NPR Books
Writing On The Sly, Nathaniel Rich's Secret Debut
It took over five years for Nathaniel Rich to finish his first novel — maybe because he was writing The Mayor's Tongue secretly, first as a college student, and then while writing film criticism during the day.
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'Best Practices': Learning To Live With Asperger's
David Finch was 30-years-old when he discovered that he was on the autism spectrum. In Journal of Best Practices, he describes how he learned to manage the disorder — and become a better husband and father in the process.
Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Smash' Talk And Getting Serious About Reading
On this week's show: A discussion about the ups and downs of NBC's new musical drama Smash, and a chat with NPR.org's new books editor about high literature, low literature, and how people read.
No Doubt: U.S. Remains 'Tremendously Influential'
Some believe America is in decline. But author Robert Kagan disagrees. He talks to Steve Inskeep about his new book The World America Made." President Obama recently discussed an article Kagan wrote for The New Republic called "The Myth of American Decline."
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NPR Bestsellers: Week Of February 2, 2012
Compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
A memoir from the chef behind New York restaurant Prune, Blood, Bones & Butter debuts at No. 8.
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
Adapted into an Oscar-nominated film, The Help sits at No. 4 in its 43rd week on the list.
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
Susan Cain explores common misconceptions regarding introverts in Quiet, which debuts at No. 3.
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
In Taken, two undercover detectives infiltrate the world of human trafficking. It debuts at No. 7.
Flush Poets Society: Donnelly's 'Cloud Corporation' Wins Six-Figure Prize
Robert Graves once said, "There's no money in poetry." But Brooklyn-based poet Timothy Donnelly might disagree.
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Things Fell Apart: Tony Judt's 'Twentieth Century'
The late British-American writer blends personal and political history in this brilliant final take on a century rife with ideological clashes.
Joanne Is Quite Insistent That I Do Smoke Tests
Of course the reality is that Joanne is almost always right, and that we would break the site like Humpty Dumpty if we didn't smoke test properly. I'm totally not saying that just because she's reading this.
Celebrating The Legacy Of Langston Hughes
The works of Langston Hughes reflect the lives and struggles of African Americans, and celebrate the richness of the culture. February 1, 2012 marked the 110th anniversary of the late poet, musician and playwright's birth.
Wislawa Szymborska, Poet Of Gentle Irony, Dies At 88
The Polish poet, a Nobel Prize winner in 1996, died Wednesday in Krakow, Poland. Szymborska was an ironist who deployed whimsy and a light touch, even when exploring weighty themes. Critic David Orr praises her as a writer of "dry-eyed, athletic precision."
Fired And Foreclosed: Unemployment Lit
Unlike the Great Depression, our current recession hasn't yet produced much memorable literature, but book critic Maureen Corrigan says that situation, like the economy, seems to be changing.
New In Paperback Jan. 30-Feb. 5
Novelist David Levithan takes a wry look at adultery, while food writer Jessica Harris takes an African journey, astronomer Mike Brown explains the demotion of planet Pluto, novelist Stephen Amidon probes the human heart with his cardiologist brother, Thomas, and veterinarian Nicholas Dodman offers help for aging dogs.
S'il-Vous-Plait: Raising Your 'Bebe' The French Way
Raising her children in Paris, American journalist Pamela Druckerman discovered that the French have mastered the art of child-rearing — or at least they have mastered the art of smoothly assimilating children into adult routines and reducing the stress of parenting.
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Kesey's 'Cuckoo's Nest' Still Flying At 50
The classic American novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has hit the half-century mark. It made its author, Ken Kesey, a literary celebrity — and helped alter perceptions of mental institutions.
'Before Watchmen,' Apocalyptic Tales, And Leaving Well Enough Alone
Commentator Marc Hirsh says that while rebooting comic-book characters isn't anything new, it's another thing entirely to create prequels to a work that was initially as whole as Watchmen.
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Baratunde Thurston Explains 'How To Be Black'
From the comedian and digital director of The Onion, a satirical self-help book for anyone who has a black friend, wants to be the next black president or speak for the black community.
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