Books

Books
Arts

Leveling Up In The Video Game Industry, Without Checkpoints: 'Significant Zero'

7:00am September 24, 2017

by Jason Sheehan

Videogame writer Walt Williams describes his Red-Bull-and-Adderal-fueled advancement in a competitive and secretive industry. Critic Jason Sheehan says the book "plays out ... like a videogame."

Clubgoers amid the light towers on the dance floor at Studio 54 in 1978.

Books
Arts

'Inside Studio 54' Takes You Behind The Velvet Rope, And Into Some Dark Corners

10:00am September 23, 2017

by Glen Weldon

Owner Mark Fleischman's memoir drops plenty of celebrity names while detailing the day-to-day logistics (and the drugs) that kept the nightspot running.

Books

Poetry For Kids Who Are 'Just No Good At Rhyming'

8:11am September 23, 2017

Poetry has to rhyme, doesn't it? Chris Harris talks with Scott Simon about his new book for kids called I'm Just No good at Rhyming.

Books

A Suicide Reverberates In 'The Ninth Hour'

8:11am September 23, 2017

NPR's Scott Simon talks to author Alice McDermott about her new novel, The Ninth Hour. It starts with a suicide and then reveals how the kindness of faithful strangers can steer people's lives.

Books
Arts

In 'The Ninth Hour,' A Tonic For The Ills Of The World

10:29am September 21, 2017

by Heller McAlpin

Alice McDermott's new novel immerses readers in the homely details of Irish Catholic Brooklyn in the early decades of the 20th century, but also addresses bigger, universal questions of love and life.

Archivist Amy McDonald invited some co-workers to help her re-create cherries jubilee from a university cookbook. But even with a historical paper trail, there were still things they couldn't figure out, like what to do after it starts flaming.

At Duke University, A Bizarre Tour Through American History And Palates

8:15am September 21, 2017

by Cynthia Greenlee

Through the Rubenstein Test Kitchen project, librarians and staff re-create historical recipes from thousands of cookbooks in the collections. Some dishes are culturally telling ... and comical.

The Twelve-Mile Straight, by Eleanor Henderson

Books
Arts

In 'The Twelve-Mile Straight,' Characters Are Symbols First, People Second

7:01am September 21, 2017

by Annalisa Quinn

Eleanor Henderson's novel, set in 1930s Georgia, seeks to portray a time when "slavery was over, but not past," says our reviewer. But a lack of nuance keeps its characters from emerging as individuals.

Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss and Afterglow (a dog memoir) by Eileen Myles

Books
Arts

Novel 'Forest Dark' And Dog Book 'Afterglow' Consider The Meaning Of Life

12:54pm September 20, 2017

by Maureen Corrigan

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews two books that use experimental forms to tackle weighty topics. "Both of these odd new books offer something special," she says.

'Cuz' Examines The Tragic Life And Death Of A Young Black Man In LA

12:52pm September 20, 2017

Danielle Allen's memoir centers on her cousin Michael, who was sentenced to a long prison term for carjacking when he was 15. Three years after his release, he was found shot to death in a parked car.

Books
Arts

Zine And Heard: In 'Moxie,' A Young Woman Fights Back

10:00am September 20, 2017

by Caitlyn Paxson

In Jennifer Mathieu's novel, "nice girl" Vivian secretly publishes a zine decrying her high school's culture of sexist harassment. Our reviewer says Moxie works on a "pure, wish-fulfillment level."