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Two books dive into the musical histories of The Police and Joni Mitchell
Today's episode is about two emblematic musicians who take us to very different parts of the globe, from the London punk scene to the Laurel Canyon utopia of the 1960s and 70s. First, Stewart Copelan…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
In 'Other Rivers,' Peter Hessler chronicles his return to Chinese classrooms
Foreign correspondent Peter Hessler taught in China during the country's economic boom in the 1990s, which he wrote about in his book River Town. Now, in Other Rivers, Hessler breaks down what it was…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unveils her vision for American democracy in 'True Gretch'
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a new memoir out – it's about the people and experiences that shaped her version of leadership. Whitmer has led her state through a pandemic, natural disasters and …
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
'Devil Is Fine' explores race, colonialism and grief through magical realism
Devil Is Fine, the new novel by John Vercher, follows an unnamed protagonist banging out a book pitch in a fugue state that mirrors what's happening in his own life: after the death of his son, a bir…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
'At the Edge of Empire' traces China's history through Edward Wong's family
The central character of New York Times correspondent Ed Wong's memoir, At the Edge of Empire, is not Wong himself — it's his father, who studied in Beijing in the 1950s and staunchly supported the C…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
Kevin Kwan explores race and identity in 'Sex and Vanity' and 'Lies and Weddings'
Today's episode features two interviews with Kevin Kwan, author of the Crazy Rich Asians series. First, former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro spoke to the writer in 2020 about Sex and Vanity, exploring…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
A new book examines Alexander Hamilton's plan for public debt
Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, is somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon thanks to a hit musical about his life. But a new book called The Hamilton Scheme dives into a le…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
In 'Do I Know You?,' a science reporter tackles her own face blindness
When science reporter Sadie Dingfelder mistakes a complete stranger in the supermarket for her own husband, she realizes something's up. The tests and research that follow result in a face blindness …
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
Yangsze Choo's 'The Fox Wife' explores gender, murder and folklore in the 1900s
Yangsze Choo says she doesn't thoroughly plan out her novels – her newest, The Fox Wife, blossomed from that core idea behind the title, of a woman who also happens to be a fox. But beyond that, it's…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
Kara Swisher's memoir 'Burn Book' reflects on a career covering Silicon Valley
Journalist Kara Swisher, who's been covering the internet and the tech industry for decades, says she's not surprised when people like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk lie to her — but what she says they some…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago