by Murat Kurnaz, Helmut Kuhn et al.
Fresh Air's resident book critic selects her favorite reads from the year, including Patti Smith's moving memoir, a feminist slant on election season and a new history of labor unions.
Veteran short-story writer Alice Munro and novelist Elizabeth Kostova contemplate lovers and losers, while international human rights activist Greg Mortenson, comedian George Carlin, and musician and avant-garde icon Patti Smith reflect on their lives in new memoirs.
Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids, just nominated for a National Book Award, describes her path of artistic self discovery and her relationship with the provocative photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe.
Before either of them were famous, Patti Smith shared a romance and a deep friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Critic Michael Schaub says her new memoir, Just Kids, is a gift to anyone who has ever been touched by their art.
This week, a novel from Jonathan Dee looks at the costs (and wild benefits) of living wealthy in America, and a memoir by Patti Smith recalls the singer's long friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Also, T.C. Boyle offers a new book of short stories, and a novel dives into Britain's mid-1950s "Cyprus Emergency."
The iconic rock singer has written a book called Just Kids about her friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The two met when they were young artists just starting out in New York in the late 1960s.
Murat Kurnaz says he spent five years being tortured and interrogated by U.S. military personnel at Guantanamo Bay — even after intelligence determined that he had no terrorist ties. He discusses his memoir, Five Years of My Life: An Innocent Man in Guantanamo.
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and Terms of Use. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.
