Author Interviews

'The Souls Of China' Documents Country's Dramatic Return To Religion

4:36pm April 12, 2017

When the author Ian Johnson first visited China in 1984, he says religious life appeared to be dead. Today, he says China is experiencing a dramatic return to religion, and he documents this in a new book called The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao.

A 2010 memorial service for the Jonestown massacre in Oakland, Calif., featured photographs of the victims.

Nearly 40 Years Later, Jonestown Offers A Lesson In Demagoguery

2:24pm April 11, 2017

by Terry Gross

In 1978, more than 900 followers of the Rev. Jim Jones committed mass suicide in Guyana. In his new book, The Road to Jonestown, journalist Jeff Guinn details how Jones captivated so many.

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A visitor to the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, Calif., attends a wine tasting class. Unlike food — which gives us sensory cues like crunchy and hot, as well as tasting, say, salty — with wine, it's all about tiny differences in taste and smell

Books
Arts

Oaky, With Notes Of BS: Why Wine Tasting Struggles To Get It On The Nose

3:37pm April 10, 2017

by Tove Danovich

Unlike food — which gives us sensory cues like crunchy and hot, as well as tasting, say, salty — with wine, it's all about tiny differences in taste and smell. The danger is in getting too poetic.

Throughout his career, Prince played around with constructions of race, gender and sexuality.

Prince Contained Multitudes, New Book Confirms

10:31am April 10, 2017

by Leah Donnella

Prince on defining his music: "The only thing I could think of, because I really don't like categories, but the only thing I could think of is inspirational."

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Books

Author Richard Florida On 'The New Urban Crisis'

8:29am April 10, 2017

Steve Inskeep talks to author Richard Florida — who has made a career studying cities, both culturally and economically. Florida's new book is called The New Urban Crisis.

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Books

A Chef's Struggle Recounted In 'Out Of Line'

8:02am April 09, 2017

Award-winning chef Barbara Lynch succeeded in what traditionally has been a male-dominated industry. She spoke to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about her amazing life, and her new memoir, Out of Line.

Books
Arts

Laura Kipnis Tackles Campus Sexual Politics In 'Unwanted Advances'

7:55am April 09, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Kipnis, a professor at Northwestern, argues that Title IX investigations of sexual misconduct on campus are vastly overexpanded, to the point of chilling intellectual freedom and academic debate.

Books
Arts

Family, Death And A Road Trip In 'Ashes To Asheville'

10:42am April 08, 2017

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon talks with author Sarah Dooley about her book Ashes to Asheville. It's about sisters trying to fulfill their mother's dying wish to spread her ashes in the last place the family was happy.

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Books
Arts

The Sci-Fi Strangeness (And Canadian Sensuality) Of Cartoonist Michael DeForge

7:00am April 07, 2017

by Oliver Sava

DeForge's new book Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero grew out of a collection of Tumblr strips. It follows a woman who flees into the Canadian forest to escape a family scandal and make a new life.

Books
Arts

Howard Norman's 'My Darling Detective' Pays Homage To Film Noir

4:30pm April 06, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with writer Howard Norman about his new novel, My Darling Detective, which tells the story of a photograph and an auction in Halifax, Novia Scotia.