archive

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Book Reviews

'Tropic Death' Presents Life's Horrors In Beautiful Prose

Cover of Eric Walrond's Tropic Death

January 16, 2013 Harlem Renaissance writer Eric Walrond's 1926 story collection, Tropic Death, is being reissued after decades out of print. Reviewer Oscar Villalon says the stories are "disturbing reminders of how utterly vulnerable we are to the injustices of the heart and of community."

Summary

The Salt

Whole Foods Founder John Mackey On Fascism And 'Conscious Capitalism'

Whole Foods has more than 300 stores and continues to expand.

January 16, 2013 The outspoken Whole Foods founder tells us why he hates "Obamacare" and why we have trouble cutting the sugar, fat and salt out of our diets. But now he's told CBS he used a poor choice of words when referring to the health law as fascism.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

A New Chapter? A Launch Of The Bookless Library

In Texas, Bexar County officials compare the proposed digital-only library to an Apple store. The 4,989-square-foot modern space will contain 100 e-readers available for circulation, 50 e-readers for children, 50 computer stations, 25 laptops and 25 tablets on-site.

January 15, 2013 Imagine a library without books — only computers and gadgets. That's the vision of one Texas county that plans to launch a digital-only public library. Despite the project's cost-efficiency, one librarian argues that the plan may be too ambitious.

Summary

Book Reviews

George Saunders Lives Up To The Hype

George Saunders' previous books include In Persuasion Nation and The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip. He won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2006.

January 15, 2013 At the beginning of January, the cover story of The New York Times Magazine declared: "George Saunders Has Written The Best Book You'll Read This Year." The stories in the author's latest collection, The Tenth of December, prove that The Times may well be right.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

New In Paperback

Jan. 14-20: Tales Of Pharaohs, Balloonists, Lovers And Yogis

The Ice Balloon

January 15, 2013 In fiction, Karen Thompson Walker's sci-fi debut and Vladimir Nabokov's unfinished final novel arrive in paperback. In softcover nonfiction, Toby Wilkinson reviews Egypt's political past; Alec Wilkinson surveys 19th-century polar exploration; and William Broad probes the science of yoga.

Summary

Books News & Features

Hold On To Your Tighty Whities, Captain Underpants Is Back!

Cover image

January 15, 2013 Dav Pilkey has just released his 10th Captain Underpants book. The series, packed with potty humor and goofy illustrations, delights reluctant readers and horrifies many grown-ups. Pilkey says he wanted to create books that would appeal even to readers who struggle, the way he did as a child.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

Monday, January 14, 2013

The Picture Show

A Supreme Court Justice Gets Personal: Sotomayor's Family Photos

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, late 1970s.

January 14, 2013 Diabetes, divorce, and liver and onions: Sonia Sotomayor shares her best and worst memories — along with family photos — in an intimate interactive feature.

Summary

Book Reviews

Of The People: Sonia Sotomayor's Amazing Rise

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke with NPR in December at the Supreme Court.

January 14, 2013 Intelligent, gregarious and at times disarmingly personal, Justice Sonia Sotomayor's memoir, My Beloved World, recounts her trailblazing journey from a Bronx housing project to a bench on the Supreme Court.

Summary

Author Interviews

Retired Bishop Gene Robinson On Being Gay And Loving God

Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, has retired. He'll start working with the Center for American Progress, a progressive research and policy organization, on issues of faith and gay rights.

January 14, 2013 The first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church will start work with the Center for American Progress, focusing on issues of faith and gay rights. "Gay is not something we do," he says. "It's something we are." His book God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage was published in September.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

My Guilty Pleasure

Spy Vs. Spy: A Former MI5 Director On Loving James Bond

Scottish actor Sean Connery is seen in 1982 during the making of the film Never Say Never Again.

January 14, 2013 Though former MI5 director Stella Rimington knows better than anyone that Ian Fleming's From Russia With Love is not a realistic portrayal of life in the intelligence services, she still loves this tale of sex and violence. Which is your favorite Bond book? Tell us in the comments.

Summary

NPR thanks our sponsors

Become an NPR Sponsor

Podcast + RSS Feeds

Podcast RSS

  • NPR: Culturetopia
     
  • Arts & Life
     
  • Books