Author Interviews

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine is based on notes for a story Mark Twain told his young daughters, about magical seeds and talking animals.

Books
Arts

A Modern Collaboration With Mark Twain In 'Prince Oleomargarine'

1:13pm September 28, 2017

by Mary Louise Kelly

Authors Philip and Erin Stead have turned 16 pages of Mark Twain's notes — on a serial bedtime story he wove for his daughters — into a new children's book, The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine.

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Books

'Little Soldiers' Examines China's Military-Like Education System

7:51am September 28, 2017

Mary Louise Kelly talks to journalist and Shanghai resident Lenora Chu about educating her young son in the Chinese public education system. Chu has written a book called: Little Soldiers.

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President Barack Obama speaks at the 2014 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C. Speechwriter David Litt, who helped craft the president's comedy routine that night, says, "Some of the joke is always that it's the president tel

A Former Speechwriter Looks Back On His 'Hopey, Changey' Years With Obama

5:59pm September 25, 2017

by Terry Gross

David Litt says writing speeches and jokes for former President Obama was often a delicate task: "There's a whole industry of people trying to take your words out of context."

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'Nomadland' Tracks Rising Number Of Americans Living On The Road

4:33pm September 25, 2017

A new book by the journalist Jessica Bruder describes the increasing number of Americans living on the road, often in RVs, moving from job to job as a way to avoid the expense of a permanent home. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Bruder about her book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.

In his new book, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explores how he's had to work on his capacity for empathy to change the company's culture.

Books

How Do You Turn Around A Tech Giant? With Empathy, Microsoft CEO Says

4:33pm September 25, 2017

by Aarti Shahani

The CEO of Microsoft was hired to turn the company around. And now, just three years into the job, Satya Nadella has written a book reflecting on this monumental task — and the empathy it requires.

Books
Arts

'Unforgivable Love' Resets Steamy 'Dangerous Liaisons' In 1940s Harlem

8:02am September 24, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The retelling of the 1782 French novel has just as much betrayal and bed-hopping as the original, but in a new locale. Author Sophfronia Scott explains why Harlem — and how she writes good sex scenes.