Books

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Culture
'The New Me' Is Meh About Ambition And Adulthood
NPR - Ailsa Chang
Once, when Halle Butler was working as a temp, she was taken to a file room filled floor-to-ceiling with old documents and told that her job was to shred them. "The whole thing had kind of a feeling of
Culture
Road Trip With 'Zora And Langston' In This Real-Life Literary Adventure
NPR - Maureen Corrigan
One of the most joyous, true life, "on-the-road" adventures in literary history took place in the summer of 1927. It began in Mobile, Ala., when a young Langston Hughes, who was traveling in the South,
Culture
Sex, Empathy, Jealousy: How Emotions And Behavior Of Other Primates Mirror Our Own
NPR - Terry Gross
When Frans de Waal started studying nonhuman primates, in the Netherlands more than 40 years ago, he was told not to consider the emotions of the animals he was observing. "Thoughts and feelings — the
Culture
For March, 3 Romances That Fight For Love
NPR - Maya Rodale
True love meets food trucks, ice skates and medieval knife throwing — oh, it's just another month in Romancelandia! These three romance novels span the globe and the centuries, but they share a relentless
Culture
'Kushner, Inc.' Adds Little To The Canon On Jared And Ivanka
NPR - Annalisa Quinn
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump were once seen as moderating influences within the White House. A new book by longtime Vanity Fair journalist Vicky Ward, Kushner, Inc., portrays them instead as coiffed
Culture
'Lot' Paints An Unforgettable Portrait Of Houston And Its People
NPR - Michael Schaub
New York and Los Angeles tend to get all the ink, but you could make an argument that Houston is the most uniquely American big city there is. Sprawling and diverse, the Bayou City shows us how a variety
Culture
Former Physician At Rikers Island Exposes Health Risks Of Incarceration
NPR - Dave Davies
As head of New York City's correctional health services, Dr. Homer Venters spent nine years overseeing the care of thousands of inmates in the jails on Rikers Island. Though he left Rikers in 2017, what
Culture
A Parable Of International Development From Dave Eggers
NPR - Rachel Martin
In 12 days, there will be a parade to celebrate a road unifying two regions of a country torn apart by a decades-long civil war. That is, if two contractors are able to construct the road in time. That's
Culture
Fired By Trump, Preet Bharara Describes The Justice System He Served
NPR - Steve Inskeep
Preet Bharara was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York until he was fired by President Trump in 2017. His new book, Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the of
Culture
Caroline Criado-Perez On Data Bias And 'Invisible Women'
NPR
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Caroline Criado-Perez about her new book Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Transcript LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: The cars we buy, the drugs we're
Culture
Building A Home Of Stories In 'The Bird King'
NPR - Amal El-Mohtar
The Bird King is set during the last days of Muslim Granada, and focuses on Fatima, a royal concubine longing for freedom, and Hassan, the royal mapmaker and Fatima's dearest friend. Hassan has a special
Culture
Remembering W.S. Merwin
NPR
W.S. Merwin died Friday at the age of 91. He was one of the United States' most prolific poets — he won the Pulitzer Prize twice. Transcript MELISSA BLOCK, BYLINE: The poet W.S. Merwin was a conservationist,
Culture
20 Years After 'Speak,' Laurie Halse Anderson Tells Her Own Story In 'Shout'
NPR - Melissa Block
For every sexual assault survivor who speaks out, Laurie Halse Anderson knows there many others remaining silent. "If there was a way for every victim of sexual violence to come forward on one day, I the
Culture
'Night Witches' Sheds Some Light On Daring Female Flyers
NPR - Etelka Lehoczky
Reading the graphic novel The Night Witches, about female pilots who flew for the Russians in World War II, I thought about Jane Austen. More specifically, I thought about Helena Kelly's 2017 book Jane
Culture
Author Bryan Washington Tells Some Of The Many Stories Of Houston In 'The Lot'
NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with author Bryan Washington about Lot, his new collection of short stories set in Houston. Transcript ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: In Bryan Washington's new short story collection, "Lot,"
Culture
Poet W.S. Merwin, Who Was Inspired By Conservation, Dies At 91
NPR - Noah Adams
One of America's most respected and enduring poets, W.S. Merwin, has died. Merwin's poetry is known for its mystery and wonder, and he was twice named the U.S. poet laureate. He also won a National Book
Culture
How 'Peasant Food' Helped Chef Lidia Bastianich Achieve Her 'American Dream'
NPR - Terry Gross
Bastianich grew up eating farm-to-table meals with her Italian family. After they fled Europe as refugees, she drew on those meals in opening her first restaurant. Originally broadcast May 7, 2018. Transcript
Culture
From Triumph To Tragedy, 'First' Tells Story Of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
NPR - Nina Totenberg
Late last year, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor issued a statement announcing that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It was a poignant moment, a reminder that for decades
Celebrity News
In 'Shrill,' Lindy West Made The Body Positive Show That She Never Had
NPR - Ari Shapiro
Lindy West did not set out to make an after school special. The new Hulu show Shrill, based on her 2016 memoir about being feminist and body positive, is not "all about the message," she says. "The reality
Culture
'The Trial Of Lizzie Borden' Adds Fodder To The Murder Case's Mystery
NPR - Ilana Masad
An odd thing about famous crimes is what details enter pop culture and stay there. People who know nothing about the circumstances surrounding the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, for instance, might well recognize
Culture
What Happens When You Get Kicked Off The 'Squad?'
NPR - Caitlyn Paxson
Being a cheerleader defines Jenna's world. She spends all her time with the squad, whether it's at school, at practice, or just hanging out. It's ideal, because her best friend Raejean is also a cheerleader,
Culture
Just 'Follow This Thread': You're Meant To Get Lost In This Book About Mazes
NPR - Ari Shapiro
Henry Eliot's new book about mazes and labyrinths is a printer's worst nightmare. Follow This Thread is both a title and an instruction: To read the book, you must turn it upside down and backwards. Lines
Culture
Meet The Lagoon's Forgotten Lady And See 'The Strangest Movie Never Made'
NPR - Maureen Corrigan
"Lost Hollywood." The phrase conjures up starlets in silver lamé and lunchtime gimlets at The Brown Derby; it does not bring to mind slimy swamp creatures or screwball surrealists starring in movies featuring
Culture
'Sea People' Examines The Origins And History Of Polynesia
NPR - Ilana Masad
Humans are curious creatures, seekers of new lands and new knowledge. But the results of our shared explorations have often been destructive. The first people to arrive and settle in the many islands lay
Culture
'Times' Deputy Counsel On Fighting For Press Freedom In The Trump Era
NPR - Terry Gross
David McCraw of The New York Times talks about legal issues he's faced on the job — from the president's lawyer threatening to sue for libel to the decision to publish WikiLeaks documents. Transcript GROSS,
Immune System
What Keeps Humans Immune - 1A
the1a.org
How often have you heard that a green juice, or a vitamin or even a yoga pose can “boost” your immune system? Even if those claims are dubious, …
Culture
'Pocahontas And The English Boys' Bridged 2 Wildly Different Cultures
NPR - Marcela Davison Avilés
As the nation turns to elections in 2020, one person has emerged as the front-runner in the imagination of the electorate, if not in reality. I'm speaking, of course, about Pocahontas. Over 400 years after
Culture
Entertained But Underwhelmed By This European Bestseller? Join 'The Club'
NPR - Michael Schaub
It's hard to believe that things could get much worse for young Hans, the protagonist of The Club. As the book opens, the German boy recounts his childhood in a house in a forest, the awkward son of two
Culture
'Nobel Of The Heart' Is The Real Prize For Author Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
NPR - Lynn Neary
Every year, when it's time to give out the Nobel Prize for Literature, British bookies lay odds on who might win. Every year, Kenyan writer Ngugi Wa Thiong'o is viewed as a contender. His body of works