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

Graphic novels about Greek gods that don't talk down to kids

Graphic novelist George O'Connor treats the Olympians as both a family and as distinct gods and goddesses, each with their own personality. Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / First Second hide caption

toggle caption
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / First Second

Graphic novels about Greek gods that don't talk down to kids

George O'Connor spent 12 years turning the Greek gods into best-selling graphic novels for kids. They're faithful to the ancient myths - which often include gender fluidity.

Graphic novels about Greek gods that don't talk down to kids

Listen · 4:50
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1091086084/1091199483" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Art & Design

Encore: NPR's 'Life Kit' shows you how to get into poetry

It's Poetry Month! If you've ever thought about giving poetry a shot but find it dense or difficult to understand, NPR's Life Kit has got this guide for you on how to read poetry.

Encore: NPR's 'Life Kit' shows you how to get into poetry

Listen · 3:51
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1091109453/1091109454" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Author Interviews

Poet Ocean Vuong sifts through the aftershock of grief in 'Time Is a Mother'

Fresh Air

Vuong's new collection of poetry was inspired by his mother's death from breast cancer. His 2019 novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, followed a boy who, like Vuong, is an immigrant from Vietnam.

Poet Ocean Vuong sifts through the aftershock of grief in 'Time Is a Mother'

Listen · 37:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1090845515/1091076258" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'True Story': Danielle Lindemann on 'What Reality TV Says About Us'

Danielle Lindemann, author of True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us. Cyndi Shattuck/FSG hide caption

toggle caption
Cyndi Shattuck/FSG

It's Been a Minute

'True Story': Danielle Lindemann on 'What Reality TV Says About Us'

In this special new episode of It's Been a Minute, we share a conversation Sam Sanders recorded about one of his favorite things: reality TV. He's joined by Danielle Lindemann, author of True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us, to discuss the genre's origins in Real World and Survivor, how reality TV influences our culture, and why we should all take the genre more seriously.

'True Story': Danielle Lindemann on 'What Reality TV Says About Us'

Listen · 24:59
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1081430427/1090238093" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Ocean Vuong's new poems examine the 'big, big yesterday' since his mother was alive

Poet Ocean Vuong writes about loss and grief, but also discovery. Tom Hines hide caption

toggle caption
Tom Hines

Ocean Vuong's new poems examine the 'big, big yesterday' since his mother was alive

Ocean Vuong's second poetry collection, Time is a Mother, grapples with time and its impermanence following his mother's death in 2019.

Ocean Vuong's new poems examine the 'big, big yesterday' since his mother was alive

Listen · 7:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1089663570/1090746303" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Colin Kaepernick says 'I Color Myself Different' in his first children's book
Scholastic/Kaepernick Publishing

Picture This

Colin Kaepernick says 'I Color Myself Different' in his first children's book

Colin Kaepernick's kindergarten teacher gave his class an assignment: Draw a picture of your family. When he colored his family yellow and himself brown, it became a pivotal moment for his identity.

Colin Kaepernick says 'I Color Myself Different' in his first children's book

Listen · 8:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1089986114/1090448819" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The vibe has shifted, plus 'Conversations with People Who Hate Me'

Two people sitting on a bench wearing protective masks using their phones as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States on March 27, 2020 in New York City. Cindy Ord/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Cindy Ord/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

The vibe has shifted, plus 'Conversations with People Who Hate Me'

You may see it in the news or on social media. You may be feeling different in your relationships or with your job. The "vibe" has shifted. Our guest host Jasmine Garsd is joined by Elamin Abdelmahmoud, culture writer for BuzzFeed News and host of CBC's pop culture podcast Pop Chat, to learn more about this vibe shift and why we all may be feeling a little off right now.

The vibe has shifted, plus 'Conversations with People Who Hate Me'

Listen · 36:24
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1089922663/1090281274" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Animals

A naturalist traces the astounding flyways of migratory birds

Fresh Air

Scott Weidensaul has spent decades studying bird migration. "There is a tremendous solace in watching these natural rhythms play out again and again," he says. Originally broadcast March 29, 2021.

A naturalist traces the astounding flyways of migratory birds

Listen · 37:09
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1090034366/1090288734" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Jared Leto is Marvel's bat-man in the vampiric 'Morbius'

Dr. Michael Morbius aims to cure himself of a debilitating illness, but ends up infecting himself with vampirism. Sony Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Sony Pictures

Review

Movies

Jared Leto is Marvel's bat-man in the vampiric 'Morbius'

An ailing biochemist aims to cure himself of a debilitating illness, but ends up infecting himself with vampirism in the Marvel movie Morbius.

Jared Leto is Marvel's bat-man in the vampiric 'Morbius'

Listen · 3:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1090032911/1090068039" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
These kids' authors are telling the stories of trans youth. Book bans won't stop them

Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder, Téo's Tutu by Maryann Jacob Macias, and My Rainbow by Trinity Neal and DeShanna Neal Penguin Random House hide caption

toggle caption
Penguin Random House

Efforts to restrict rights for LGBTQ youth

These kids' authors are telling the stories of trans youth. Book bans won't stop them

As lawmakers push forward with efforts to curb the rights of queer and trans youth, authors who've written about gender expansive and trans identities say storytelling is crucial.

Chester Higgins' camera brings a 360 degree view to Black life

Several pyramids in the morning light in the royal burial grounds in Meroe, Sudan. Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York hide caption

toggle caption
Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York

Perspective

Culture

Chester Higgins' camera brings a 360 degree view to Black life

Acclaimed African-American photographer Chester Higgins has made dozens of trips to Africa since the 1970's to document the continent's history and culture. Now 75, he has no plans on slowing down.

Chester Higgins Profile

Audio for this story is unavailable.
Stone Age brain surgery? It might have been more survivable than you think

Empire of the Scalpel, by Ira Rutkow Simon & Schuster hide caption

toggle caption
Simon & Schuster

Shots - Health News

Stone Age brain surgery? It might have been more survivable than you think

Fresh Air

Medical historian Ira Rutkow points to physical evidence that suggests Stone Age people conducted — and survived — brain surgery. His new book is Empire of the Scalpel.

Stone Age brain surgery? It might have been more survivable than you think

Listen · 37:19
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1089213668/1089490417" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Brace yourself for 'Young Mungo,' a nuanced heartbreaker of a novel
Grove Atlantic

Review

Book Reviews

Brace yourself for 'Young Mungo,' a nuanced heartbreaker of a novel

Fresh Air

Scottish author Douglas Stuart won the Booker Prize for his debut novel, Shuggie Bain, in 2020. His latest work is a suspense story wrapped around a novel of acute psychological observation.

Brace yourself for 'Young Mungo,' a nuanced heartbreaker of a novel

Listen · 7:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1089215299/1089490420" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Author Interviews

Remembering Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as secretary of state

Fresh Air

Appointed by President Clinton in 1997, Albright advocated for the expansion of NATO into the former Soviet bloc countries of Eastern Europe. She died March 23. Originally broadcast in 2003 and 2018.

Remembering Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as secretary of state

Listen · 37:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1088596837/1088834432" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The history behind the Langston Hughes poem used in the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearing

Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson wipes away tears during her confirmation as Sen. Cory Booker quotes Langston Hughes in support of her. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Culture

The history behind the Langston Hughes poem used in the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearing

Sen. Cory Booker quoted the lines to support Supreme Court nominee Judge Kentaji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearing. Hughes' poem is a searing look at race and class in America.

Browse archive or search npr.org