Home
archive
NPR stories about Author Interviews
The Sotomayor Interview
Sotomayor Found Her 'Competitive Spirit' In Gold Stars()
January 14, 2013 Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says she wrote her autobiography, My Beloved World, to encourage "ordinary people" like herself to succeed. Legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg sat down with Sotomayor to talk about the book, her family and her career. Sotomayor talks about how she worked her way up the ladder in school — starting out in fifth grade by chasing gold stars.
Retired Bishop Gene Robinson On Being Gay And Loving God()
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.
The Salt
Cross-Culture Cilantro Sauce And Other Secrets Of 'Gran Cocina Latina'()
January 14, 2013 For her new book, Gran Cocina Latina, chef Maricel Presilla visited homes and restaurants across Latin America to document their food. But one dish familiar to Americans, the sauce often served with Cuban-style yuca fries, has a surprising origin — Presilla herself.
The Sotomayor Interview
A Justice Deliberates: Sotomayor On Love, Health And Family()
January 14, 2013 Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is open about how she benefited from affirmative action, how she came to terms with her diabetes and the "out-of-body experience" of being appointed to the high court. Sotomayor spoke with NPR just before the release of her new autobiography.
Books
A 'Beautiful Vision' In Science Forgotten()
January 13, 2013 Dorothy Wrinch was the first woman to ever receive a doctorate in science from Oxford University, and she was the first person to design a protein structure. But her name is largely unknown. I Died for Beauty, a biography of Wrinch by Marjorie Senechal, tells her story.
'I Accepted Responsibility': McChrystal On His 'Share Of The Task'()
January 13, 2013 Gen. Stanley McChrystal was the top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, relieved of command after a controversy in 2010. In his memoir, My Share of the Task, he describes a culture gap between the military and civilian worlds that complicated the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan.
Books
Life Is Difficult But Rewarding Under This 'Umbrella'()
January 13, 2013 "Lives don't divide up into chapters," says novelist Will Self, whose latest, Umbrella, is a challenging read that layers narratives, places and characters for an intensely nonlinear experience. The book centers on a psychiatrist and one of his patients, a woman who's been comatose for 50 years.
Deserts, Coal Walking And Wildfires: Can You Take The 'Heat'?()
January 13, 2013 Scientist and writer Bill Streever is fascinated by the extremes at both ends of the thermometer. In Cold, he visited some of the chilliest places on Earth. Now, in his latest book, Heat, he travels to the world's very hot spots.
Father's Death Spurs Son To Tackle Health Care()
January 12, 2013 David Goldhill lost his father to infections acquired at a hospital in 2007. Since then, the business executive has been spurred to action. In his new book, Catastrophic Care, he talks about problems in the insurance-based American health care system and how we can fix it.
NBA Star Aims To Inspire Young Readers With 'Slam Dunk'()
January 12, 2013 New York Knicks captain Amar'e "STAT" Stoudemire is a six-time All-Star, an education activist and the author of three books for middle-schoolers. In his latest release, an injury helps an 11-year-old STAT learn lessons both on and off the court.
The Seedy Underbelly Of The Belle Epoque, 'Painted'()
January 12, 2013 The belle epoque was not particularly belle if you were poor and female — like the young girl who modeled for Edgar Degas' famous sculpture, The Little Dancer, Aged 14. A new novel by Cathy Marie Buchanan tells the story of that girl, ballet student Marie van Goethem.
In 'Sliver Of Sky,' Barry Lopez Confronts Childhood Sexual Abuse()
January 10, 2013 The nature writer has an essay in January's Harper's Magazine that details the four years of his childhood during which he says he was routinely raped and molested by a family friend.
'The Fall Of The House Of Dixie' Built A New U.S.()
January 8, 2013 In a new book, Civil War historian Bruce Levine says that from the destruction of the South emerged an entirely new country, making the Civil War equivalent to a second American Revolution. Integral to the Union's victory, he says, were the nearly 200,000 black soldiers who enlisted.
Mapping A History Of The World, And Our Place In It()
January 7, 2013 On the Map author Simon Garfield speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about the history of maps, how they can be used as political tools, and how GPS and modern mapping applications are changing the way we see ourselves and our place in the world.
