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Cuba Is A Dream That Doesn't Let Go In 'The Mortifications'

7:00am October 06, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Derek Palacio's new novel follows a family who escape Cuba, leaving their political rebel patriarch behind after he refuses to go with them. When he reappears decades later, their lives come apart.

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New Biography Celebrates E.B. White, Who Really Was 'Some Writer!'

6:12pm October 05, 2016

by NPR Staff

Melissa Sweet's colorful, kid-friendly biography includes letters, family photos, illustrations, manuscripts and more from the man behind Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan.

In his new memoir, Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen reflects on how home, roots and family helped shape him and his music.

Bruce Springsteen: On Jersey, Masculinity And Wishing To Be His Stage Persona

2:25pm October 05, 2016

"People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy," Springsteen says. "I want to be that guy myself very often."

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The Wangs of the World by Jade Chang (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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'The Wangs' Is Sparkling Family Travelogue — With Teeth

7:00am October 05, 2016

by Jason Heller

Jade Chang's debut novel follows former cosmetics magnate Charles Wang, whose business empire has collapsed, as he herds his fractious family on a cross-country roadtrip to their new home.

Italian Journalist Sets Out To Unmask True Identity Of Author Elena Ferrante

6:49pm October 04, 2016

Over the weekend, an Italian financial journalist outed the identity of author Elena Ferrante, whose pseudonym lent intrigue to her bestselling novels. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Dayna Tortorici of n+1 magazine about the outing.

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The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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'The Angel Of History' Says 'I Will Not Forget'

4:32pm October 04, 2016

by NPR Staff

Rabih Alameddine has much in common with the hero of his new novel: Both are gay, Arab writers in San Francisco. And both lost friends to the AIDS epidemic, and are angry that it's being forgotten.

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A team member from NPO Japan Rescue Dog Association and his dog search for victims in Rikuzentakata, Miyagi prefecture in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.

From Fire Hydrants To Rescue Work, Dogs Perceive The World Through Smell

3:30pm October 04, 2016

Dogs can sniff out people, drugs, bombs, cancer, time of day, oncoming storms and much more. In her new book Being A Dog, Alexandra Horowitz explores the mysteries and mechanics of canine noses.

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Books

A Chinese-American Family Faces Financial Ruin In 'The Wangs Vs. The World'

8:49am October 04, 2016

Steve Inskeep talks with writer Jade Chang about her comic novel "The Wangs vs. The World." It's the story of a Chinese-American family that comes together following the 2008 financial crisis.

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Moving, Memorable 'Today Will Be Different' Balances Humor And Tragedy

7:00am October 04, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Maria Semple's new novel centers on erratic, overworked mother Eleanor, who makes a promise before the book begins: Today will be different. And it is, but not the way she expected or hoped for.

Books
Arts

Why It Took 'Forrest Gump' Author Nearly 20 Years To Write A New Novel

4:30pm October 03, 2016

by Tom Vitale

After Forrest Gump became a best-seller, Winston Groom says he ran out of good ideas for novels — until now. His new book, El Paso, is set during the Mexican Revolution.

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