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Books about Olympic rowers and J. Robert Oppenheimer re-examine American history
Today's episode is about two books that examine the United States' relationship with other countries during contentious moments in history. First, He…
2 years, 5 months ago
After three decades, John Grisham follows 'The Firm' with 'The Exchange'
We can't do a week about books turned into films without speaking with John Grisham. In today's episode, the author of The Pelican Brief and The Inno…
2 years, 5 months ago
'The Color Purple' is about the bonding of women
The Color Purple is about the survival of Black women in a male-dominated world. Author Alice Walker said that she just wrote what happens in the rea…
2 years, 5 months ago
Isabel Wilkerson argues that 'Caste,' not racism caused The Great Migration
Isabel Wilkerson followed her novel about The Great Migration, The Warmth of Other Suns, with another book that looks at why it happened. Caste – rec…
2 years, 5 months ago
'Killers of the Flower Moon' traces the murders of Osage families
This week, we're hearing from authors whose works have been adapted to the big screen. In this 2017 interview, NPR's Steve Inskeep asks David Grann a…
2 years, 5 months ago
Two poetry collections find beauty in unexpected places
Poet Franny Choi knows that marginalized communities have been facing apocalypses forever. But in her new book, The World Keeps Ending and the World …
2 years, 6 months ago
'My People' is a collection of stories – spanning decades – about Black America
Charlayne Hunter-Gault is a trailblazing journalist. The first Black reporter for The New Yorker's "Talk of the Town" section, she's spent more than …
2 years, 6 months ago
In 'Cursed Bunny,' horror takes unexpected forms
Bora Chung's collection of short stories, Cursed Bunny, jumps across different characters and genres, but there's something a little sinister in near…
2 years, 6 months ago
'Fatty Fatty Boom Boom' details a lifelong relationship with food and body image
When Rabia Chaudry's family moved from Pakistan to the U.S., her parents fully embraced the processed foods lining the grocery store aisles. But as t…
2 years, 6 months ago
'Demon Copperhead' tackles opioids, poverty and resilience in Appalachia
Novelist Barbara Kingsolver loves living in the Appalachian hills of southwestern Virginia. But she says she feels that the region is often misconstr…
2 years, 6 months ago