Books

Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy are reporters for The Boston Globe.

Books
Arts

Whitey Bulger Bio Profiles Boston's Most Notorious Gangster

1:38pm February 25, 2013

Reporters Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, who covered Bulger for years for The Boston Globe, have a new book out about the career criminal. Bulger was wanted for 19 murders when he was captured by the FBI in 2011. He faces trial in June.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Historical Fiction Gets Personal In 'Philida'

5:44pm February 24, 2013

by NPR Staff

Philida, a slave, is promised her freedom by her owner, who is also the father of her children. But the promise is broken and she takes the matter into her own hands, in this novel by acclaimed South African novelist Andre Brink that was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Craving Solitude In 'Ten White Geese'

6:40pm February 23, 2013

by NPR Staff

In Gerbrand Bakker's mysterious — and often menacing — story, a Welsh woman seeks refuge from her past. But as she hopes of strength, she is also quickly reminded of her own mortality. Ten White Geese, which was translated from Dutch, has become an international best-seller.

Queue Listen Now

The SciFri Book Club Visits "Gorillas in the Mist"

1:03pm February 22, 2013

The book club regulars visit Gorillas in the Mist, Dian Fossey's memoir of her years studying mountain gorillas in a remote African rainforest. Gorilla expert Annette Lanjouw joins the club to give an update on how this endangered subspecies of gorilla is faring.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Karen Russell's 'Vampires' Deserve The Raves

2:39pm February 21, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

The author of Swamplandia! has a new collection of short stories called Vampires in the Lemon Grove. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the stories are daring and devastating, and with them Russell establishes herself as one of the great American writers of our young century.

Queue Listen Now

Dr. Sam Parnia researches the experiences of cardiac arrest patients who are brought back to life.

'Erasing Death' Explores The Science Of Resuscitation

2:39pm February 21, 2013

Dr. Sam Parnia researches the experiences of cardiac arrest patients in the time between when their hearts stop and when they are brought back to life. Parnia thinks of these experiences as actual-death experiences as opposed to near-death experiences.

Queue Listen Now

Author Katherine Bouton Opens Up About Going Deaf

7:14am February 21, 2013

After going deaf at the age of 30, writer Katherine Bouton's entire life changed. In her new book, "Shouting Won't Help," Bouton shares how she came to terms with hearing loss, and why more attention needs to be paid to a condition that affects nearly 50 million Americans.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'The Dinner' Offers Food For Thought

6:11pm February 20, 2013

by Rosecrans Baldwin

The novel by Herman Koch is structured around a five-course meal shared by two couples. But it's not all fun and food. What's really going on at this meal is much more gruesome. Reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says the novel offers a fresh, modern take on basic moral questions.

Queue Listen Now

Jake Tapper's new book, The Outpost, tells the story of one of America's deadliest battles during the war in Afghanistan.

Jake Tapper: 'The Outpost' That Never Should Have Been

3:10pm February 20, 2013

In a new book, the CNN anchor tells the story of Combat Outpost Keating. The ill-fated American military base was in a remote Afghan valley, and on Oct. 3, 2009, it became the site of one of the deadliest attacks against U.S. troops in the history of the war in Afghanistan.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Today's Bullied Teens Subject To 'Sticks And Stones' Online, Too

1:27pm February 19, 2013

In her new book, Slate senior editor Emily Bazelon explores teen bullying, what it is and what it isn't, and how the rise of the Internet and social media make the experience more challenging. "It really can make bullying feel like it's 24/7," she says.

Queue Listen Now