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How Drew Magary rediscovered himself after 'The Night the Lights Went Out'
Penguin Random House

NPR's Book of the Day

How Drew Magary rediscovered himself after 'The Night the Lights Went Out'

The humor writer Drew Magary was at a karaoke bar when his life changed in a flash: He collapsed and cracked his skull. By most accounts, the resulting traumatic brain injury should have been fatal, but he survived. As he recounts in his book The Night the Lights Went Out, recovering from that injury has been tough. Among other things, he permanently lost some of his senses. As Magary tells NPR's Lulu Garcia Navarro, recovery has required him to figure out who he is now, post injury — a challenge that makes for a good story, he says.

How Drew Magary rediscovered himself after 'The Night the Lights Went Out'

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OK, so you're a 'Sellout.' Now what?
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Arts & Life

OK, so you're a 'Sellout.' Now what?

In his new book Sellout, writer Dan Ozzi traces a music industry in flux starting in the mid-90s, as punk bands cash in on their cred in exchange for rock stardom and asks, was it all worth it?

OK, so you're a 'Sellout.' Now what?

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Why Hillary Clinton wanted to write a political thriller about her greatest nightmare
Simon & Schuster/St. Martin's Press

NPR's Book of the Day

Why Hillary Clinton wanted to write a political thriller about her greatest nightmare

The bestselling author Louise Penny is a prolific writer of mysteries and thrillers — but for her latest book, she decided to bring a partner into the fold, a novice to the world of mystery-writing: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Their book, State of Terror, brings readers into a world in which a president picks a former rival to be his secretary of state (sound familiar?) — and she must then contend with what Clinton calls one of her greatest fears: nuclear-armed terrorists. In this interview, Penny and Clinton discuss the messages they hope readers take away from the book.

Why Hillary Clinton wanted to write a political thriller about her greatest nightmare

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After years of trying to be likable, Katie Couric is letting that go

Katie Couric, shown here in 2016, reflects on the successes and setbacks she's experienced as a journalist in her new memoir, Going There. Mike Windle/Getty Images hide caption

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Mike Windle/Getty Images

Author Interviews

After years of trying to be likable, Katie Couric is letting that go

Fresh Air

The former Today co-host recently bought a T-shirt that says, "I'm not for everyone." Her new memoir, Going There, is a candid look at the successes and setbacks she's experienced as a journalist.

After years of trying to be likable, Katie Couric is letting that go

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Shea Serrano answers existential questions about rap in 'Hip Hop (And Other Things)'

Author of Hip Hop (And Other Things) Shea Serrano. Larami Serrano/Grand Central Publishing hide caption

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Larami Serrano/Grand Central Publishing

It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Shea Serrano answers existential questions about rap in 'Hip Hop (And Other Things)'

Author and host of the No Skips podcast Shea Serrano gets obsessive about things — movies, basketball, and now, rap. In Hip Hop (And Other Things), he dives into Cardi B's explosive 2018, the early days of Missy Elliott's career, and the 1995 Source Awards, which he says remains — to this day — one of the biggest nights in rap history.

Shea Serrano answers existential questions about rap in 'Hip Hop (And Other Things)'

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In 'The Matter of Black Lives,' generations of Black thinkers probe American racism
Ecco

NPR's Book of the Day

In 'The Matter of Black Lives,' generations of Black thinkers probe American racism

Back in June 2020, during a summer of protests for racial justice, the New Yorker republished 'Letter from a Region in my Mind," a seminal James Baldwin essay calling out the ignorance of liberal white Americans. In the following months, writer Jelani Cobb put together a collection of essays from the magazine that fit a similar theme: Black writers, including Toni Morrison and Ta-Nehisi Coates, who wrote pieces for the New Yorker about race and racism that still ring true today. In this interview, Cobb reflects on the essays and what it took for those Black writers to break into the magazine.

In 'The Matter of Black Lives,' generations of Black thinkers probe American racism

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In a new book, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen envision a more unified America

Bruce Springsteen, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama in the Blue Room before the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony on Nov. 22, 2016. It's one of many photos featured in the Renegades book. Pete Souza courtesy of the Barack Obama Presidential Library hide caption

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Pete Souza courtesy of the Barack Obama Presidential Library

Author Interviews

In a new book, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen envision a more unified America

In an NPR interview, the former president and the iconic musician speak about spreading hope amid widespread division and about the "critical patriotism" of Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A."

In a new book, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen envision a more unified America

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In this new political thriller, a familiar pantsuited figure saves democracy

State of Terror, by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny Simon & Schuster hide caption

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Simon & Schuster

Review

Book Reviews

In this new political thriller, a familiar pantsuited figure saves democracy

Fresh Air

Co-written by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny, State of Terror centers on a female secretary of state as she races against time to out-maneuver international terrorists and homegrown traitors.

In this new political thriller, a familiar pantsuited figure saves democracy

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The zoo that history nearly forgot in 'When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky'
Mariner Books

NPR's Book of the Day

The zoo that history nearly forgot in 'When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky'

If you visited South Nashville today, you might not suspect that, over a century ago, it was home to a zoo and amusement park called the Glendale Zoo. Among other attractions, the zoo had a popular attraction called "horse diving," in which a performer rode a horse off a tall platform into a body of water. In her book, When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky, Verble imagines the life of a young Cherokee girl named Two Feathers, who horse dives for a living at the zoo in the year 1926 — set against the background of the Jim Crow South and widespread mistreatment of Native Americans.

The zoo that history nearly forgot in 'When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky'

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The scary movies and books that still haunt us

Horror author Stephen King has been scaring audiences for generations. Jim Spellman/WireImage hide caption

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Jim Spellman/WireImage

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The scary movies and books that still haunt us

A lot of us are about to have the experience of opening our front doors to find witches, goblins, ghosts, and those guards from Squid Game standing on our porches. Why? Because it's almost Halloween. We decided this would be a good time to talk about what kinds of entertainment scared us when we were kids, and maybe even whether they still scare us now.

The scary movies and books that still haunt us

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In 'Dreaming of You,' poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva reimagines Selena's legacy

Melissa Lozada-Oliva reimagines pop star Selena's legacy in Dreaming of You. Melissa Lozada-Oliva/Astra House hide caption

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Melissa Lozada-Oliva/Astra House

Author Interviews

In 'Dreaming of You,' poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva reimagines Selena's legacy

Author Melissa Lozada-Oliva's new novel in verse, Dreaming of You, is about a heartbroken poet who brings Selena Quintanilla back from the dead.

In 'Dreaming of You,' poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva reimagines Selena's legacy

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Nick Offerman on why he finds solace in the outdoors

Jeff Tweedy, Nick Offerman and George Saunders at Glacier National Park. Jon Maret hide caption

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Jon Maret

Author Interviews

Nick Offerman on why he finds solace in the outdoors

The actor and author has a new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play. He talks with NPR's Scott Simon about why walking in the woods makes him feel better and how to experience nature in a city.

Nick Offerman on why he finds solace in the outdoors

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Katie Couric goes behind the scenes in the cutthroat world of morning TV news

Television journalist Katie Couric's new memoir, Going There, is a behind-the-scenes look at her personal life and professional strife in the years she anchored top morning news shows. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Little, Brown and Company hide caption

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Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Little, Brown and Company

Author Interviews

Katie Couric goes behind the scenes in the cutthroat world of morning TV news

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with the veteran broadcast journalist and former Today show anchor about her new memoir, Going There, which chronicles her decades in TV news as well as her personal life.

Katie Couric goes behind the scenes in the cutthroat world of morning TV news

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