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Tommy Orange follows 'There, There' with 'Wandering Stars'
Tommy Orange's debut novel, There, There, centers several Native American characters grappling with identity in the bustling city of Oakland, California. In today's episode, we revisit a profile of O…
Published on 1 year, 9 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, 9 months ago
'The Rise and Fall of the EAST' chronicles China's economic history
Yasheng Huang, a professor of global economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, names four major contributors to China's economy in his new book, The Rise and Fall of the EAST: exams, au…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Lucy Sante's memoir reflects on her experience coming out as transgender in her 60s
Lucy Sante says it was a smartphone app that ultimately pushed her to come out to herself — and the world — as trans in her mid 60s. In her new memoir, I Heard Her Call My Name, the writer and profes…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
'The Achilles Trap' analyzes the relationship between the U.S. and Saddam Hussein
Early in today's episode, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly asks Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Steve Coll why he felt the need to write The Achilles Trap about the Iraq War amidst so many ongoing world conflic…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Memoirs by Helen Rebanks and Crystal Wilkinson weave recipes with women's stories
Today's episode features two books that capture how cooking, taking care of loved ones, and running a home has sustained women for generations. First, NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Helen Rebanks (who…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
'Julia' revisits George Orwell's '1984,' from a new point of view
With permission from the Orwell estate, Sandra Newman's latest novel takes place in the same world and with many of the same characters as 1984, but retold through the eyes of Winston Smith's love in…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Hala Gorani's memoir 'But You Don't Look Arab' is a journey of belonging
Journalist and former CNN anchor Hala Gorani tells NPR's Leila Fadel that she has a whole paragraph queued up to answer a seemingly simple question: Where are you from? Gorani's memoir, But You Don't…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
'Ours' follows a woman in the 1830s who has the power to free enslaved people
Phillip B. Williams' debut novel, Ours, is a sweeping story that takes place in the 19th century. It takes off with a conjuror named Saint who destroys plantations and enslavers, and creates a commun…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
'Private Equity' analyzes the ethical and personal costs of a career in finance
There's a moment in Carrie Sun's memoir, Private Equity, when she remembers trying to answer a text for her high-pressure hedge fund job while running on the treadmill. It ended poorly — and Sun says…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago