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Books

Jane Austen Fans Celebrate the Beloved English Author's 250th Birthday
Beata Cosgrove/Jane Austen Festival

State of the World from NPR

Jane Austen Fans Celebrate the Beloved English Author's 250th Birthday

With anniversary of Jane Austen's birth approaching in December, her fans are donning gowns and tailcoats at costume balls across Britain.

Jane Austen Fans Celebrate the Beloved English Author's 250th Birthday

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This photo collage shows a pair of hands in black-and-white holding an open journal. Handwritten cursive script is visible on the leaves of the open pages, and three red tissue paper flowers grow from the open book. Three butterflies hover around the flowers, and a pencil pointed downward hovers to the right of the open book.
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Life Kit

The transformative power of keeping a daily journal

In a new book, writer Suleika Jaouad explains why journaling is a form of alchemy — and offers tips on how to reignite your practice if you're feeling stuck, bored or uninspired by your own writing.

How journaling can help you through hard times

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A triptych of photos that shows David Nayfeld making pancakes with his daughter in their kitchen at a wooden island. The first photo shows them putting vanilla extract into a metal mixing bowl. The second photo shows David cutting pancakes on a plate. And the third photo shows his daughter feeding him a bite of pancake.

David Nayfeld, the chef behind the cookbook Dad, What's for Dinner?, makes a recipe called "stressed-out weekday pancakes" together with his daughter, Helena. Eric Wolfinger hide caption

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Eric Wolfinger

Life Kit

How to embrace the mess and stress of cooking with your kids

Chef David Nayfeld has been cooking with his kid since she was 2. In a new book, Dad, What's for Dinner?, he shares easy ways to involve kids in meal prep, and a weeknight recipe for meatballs.

How to embrace the mess and teach your kids to cook

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Elaine and Karl Yoneda in March 1933. The couple would later be incarcerated with their son at the Manzanar concentration camp during World War II.

Elaine and Karl Yoneda in March 1933. The couple would later be incarcerated with their son at the Manzanar concentration camp during World War II. The Karl G. Yoneda Papers, UCLA Special Library Collections. hide caption

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The Karl G. Yoneda Papers, UCLA Special Library Collections.

New book 'Together in Manzanar' reveals life inside WWII Japanese detention camp

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Tracy Slater, author of "Together in Manzanar," which tells the true story of a family of mixed heritage sent to a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

‘Together in Manzanar’ exposes the realities of life in Japanese internment camp

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The new book Nothing More of This Land explores the indigenous past and present on Martha's Vineyard. Above, beachgoers on Moshup Beach in July 2010.

The new book Nothing More of This Land traces indigenous communities on Martha's Vineyard. Above, beachgoers on Moshup Beach in July 2010. Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

Author Interviews

Beyond polo shirts and presidents, Martha's Vineyard has an indigenous past and present

In Nothing More of This Land, Aquinnah Wampanoag writer Joseph Lee takes readers past the celebrity summer scene and into the heart of Noepe, the name his people have called the island for centuries.

Beyond polo shirts and presidents, Martha's Vineyard has an indigenous past and present

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In search of a safe place to cry...

What makes a restaurant "gay?" Genuine community. Getty Images hide caption

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It's Been a Minute

In search of a safe place to cry...

What comes to mind when you think of third spaces? A place to be in community that's not a bar or a club? Try a diner...

In search of a safe place to cry...

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Vogue magazines at a newsstand during VOGUE World: New York in 2022.

In Empire of the Elite, Michael Grynbaum tracks Condé Nast's decades of cultural dominance up through its decline today. Above, Vogue magazines at a newsstand during VOGUE World: New York in 2022. Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Vogue hide caption

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Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Vogue

Author Interviews

How did Condé Nast go from dominance to decline? A new book explains

Fresh Air

For decades, Condé Nast publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair were consequential tastemakers. Writer Michael Grynbaum explores the heyday of these magazines and how they lost their footing.

How did Condé Nast go from dominance to decline? A new book explains

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It's hard to read. Here's why.

What's behind the decline of reading? Getty Images hide caption

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Analysis

It's Been a Minute

It's hard to read. Here's why.

Data from Gallup and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Americans are reading fewer books and spending less time reading than ever. There's been reporting on college kids struggling to finish longer texts. And earlier this year, in a viral post, one user lamented their loss of concentration for reading, which led to a larger online discourse about how to approach books again.

It's hard to read. Here's why.

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The books, movies and music that shaped the Code Switch team
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Code Switch

The books, movies and music that shaped the Code Switch team

Once upon a time, members of the Code Switch team were just kids, learning about race and identity for the first time. So on this episode, we're sharing some of the books, movies and music that deeply influenced each of us at an early age — and set us on the path to being the race nerds we are today.

The books, movies and music that shaped the Code Switch team

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Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams says her focus is on ensuring free and fair elections in 2026. Kevin Lowery/Penguin Random House hide caption

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Kevin Lowery/Penguin Random House

Author Interviews

Stacey Abrams warns of autocracy and voter suppression, doesn't rule out another run

Abrams isn't running for office — but she's not ruling it out, either. "Politics is a tool ... for getting good done, but it's not the only one." Her new thriller is Coded Justice.

Stacey Abrams warns of autocracy and voter suppression, doesn't rule out another run

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An illustration shows a person with tan skin and long brown hair lying on their side on a bed with silky, peach-colored sheets. The figure's back is to the viewer, and they wear a dark pink bra and underwear. In the dark sky above hangs a bright full moon. In the foreground is a large pink tulip, closed tightly.
Sol Cotti for NPR

Life Kit

Her love life was in chaos. The solution? Giving up sex

After a bad breakup, writer Melissa Febos decided to abstain from sex and dating for a year. She didn't realize how much it would change her life. She tells her story in a new book, The Dry Season.

What a break from sex can teach you

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Calvin Duncan is the founder and director of the Light of Justice program in New Orleans.

Calvin Duncan is the founder and director of the Light of Justice program in New Orleans. Zack Smith Photography/Penguin Random House hide caption

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Zack Smith Photography/Penguin Random House

Author Interviews

Wrongly convicted, he became 'The Jailhouse Lawyer' — and helped free himself

While serving a life sentence for a murder he was eventually exonerated of committing, Calvin Duncan studied law and helped many wrongfully convicted prisoners. His memoir is The Jailhouse Lawyer.

Wrongly convicted, he became 'The Jailhouse Lawyer' — and helped free himself

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