman.

Queue Listen Now