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Books

After 100 years, The Great Gatsby is still a staple of high school reading lists.

After 100 years, The Great Gatsby is still a staple of high school reading lists. Andrew Limbong/NPR hide caption

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Andrew Limbong/NPR

'The Great Gatsby' turns 100. What's it like teaching it today?

F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel has spent years on high school reading lists. How are literature professors teaching it today? And do students still find it relevant?

Teaching Gatsby at 100

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Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

Should we rethink what criticism should look like? Amr Bo Shanab/Getty Images hide caption

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Amr Bo Shanab/Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

Andrea Long Chu was once one of Brittany's favorite Sex and the City bloggers, and she's now a Pulitzer-winning critic. Andrea lends her critical eye to everything from the TV show Yellowstone to the work of Sally Rooney to pro-Palestinian protests and free speech. And she does it with wit, style, and fearlessness. Brittany chats with Andrea about her new book, Authority - a collection of some of Andrea's best work, along with two new essays. They discuss why art is a "fossil record" of desire, what kind of authority critics have, and why we might need to rethink what criticism should do for us.

Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

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A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair on June 13, 2013.

A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair on June 13, 2013. Oli Scarff/Getty Images hide caption

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Oli Scarff/Getty Images

100 years later, 'The Great Gatsby' still speaks to the troubled dream of America

Great works of art are great, in part, because they continue to have something to say to the present: They're both timebound and timeless. And, boy, does Gatsby have something to say to us in 2025.

100 years later, 'The Great Gatsby' still speaks to the troubled dream of America

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President Joe Biden debated former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Biden's lackluster performance led to increased calls for him to drop out of the election.

President Joe Biden debated former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Biden's lackluster performance led to increased calls for him to drop out of the election. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Politics

Biden's closest advisers were in 'denial' about his decline, 'Uncharted' author says

Author Chris Whipple says Biden's family and closest advisers operated in a "fog of delusion" regarding his ability to serve another term: "There's no doubt that they were protecting the president."

Biden's closest advisers were in 'denial' about his decline, 'Uncharted' author says

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Bar chart showing highlights from poll results. "I want my child(ren) to develop a love of reading" - 98%. "Reading is a way for me to learn about the world" - 82%. "Reading or listening to a book is relaxing for me" - 76%
NPR

Book News & Features

Most Americans want to read more books. We just don't.

When we worry about the declining rates of literacy and a lack of reading skills, it's often about children. But how often are adults reading these days? And what are we reading? A new NPR/Ipsos poll finds out.

Most Americans want to read more books. We just don’t

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Clockwise from top left, book covers of: Among Friends; Audition; Fahrenheit-182; King of Ashes; "Make It Ours"; Mark Twain; Toni at Random; Vanishing World; Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man); When Javi Dumped Mari
NPR

Review

The Book Ahead

10 books we're looking forward to this spring

A famed graphic novelist returns! A Southern-gothic crime-thriller inspired by The Godfather! An extremely in depth biography of Mark Twain! And more!

10 books we're looking forward to this spring

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Here are some of the nonfiction books we're looking forward to reading this spring

Andrew Limbong of the NPR Books team shares the nonfiction books he's most looking forward to reading this spring.

Here are some of the nonfiction books we're looking forward to reading this spring

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This photo shows a white placard that says "Institute of Museum and Library Services" in black letters on it. It's attached to the front of a lectern.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the main source of federal funding for libraries. Shannon Finney/Institute of Museum and Library Services hide caption

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Shannon Finney/Institute of Museum and Library Services

Politics

Entire staff at federal agency that funds libraries and museums put on leave

The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave Monday morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.

Author Interviews

Sigrid Nunez's 'The Friend' tells a story of friendship and despair

Nunez's 2018 novel won the National Book Award. It's now a film, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, about a woman who inherits a dog after her friend's suicide. Originally broadcast in 2019.

Sigrid Nunez's 'The Friend' tells a story of friendship and despair

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Amanda Knox

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. In 2015, Italy's highest court acquitted her of murder. Lucien Knuteson/Hachette hide caption

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Lucien Knuteson/Hachette

Author Interviews

Why Amanda Knox returns to Italy — and how she talks with her daughter about injustice

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she didn't commit. After her exoneration, she reached out to the man who prosecuted her case. Knox's new memoir is Free.

Why Amanda Knox returns to Italy — and how she talks with her daughter about injustice

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Photograph of Joan Didion in the Vogue Art Department, c. 1958

Photograph of Joan Didion in the Vogue Art Department, c. 1958 The archives of Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne/New York Public Library hide caption

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The archives of Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne/New York Public Library

Culture

A glimpse into the newly opened archive of Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne

The New York Public Library's Joan Didion archive opens March 26. Here's what you'll find inside.

A glimpse into the newly opened archive of Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne

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It's time to rewrite the "trauma plot."

It's time to rethink how we write our trauma narratives. Shendart/Getty Images hide caption

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Shendart/Getty Images

Analysis

It's Been a Minute

It's time to rewrite the "trauma plot."

There are a lot of big subjects that our culture has trouble talking about: wealth, death, addiction, religion. But one of the toughest has to be sexual assault and rape. For how common sexual violence is – it affects over half of women and almost one in three men – it can be extremely painful and even stigmatizing to discuss. But in Jamie Hood's new book Trauma Plot, which contextualizes rape in her own life and in our culture, Jamie looks for new ways to speak the "unspeakable." It tells her story in experimental fragments and finds a unique way to discuss one of the most common violences we face. Brittany sits down with Jamie to discuss Trauma Plot, the contours of rape narratives in our culture, and how we can move beyond them to tell stories about sexual violence in new ways.

It's time to rewrite the "trauma plot."

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The 118th body of Congress was elected in 2022 and served from 2023 until 2025.

The 118th body of Congress was elected in 2022 and served from 2023 until 2025. Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty hide caption

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Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty

Politics

'Mad House' exposes Congressional dysfunction, from petty feuds to physical threats

The MAGA-controlled 118th House passed only 27 bills that became law — the lowest number since the Great Depression. Journalists Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater examine the chaos in a new book.

'Mad House' exposes Congressional disfunction, from petty feuds to physical threats

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A young adult book tackles a tough topic: A teen coping with his dad's mental illness

Saadia Faruqi, a popular young adult author, says her new book, The Strongest Heart, is a book she wished she could have read when she was growing up and coping with her father's mental illness. Saadia Faruqi hide caption

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Saadia Faruqi

Goats and Soda

A young adult book tackles a tough topic: A teen coping with his dad's mental illness

Saadia Faruqi, author of the popular Yasmin book series, has written a new book, The Strongest Heart, that mirrors her own life — growing up with a father who likely had undiagnosed schizophrenia.

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