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Olympic runner Caster Semenya's memoir tackles gender stereotypes in sports
When she was only a teenager, South African runner Caster Semenya won gold at the 2009 World Championships. But she was soon faced with intense scrut…
2 years, 8 months ago
Booker Prize winner 'Prophet Song' is a dystopian tale of Irish authoritarianism
Early on in today's interview with author Paul Lynch, he says he was careful not to specify whether his dystopian novel Prophet Song is set in the fu…
2 years, 8 months ago
Novels by Barbara Kingsolver and Daniel Mason excavate history for new meanings
Today's episode is all about two books that find parallels across long stretches of time. First, an interview with Barbara Kingsolver and former NPR …
2 years, 9 months ago
'The House of Doors' is a novel about romance, secrecy and colonialism in Malaysia
The new novel by Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors, is a project of historical fiction immersed in the culturally rich island of Penang in the 1920s. …
2 years, 9 months ago
In 'A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens,' debt takes on many meanings
Hugo Contreras, the protagonist of Raul Palma's new novel, is a babaláwo; he can cleanse evil spirits. Except he doesn't really believe in the whole …
2 years, 9 months ago
Anne Enright's 'The Wren, The Wren' is a family story about poetry and betrayal
Phil McDaragh is a great Irish poet; he was also a lousy husband and father, abandoning his family to pursue his writing. In Anne Enright's new novel…
2 years, 9 months ago
In 'The Fraud,' Zadie Smith takes on historical fiction and the Tichborne case
In the 19th century, a butcher living in Australia claimed to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. The Tichborne trial, which sparked much con…
2 years, 9 months ago
In 'The World Central Kitchen Cookbook,' José Andrés collects recipes with impact
After wars, natural disasters and all kinds of emergencies, the World Central Kitchen — the organization founded by chef José Andrés — flies in to he…
2 years, 9 months ago
Books by Raghavan Iyer and CrossCultureKev celebrate curry and chai recipes
Today's episode focuses on two books that go deep on two culinary traditions: curry and chai. First, famed chef and author Raghavan Iyer spoke with N…
2 years, 9 months ago
In 'Big Heart Little Stove,' chef Erin French focuses on recipes and hospitality
For chef Erin French, a meal is about a lot more than the food on the table. Her new cookbook, Big Heart Little Stove, provides not only recipes from…
2 years, 9 months ago