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Books: Book Reviews, Book News, and Author Interviews NPR's brings you news about books and authors along with our picks for great reads. Interviews, reviews, and much more.

Books

How a DNA test inspired actress-activist Kerry Washington's journey of self-discovery
Little, Brown Spark

Author Interviews

How a DNA test inspired actress-activist Kerry Washington's journey of self-discovery

Fresh Air

Washington was an adult when she learned that she had been conceived via artificial insemination and the man she considered her father was not her biological dad. Her new memoir is Thicker than Water.

How a DNA test inspired actress-activist Kerry Washington's journey of self-discovery

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A concert audience of houseplants? A new kids' book tells the surprisingly true tale

In The Enchanted Symphony, a young boy named Piccolino harnesses the power of art, nature and community. Illustrations © 2023 Elly MacKay hide caption

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Illustrations © 2023 Elly MacKay

Picture This

A concert audience of houseplants? A new kids' book tells the surprisingly true tale

The latest children's book from Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton and illustrator Elly McKay is about the power of nature and music. They discussed their creative process in an interview with NPR.

A concert audience of houseplants? A new kids' book tells the surprisingly true tale

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How comic Leslie Jones went from funniest person on campus to 'SNL' star

Leslie Jones says she was 19 when Jamie Foxx told her she needed to live life — get hired, get fired, fall in love — in order to be truly funny. Jen Rosenstein/HGBUSA hide caption

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Jen Rosenstein/HGBUSA

Television

How comic Leslie Jones went from funniest person on campus to 'SNL' star

Fresh Air

Jones says performing stand-up for the first time as a freshman in college felt like putting on a shirt that fit perfectly: "It was just so natural." Her memoir is Leslie F*cking Jones.

How comic Leslie Jones went from funniest person on campus to 'SNL' star

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Lauren Groff's survivalist novel 'The Vaster Wilds' will test your endurance, too
Riverhead Books

Review

Book Reviews

Lauren Groff's survivalist novel 'The Vaster Wilds' will test your endurance, too

Fresh Air

An impoverished servant girl escapes the fledgling Jamestown colony during the winter of 1609–1610 in a historical saga that takes its inspiration from Robinson Crusoe.

Lauren Groff's survivalist novel 'The Vaster Wilds' will test your endurance, too

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School book bans show no signs of slowing, new PEN America report finds

A PEN America report found that the number of books permanently removed from U.S. school libraries and classrooms has quadrupled — to 1,263 books in the last school year from 333 the year before. Harkim Wright Sr./AP hide caption

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Harkim Wright Sr./AP

National

School book bans show no signs of slowing, new PEN America report finds

The number of bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according the the report. Florida had more bans than any other state.

'The Care and Keeping of You,' American Girl's guide to puberty, turns 25

The cover of The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls, originally published in 1998. American Girl hide caption

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American Girl

Culture

'The Care and Keeping of You,' American Girl's guide to puberty, turns 25

The Care and Keeping of You from American Girl eased the adolescent anxieties of the millennial and Gen Z girls who read it. Now the book is marking its 25th anniversary.

'The Care and Keeping of You,' American Girl's guide to puberty, turns 25

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From snow to Dr. Seuss: What Newbery Medalist authors discussed with Kenyan kids

Kwame Alexander (left) and Jerry Craft have each won a Newbery Medal for their children's books. Alexander invited Craft on a trip to Kenya this summer to speak to schoolkids about reading. The kids were impressed. So were the authors. Brian Otieno for NPR hide caption

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Brian Otieno for NPR

Goats and Soda

From snow to Dr. Seuss: What Newbery Medalist authors discussed with Kenyan kids

Kwame Alexander, a poet, and Jerry Craft, an author and illustrator, went to Kenya to encourage reading — and learned a lot in the process.

Author Interviews

Hollywood relies on China to stay afloat. What does that mean for movies?

Fresh Air

Red Carpet author Erich Schwartzel says that film studios increasingly need Chinese audiences to break even — which can result in self-censorship. Originally broadcast Feb. 21, 2022.

Hollywood relies on China to stay afloat. What does that mean for movies?

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The Fall movies, TV and music we can't wait for

Cailee Spaeny stars in Priscilla. A24 Films hide caption

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A24 Films

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Fall movies, TV and music we can't wait for

Today we offer up a guide to some of the most exciting movies, TV, and music you can check out this fall.

The Fall movies, TV and music we can't wait for

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Drew Barrymore dropped as National Book Awards host

Drew Barrymore attends the Time100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, April 26, 2023, in New York. Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP hide caption

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Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Television

Drew Barrymore dropped as National Book Awards host

Drew Barrymore has been dropped as host of the upcoming National Book Awards ceremony, a day after her talk show taped its first episode since the Hollywood writers strike began.

Matthew McConaughey's book 'Just Because' is judgment-free

Matthew McConaughey hopes his new book, Just Because, will spark thoughtful conversations among families and connect people of all generations. Penguin Random House hide caption

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Penguin Random House

Author Interviews

Matthew McConaughey's book 'Just Because' is judgment-free

NPR's A Martinez speaks with actor Matthew McConaughey about his new children's book, Just Because, which offers life lessons in couplets.

Matthew McConaughey's book 'Just Because' is judgment-free

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