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'Decent People' is a murder mystery grappling with race in the segregated South
In a small North Carolina town in 1976, three siblings are shot to death. That's the mystery at the center of De'Shawn Charles Winslow's new book, Decent People – and it's one the segregated town's w…
Published on 2 years, 10 months ago
'You Just Need to Lose Weight' aims to change your thinking about being 'fat'
Author and podcast host Aubrey Gordon brings up an important reminder early in today's episode: In the United States, the average size is plus-sized. And yet there's an overwhelmingly negative connot…
Published on 2 years, 10 months ago
Susan Kuklin and Maia Kobabe's books explore gender identity throughout adolescence
Today's episode features interviews with two authors whose books on trans and queer gender identity are facing challenges in school districts across the U.S. First, NPR's Steve Inskeep sits down with…
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago
Art Spiegelman reissues 'Breakdowns' with new perspective on book bans
Author and cartoonist Art Spiegelman is familiar with the hysteria surrounding certain library books. In today's episode, he tells NPR's Scott Simon about how comic book burnings during his childhood…
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago
'All Boys Aren't Blue' honors coming of age as a queer Black boy
Author George M. Johnson says they knew their memoir, All Boys Aren't Blue, would be challenged by school boards – but they didn't realize just how much controversy it would stir up. The memoir explo…
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago
In 'New Kid,' a Black seventh grader navigates a new school
Jordan Banks, the protagonist of New Kid, is a seventh grade student who loves to draw and hopes to one day become a cartoonist. But the graphic novel following Jordan's arrival at a predominantly wh…
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago
Bans on books like 'Out of Darkness' target authors of color
Professor Ashley Hope Pérez's book Out of Darkness explores school segregation in 20th century Texas through a fictional love story between a young African-American boy and a Mexican-American girl. B…
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago
Steve Martin, Harry Bliss and Nick Hornby take different approaches to working hard
Today's episode is all about professional longevity. First, actor Steve Martin and New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss sit down with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly to explain their new comic memoir, Number On…
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago
In 'Winterland,' a Soviet Union gymnast navigates a grueling responsibility
Anya is only 8 years old, but she's already got the weight of a nation on her shoulders. The protagonist of Winterland lives in an isolated Arctic town, where she's immersed in the world of 1970s Sov…
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago
In 'Song of Silver, Flame Like Night,' Chinese mythology teaches lessons about power
Amélie Wen Zhao's fantasy novel, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, is rooted in the Chinese genres of xianxia and wuxia. It follows a young girl uncovering the secrets of her tumultuous kingdom with …
Published on 2 years, 11 months ago