Accessibility links
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

We owe women of color for the foods we love to eat

Chefs Von Diaz, Mayukh Sen, Reem Assil and Priya Krishna. NPR hide caption

toggle caption
NPR

Code Switch

We owe women of color for the foods we love to eat

For decades, the ingredients, dishes and chefs that are popularized have been filtered through the narrow lens of a food and publishing world dominated by mostly white, mostly male decision-makers. But with more food authors of color taking center stage, is that changing? In this episode, we dive deep into food publishing, past and present.

We owe women of color for the foods we love to eat

Listen · 32:54
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1161311417/1161724224" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
In her new stories, Atwood has characters modeled after herself and her partner

Writer Margaret Atwood attends the 2019 NYWIFT Muse Awards at the New York Hilton Midtown on December 10, 2019 in New York City. Lars Niki/Getty Images for New York Women hide caption

toggle caption
Lars Niki/Getty Images for New York Women

Author Interviews

In her new stories, Atwood has characters modeled after herself and her partner

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with author Margaret Atwood about her new short story collection, Old Babes in the Wood.

In her new stories, Atwood has characters modeled after herself and her partner

Listen · 7:01
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1161570095/1161570096" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
How Barnes & Noble turned a page, expanding for the first time in years

Barnes & Noble opened this new store in Pikesville, Md., as it began its biggest expansion in years. Alina Selyukh/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Alina Selyukh/NPR

Business

How Barnes & Noble turned a page, expanding for the first time in years

After years on the brink, the bookseller is going for a plot twist: Sales are growing and the chain plans to open some 30 new stores. Here's what's changed.

How Barnes & Noble turned a page, expanding for the first time in years

Listen · 4:38
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1161295820/1161296219" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Police are 'shielded' from repercussions of their abuse. A law professor examines why

Pennsylvania state troopers deploy in Baltimore, Md, on May 1, 2015, following the release of a report on the death of Freddie Gray. Gray, 25, died April 19, 2015 from a severe spinal cord injury he received while in police custody. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Law

Police are 'shielded' from repercussions of their abuse. A law professor examines why

Fresh Air

UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz talks about the legal protections — including qualified immunity and no-knock warrants — that have protected officers from the repercussions of abuse.

Police are 'shielded' from repercussions of their abuse. A law professor examines why

Listen · 34:54
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1159278111/1161359982" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Iconic Indian-American Chef Reflects On His Life And The Healing Power Of Food

Cover art of Raghavan Iyer's new book "On The Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World" Courtesy of Workman Publishing hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Workman Publishing

Consider This from NPR

Iconic Indian-American Chef Reflects On His Life And The Healing Power Of Food

Raghavan Iyer built his career helping Americans get to know the fundamentals of Indian cooking. Now, after years of treatment for aggressive cancer, he has released what he says will be his last book.

Iconic Indian-American Chef Reflects On His Life And The Healing Power Of Food

Listen · 12:36
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1160396265/1160431243" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Rebecca Makkai's smart, prep school murder novel is self-aware about the 'ick' factor
Viking

Review

Book Reviews

Rebecca Makkai's smart, prep school murder novel is self-aware about the 'ick' factor

Fresh Air

The thickly-plotted mystery, I Have Some Questions for You, is the latest from the author of The Great Believers. It has been compared to Donna Tartt's 1992 blockbuster, The Secret History.

Rebecca Makkai's smart, prep school murder novel is self-aware about the 'ick' factor

Listen · 7:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1160051405/1160415775" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
One Uprooted Life At A Time, Climate Change Drives An American Migration

The Greenville Fire Department was destroyed by the Dixie Fire on August 9, 2021 in Greenville, California. Some residents never returned after the wildfire devastated the town. David Odisho/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
David Odisho/Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

One Uprooted Life At A Time, Climate Change Drives An American Migration

Margaret Elysia Garcia tried hard to rebuild her life in Greenville, California after it was devastated by a wildfire in 2021.

One Uprooted Life At A Time, Climate Change Drives An American Migration

Listen · 11:57
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1160169508/1160181122" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A flood destroyed all of Sarah's books, but a gift from a librarian changed her life

In his letter to Sarah Feldman, Bill Carver said that he hoped this copy of The Medieval Book would help her shape her new library collection after all her books were destroyed in a flood. Sarah Feldman hide caption

toggle caption
Sarah Feldman

My Unsung Hero from Hidden Brain

A flood destroyed all of Sarah's books, but a gift from a librarian changed her life

In 2001, all of Sarah Feldman's books were destroyed in a flood, so her dad took her to a library to try to cheer her up. There she met a man who gave her a gift that she says changed her life.

Cartoonists say a rebuke of 'Dilbert' creator Scott Adams is long overdue

Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, poses for a portrait with the Dilbert character in his studio in Dublin, Calif., Oct. 26, 2006. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Art & Design

Cartoonists say a rebuke of 'Dilbert' creator Scott Adams is long overdue

Illustrators say the creator of Dilbert has held problematic views for a long time, from claiming that he lost job opportunities because he is white to questioning the legitimacy of the COVID vaccine.

Fear, Florida, and The 1619 Project
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images; Maskot/Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

Fear, Florida, and The 1619 Project

How should U.S history be told, and who gets to tell it? Debate over these questions has raged for years – but nowhere is it more pronounced right now than in Florida. This week, Brittany Luse chats with NPR's Giulia Heyward to get the download on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent efforts to ban AP African American studies in his state. Then, Brittany sits down with Dorothy Roberts, a legal scholar and sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, and Leslie Alexander, a historian at Rutgers University. In line with their work on The 1619 Project – now a Hulu documentary series –they make the case that slavery led to some of our biggest political fissures today, and discuss why it's important for all Americans to understand those connections.

Fear, Florida, and The 1619 Project

Listen · 31:44
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1158724309/1159433593" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Roald Dahl's publisher responds to backlash by keeping 'classic' texts in print

Roald Dahl's U.K. publisher has responded to the backlash by keeping his language intact in a new collection. Ronald Dumont/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Ronald Dumont/Getty Images

Culture

Roald Dahl's publisher responds to backlash by keeping 'classic' texts in print

"Fat," "ugly" and "horsey face" will remain in Roald Dahl's children's books in the U.K. after all. After a fierce backlash to proposed changes, Dahl's U.K. publisher announced a "classic collection."

Roald Dahl's publisher responds to backlash by keeping 'classic' texts in print

Listen · 1:46
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1159224907/1159478711" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Oscar Wars' spotlights bias, blind spots and backstage battles in the Academy

The 95th annual Academy Awards will be held on March 12. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Movies

'Oscar Wars' spotlights bias, blind spots and backstage battles in the Academy

Fresh Air

From relentless campaigning to snubs and speeches, the Academy Awards have often reflected a cultural conflict zone. Michael Schulman sifts through the controversies in a new book.

'Oscar Wars' spotlights bias, blind spots and backstage battles in the Academy

Listen · 34:41
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1158513159/1158780474" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Ross Gay on inciting joy while dining with sorrow
Roc Canals/Getty Images; Annika McFarlane/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Ross Gay on inciting joy while dining with sorrow

Looking for joy? Then it might be worth exploring your sorrow, complications and mess. In his latest collection of essays, Inciting Joy, poet Ross Gay reconsiders the breadth of joy, arguing that it can be found – and even strengthened – in life's hardest moments, when we must rely on one another. This week, host Brittany Luse sits down with Gay to discuss the complexity of joy, the beauty of grace and creating meaning in life.

Ross Gay on inciting joy while dining with sorrow

Listen · 19:18
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1158481154/1158524666" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org