Fresh Air Weekend: Novelist John Green; 'Her Body and Other Parties'; 'Why We Sleep' Green says OCD is like an "invasive weed" inside his mind. Critic John Powers reviews Carmen Maria Machado's new short story collection. Scientist Matthew Walker talks about the importance of sleep.

Fresh Air Weekend: Novelist John Green; 'Her Body and Other Parties'; 'Why We Sleep'

Fresh Air Weekend: Novelist John Green; 'Her Body and Other Parties'; 'Why We Sleep'

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John Green's previous books include The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns. Richard Drew/AP hide caption

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Richard Drew/AP

John Green's previous books include The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns.

Richard Drew/AP

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

For Novelist John Green, OCD Is Like An 'Invasive Weed' Inside His Mind: "It starts out with one little thought, and then slowly that becomes the only thought that you're able to have," Green says. His new novel, Turtles All The Way Down, is about a teenage girl with OCD.

'Her Body and Other Parties' Charts Dark Territory With Enormous Style: The eight stories in Carmen Maria Machado's new collection feature women in extremis — physical danger, psychological meltdown, treacherous love or close encounters of a ghostly kind.

Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In An Underslept State': "Human beings are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent gain," says sleep scientist Matthew Walker. His new book is Why We Sleep.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

For Novelist John Green, OCD Is Like An 'Invasive Weed' Inside His Mind

'Her Body and Other Parties' Charts Dark Territory With Enormous Style

Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In An Underslept State'