Books

'This Is Not A Love Letter' by Kim Purcell.

Books
Arts

'This Is Not A Love Letter' Really Is A (Heartbreaking) Love Letter

7:00am February 03, 2018

by Amal El-Mohtar

Kim Purcell's new novel is structured as a long, beautiful, despairing letter from a young woman to her missing boyfriend, written as she spurs her friends and neighbors into action to find him.

'The Land Of Permanent Goodbyes' by Atia Abawi.

Books
Arts

A Syrian Teen, Forced To Flee 'A Land Of Permanent Goodbyes'

5:03am February 02, 2018

by Rachel Martin

After her first book, journalist Atia Abawi was inspired to write a young adult novel about the Syrian refugee crisis. "It seems very dark, but it's a situation that happens all the time," she says.

Queue Listen Now

A journalist describes Robert Mueller, pictured in 2007 when he was FBI director, as "about as apolitical and nonpartisan a figure as you could find in Washington."

Mueller's Reputation In Washington Is 'Stunningly Bipartisan,' Journalist Says

4:46pm February 01, 2018

by Terry Gross

Author Garrett Graff discusses the special counsel in charge of the Trump/Russia investigation: "Bob Mueller is probably about as apolitical and nonpartisan a figure as you could find in Washington."

Queue Listen Now

Books

'Starlings' Showcases An Imagination That Stretches To The Stars

7:00am February 01, 2018

by Tasha Robinson

Jo Walton says her new collection isn't actually a book of short stories — rather, these pieces are jokes, exercises or odd poems. Either way, Starlings proves endlessly fascinating and inventive.

Historian Makes Case For 'What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia' In New Book

5:10pm January 31, 2018

Many journalists and pundits refer to J.D. Vance's memoir Hillbilly Elegy for a better understanding of the people who live in the Appalachia region. That doesn't sit well with historian Elizabeth Catte, so she wrote her rebuttal in What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

National Book Awards Add Category Honoring Works In Translation

5:09pm January 31, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The new prize will consider both fiction and nonfiction translated into English and published in the U.S. It's the first addition to the National Book Foundation's annual slate in over two decades.

Journalist Details Israel's 'Secret History' Of Targeted Assassinations

2:11pm January 31, 2018

by Dave Davies

Ronen Bergman says that while Israel's shootings, poisonings, bombings and drone strikes against its perceived enemies were "tactical successes," they were also diplomatically harmful.

Queue Listen Now

"Building the Great Society: Inside Lyndon Johnson's White House" by Joshua Zeitz

Books

LBJ Shares The Spotlight — Finally — In 'Building The Great Society'

7:00am January 31, 2018

by Michael Schaub

Lyndon Baines Johnson was an outsize character who gets a lot of credit for his adminstration's successes — but he didn't do it alone, and Joshua Zeitz' new book looks at his most influential aides.

Books

New Word In The Dictionary: 'Snowflake'

5:04am January 31, 2018

The Oxford English Dictionary has added more than 1,000 new words, including "snowflake." It's not a new word, but has a new other meaning: someone who is "overly sensitive" and "entitled."

Books
Arts

What A Classic '50s Western Can Teach Us About The Hollywood Blacklist

2:44pm January 30, 2018

Author Glenn Frankel says the 1952 film High Noon was inspired by the toxic political climate of the time. Originally broadcast Feb. 21, 2017.

Queue Listen Now