Author Interviews

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Jacqueline Woodson's 'Brooklyn' Is Full Of Dreams And Danger

1:28pm August 09, 2016

The National Book Award winner's new novel is based in part on her memories of growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s. Woodson describes the teen years as an "amazing and urgent moment" in life.

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'Brazillionaires' Tracks An Economic Collapse Through The Eyes Of The Rich

6:21pm August 08, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with author Alex Cuadros about his book, Brazillionaires: Wealth, Power, Decadence, and Hope in an American Country.

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Colson Whitehead is also the author of the novel Zone One, and the memoir The Noble Hustle.

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Colson Whitehead's 'Underground Railroad' Is A Literal Train To Freedom

3:03pm August 08, 2016

As a child, Whitehead was surprised to learn that escaped slaves did not ride an actual subway. His new novel follows Cora, a young slave who has escaped a Georgia plantation and is heading north.

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'Imperial Wife' Trains Its Spotlight On Powerful Women, Past And Present

9:14am August 07, 2016

by NPR Staff

Irina Reyn's new novel focuses on two women in difficult marriages. Though they're centuries apart, both relationships are tied to the strong woman's struggle to fulfill gender expectations.

Words Of Wisdom From Young Adult Authors: Jason Reynolds

8:43am August 07, 2016

Jason Reynolds writes "slice-of-life stories" for youngsters. For our "Next Chapter" series, he talks about packing up his belongings in trash bags and moving to New York City to become a writer.

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Wisdom From Young Adult Authors: Tamora Pierce

9:23am August 06, 2016

She's the YA author behind the fantasy series Song of the Lioness and The Immortals. For the Weekend Edition series "Next Chapter," she recalls how college helped her escape small-town poverty.

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New Novel Takes 'The Underground Railroad' Beyond The Metaphor

9:09am August 06, 2016

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Colson Whitehead about his new book, The Underground Railroad, in which slaves ride a a real railroad through time to see racism in different eras.

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What Etgar Keret Learned From His Father About Storytelling And Survival

1:46pm August 05, 2016

Keret's memoir, The Seven Good Years, spans the time between the birth of his son and the death of his father, who was a Holocaust survivor. Originally broadcast June 16, 2015.

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"This iconic photograph became one of the most famous images of the 1970s," Jeffrey Toobin says. It shows Patty Hearst standing in front of a Symbionese Liberation Army flag several months after she was kidnapped.

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Whose Side Was She On? 'American Heiress' Revisits Patty Hearst's Kidnapping

4:34pm August 03, 2016

Hearst was abducted in 1974 and then declared allegiance to her captors. Legal expert Jeffrey Toobin does not believe Hearst was brainwashed, but rather, "responded rationally to the circumstances."

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Blue Monday Vol. 1 By Chynna Clugston-Flores.

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There Could Be No Other Way: 'Blue Monday' Is Back

10:00am August 03, 2016

by Petra Mayer

Chynna Clugston-Flores' cult comic about a music-crazy high-schooler and her mad mod friends is back after more than a decade. It's a largely autobiographical look at teen life in the early '90s.