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Education

The Lessons Learned From A Scholar's Incendiary Tweets

October 12, 2015 • A debate over academic freedom of speech sparked in summer 2014 when the University of Illinois rescinded a job offer to a professor over a controversial set of tweets about the Israel-Gaza conflict.

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Ernest Hemingway revises For Whom The Bell Tolls, in Sun Valley, Idaho, in November 1940.

Ernest Hemingway revises For Whom The Bell Tolls, in Sun Valley, Idaho, in November 1940. Robert Capa/International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos hide caption

itoggle caption Robert Capa/International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos

Book News & Features

Exhibition Delves Below Deceptively Simple Surface Of Hemingway's Prose

October 12, 2015 • A collection of first drafts, letters, outtakes and photos on display in New York City illuminate the inner workings of Ernest Hemingway's meticulous writing process — failures, flaws and all.

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Recently Reviewed

My Journey

Author Interviews

Donna Karan On Motherhood, Fashion And Designing The Perfect Pair Of Jeans

October 12, 2015 • When Donna Karan started her brand in 1984, she thought it would be "a little company." Four decades later, she looks back on her life, her legacy and leaving her company. Her memoir is My Journey.

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Author Interviews

'Bloom County' And Opus The Penguin Return After A 25-Year Hiatus

October 12, 2015 • Comic strip creator Berkeley Breathed tells Fresh Air's Sam Briger that a 2008 letter from author Harper Lee inspired him to re-launch his famous strip on Facebook. It's now called Bloom County 2015.

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Author Interviews

Parables For Understanding A Nation's Racial 'Sin'

October 11, 2015 • Rev. Jim Wallis leads the Sojourners, a Christian social justice group. He's known for mixing faith with public life, urging candidates to discuss moral issues in ways that transcends divisions.

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To mark his 90th birthday, Dick Van Dyke has published a book with tips on how to stay young.

To mark his 90th birthday, Dick Van Dyke has published a book with tips on how to stay young. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

U.S.

Dance, Sing, Just 'Keep Moving,' Dick Van Dyke Tells Seniors

October 11, 2015 • As he approaches his 90th birthday, the energetic, award-winning actor shares his tips on how to enjoy aging — and has a new book to prove it. It's all about attitude and staying active, he says.

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Thirteen Ways of Looking

Author Interviews

'Thirteen Ways' Lifts Darkness Through Storytelling

October 11, 2015 • Colum McCann's latest book, Thirteen Ways of Looking, takes on parenthood, loss and just how arbitrary life can be. McCann says talking about traumatic experiences can be "a fantastic catharsis."

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Mothers, Tell Your Daughters

Book Reviews

'Mothers' Tells Stories Too Often Silenced

October 11, 2015 • Bonnie Jo Campbell's confessional, unforgettable new story collection gives a voice to mothers and daughters, struggling to get by, desperate to be heard, but despairing of an audience.

Silver on the Road

Book Reviews

'Silver On The Road' Is A Pure American Myth

October 10, 2015 • Laura Anne Gilman creates an authentically spooky Old West in her novel, where it seems perfectly reasonable that the Devil might wear a sharp suit, run a saloon, and always stay true to his bargains.

Ted Hughes

Author Interviews

Sylvia Plath's Husband, Ted Hughes, Lived A Life Of Poetry And Tragedy

October 10, 2015 • Biographer Jonathan Bate says his job is to write about "the quality and endurance of the literary work." His new biography has been disavowed by the Hughes estate.

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The Witch of Lime Street

Book Reviews

'Lime Street' Bewitches With Mystery And Mayhem

October 10, 2015 • David Jaher's account of Harry Houdini attempt to debunk Boston society psychic Mina Crandon mixes history with high-wire theatricality — even though most readers will know who came out on top.

Steve Jobs: The Story Of The Man Behind The Personal Computer

October 9, 2015 • The Apple founder spoke with Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 1996. Later, after he was diagnosed with cancer, Jobs asked Walter Isaacson to write his biography. Isaacson spoke to Fresh Air Oct. 25, 2011.

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The Gap of Time

Book Reviews

In 'Gap Of Time,' Shakespeare Is Updated, But Not Upstaged

October 9, 2015 • Jeanette Winterson's retelling of The Winter's Tale includes hedge fund managers and a New Orleans setting. But critic Annalisa Quinn says the book doesn't quite stand on its own.

The Secret Chord

Book Reviews

'Secret Chord' Sings A New Song About An Ancient Hero

October 9, 2015 • Geraldine Brooks' retelling of the biblical epic of King David casts him as larger than life — jester, predator, conqueror and poet. Critic Jean Zimmerman says Brooks "gives the whole king his due."

Arts & Life

Investigative Journalist From Belarus Awarded Nobel Prize In Literature

October 8, 2015 • Investigative journalist Svetlana Alexievich was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature Thursday. She is the first writer from Belarus to win the prize.

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Author Interviews

'Not In God's Name' Confronts Religious Violence With A 'Different Voice'

October 8, 2015 • NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks about his new book, Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence.

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Tram 83

Book Reviews

An Exuberantly Dark First Novel Explores The Chaos Of Central Africa

Fresh Air

October 8, 2015 • Fiston Mwanza Mujila's novel, Tram 83, is a freewheeling tale about life in an imaginary place inspired by the author's home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Critic John Powers has a review.

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Alder branches form a bridge in a Dumfriesshire, Scotland, stream. (Jan. 17, 2014)

Alder branches form a bridge in a Dumfriesshire, Scotland, stream. (Jan. 17, 2014) Andy Goldsworthy/ Abrams hide caption

itoggle caption Andy Goldsworthy/ Abrams

Fine Art

Sculptor Turns Rain, Ice And Trees Into 'Ephemeral Works'

Fresh Air

October 8, 2015 • British artist Andy Goldsworthy's sculptures melt and decay. "It's not about art," he says. "It's just about life, and the need to understand that a lot of things in life do not last."

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Judges

Book Reviews

These 3 'Judges' Are On The Hunt For Justice

October 8, 2015 • Three novellas by some of Italy's best crime writers make up Judges. Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli and Giancarlo De Cataldo weave tales of idealistic judges fighting crime and corruption.

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After a gunman, motivated by racist ideas, killed nine black church goers in Charleston, S.C., in June, some elected officials in the South have tried to remove the Confederate flag from public places. Some Southerners protest that the flag has a public role as a symbol of their heritage.

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Education

The Lessons Learned From A Scholar's Incendiary Tweets

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