Books

What An NPR Correspondent Learned By Working As A Taxi Driver In Shanghai

5:41pm June 13, 2019

by Frank Langfitt

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Frank Langfitt about his new book, Shanghai Free Taxi. It's born out of a project he started to meet ordinary Chinese citizens as a correspondent for NPR.

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From Giants of the Monsoon Forest: Living and Working with Elephants by Jacob Shell

'Giants Of The Monsoon Forest' Explores The Lives Of Working Elephants In Asia

2:48pm June 13, 2019

by Barbara J. King

With details at once compelling and disturbing, geographer Jacob Shell describes the lives of the elephants of mountainous Myanmar and northeastern India that haul timber or transport people.

Clockwise from top left: Alexandra Petri, Guy Branum, Samantha Irby and Aparna Nancherla are judges for this 2019 NPR Summer Reader Poll.

Books
Arts

Summer Reader Poll 2019: Meet Our Expert Panelists!

1:19pm June 13, 2019

by Petra Mayer

We've got fantastic judges for this year's summer reader poll! Alexandra Petri, Aparna Nancherla, Guy Branum and Samantha Irby will take your votes and curate a final list of 100 side-splitting reads.

Books
Arts

'Recursion' Is A Puzzle Box Of Time Travel, Memory And Death

11:24am June 13, 2019

by Jason Sheehan

Blake Crouch's new book reads like a relative of those late night college conversations about Big Questions. Here, the question is, if you could live your life over again, but differently, would you?

Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. walks near the lunar module during the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969.

Books
Arts

'One Giant Leap' Explores The Herculean Effort Behind The 1969 Moon Landing

12:02am June 13, 2019

by Dave Davies

Fifty years after Apollo 11's historic moon landing, journalist Charles Fishman tells the story of the 410,000 men and women who helped make the mission a success.

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Books

Blake Crouch's New Novel, 'Recursion,' Is A Thriller With A Dash Of Sci-Fi

5:05pm June 12, 2019

Blake Crouch's new novel, Recursion, is a thriller with a dash of sci-fi. It makes the case that we are the sum of our memories and asks what happens when our memories fail us.

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Christie's To Auction Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" Painting

Paintbrushes And Deep Pockets: The State Of The Art World

3:56pm June 12, 2019

A picture's worth a thousand words — and these days, it might be worth a million dollars, too.

SINGAPORE-TRANSPORT-VEHICLE-TECHNOLOGY-SCIENCE

From Henry Ford To Elon Musk: The Past, Present And Future Of Cars

3:46pm June 12, 2019

Beep beep. Honk.

Eric Carle and his most famous creation, during a 2009 appearance on the Today show.

Books
Arts

A Very Happy 50th Birthday To 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'

11:07am June 12, 2019

by Neda Ulaby

Will author and artist Eric Carle's famously peckish creation be munching his way through some birthday cake? (Along with the salami, the pickle, the watermelon and the slice of Swiss cheese.)

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American writer William S. Burroughs poses during a portrait session at Bourges Railway Station on April 24, 1984 in Bourges, France.

New William S. Burroughs Book Sheds Light On The Literary Legend's Influence On Music

10:53am June 12, 2019

by Gabino Iglesias

Relying on a wealth of research and documents, Casey Rae deftly maps out how one of America's most controversial literary figures transformed the lives of many notable rock musicians.