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Books

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Directs Fiery Essay At Former Student — And Cancel Culture

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in Paris in Jan. 2020. Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images

Arts & Life

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Directs Fiery Essay At Former Student — And Cancel Culture

Two literary stars from Nigeria are engaging in a very public feud — a fight that is both personal and also enfolds bigger questions about feminism, gender identity and social media.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Directs Fiery Essay At Former Student — And Cancel Culture

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'Forget The Alamo' Author Says We Have The Texas Origin Story All Wrong

Visitors walk around the outside of the Alamo in San Antonio. Jill Torrance/Getty Images hide caption

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Jill Torrance/Getty Images

History

'Forget The Alamo' Author Says We Have The Texas Origin Story All Wrong

Fresh Air

In a new book, Bryan Burrough and co-writers Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford challenge the historical lore of the Alamo — including the story that Davy Crockett refused to surrender.

'Forget The Alamo' Author Says We Have The Texas Origin Story All Wrong

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'Republic Of Detours' Revisits A Group Of Quirky, Depression-Era Guides To The States

Republic of Detours, by Scott Borchert Macmillan hide caption

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Macmillan

Review

Book Reviews

'Republic Of Detours' Revisits A Group Of Quirky, Depression-Era Guides To The States

Fresh Air

Scott Borchert's cultural history of the New Deal initiative known as the Federal Writers' Program teems with colorful characters, scenic byways and telling anecdotes.

'Republic Of Detours' Revisits A Group Of Quirky, Depression-Era Guides To The States

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A Taste Of Freedom

Beloved Black cookbooks for Juneteenth. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

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LA Johnson/NPR

Code Switch

A Taste Of Freedom

Juneteenth commemorates the day that enslaved Texans found out — more than two years after Emancipation Day — that they were free. It's also a day known for celebratory meals and red drinks. But as the holiday becomes more widespread, we wondered: Is there a risk that certain people (and corporations) will try to keep the food and lose the history?

A Taste Of Freedom

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In 'Somebody's Daughter' Ashley C. Ford Confronts The Crimes Of Her Father

Ashley C. Ford's new memoir is Somebody's Daughter. Heather Sten/Macmillan hide caption

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Heather Sten/Macmillan

Author Interviews

In 'Somebody's Daughter' Ashley C. Ford Confronts The Crimes Of Her Father

Fresh Air

For many years, Ford didn't know why her dad was in prison. As a teenager, she was shocked to learn he'd been convicted of rape. "With rape, there's no mistake about the intention to harm," she says.

In 'Somebody's Daughter' Ashley C. Ford Confronts The Crimes Of Her Father

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The Disordered Cosmos
Bold Type Books

Short Wave

The Disordered Cosmos

Maddie talks with physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein about her new book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred. In the episode, we talk quarks (one of the building blocks of the universe), intersectionality and access to the night sky as a fundamental right.

The Disordered Cosmos

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'Mercury Rising' Explores Treacherous U.S. Attempts to Control Space

Mercury Rising, by Jeff Shesol WW Norton hide caption

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WW Norton

Space

'Mercury Rising' Explores Treacherous U.S. Attempts to Control Space

Fresh Air

In Mercury Rising, historian Jeff Shesol recalls the early days of the U.S. space program, when Cold War fears ruled and no one was sure John Glenn would survive America's first orbital flight.

'Mercury Rising' Explores Treacherous U.S. Attempts to Control Space

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4 Books To Broaden Your Pride Month Reading List
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Pride Month

4 Books To Broaden Your Pride Month Reading List

There are a lot of Pride Month reading lists out there — so we thought we'd get away from the classics everyone knows. We asked author Akwaeke Emezi to recommend some of their favorite reads.

4 Books To Broaden Your Pride Month Reading List

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Zakiya Dalila Harris And 'The Other Black Girl'

Zakiya Dalila Harris is the author of the book The Other Black Girl. Nicole Mondestin hide caption

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Nicole Mondestin

It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Zakiya Dalila Harris And 'The Other Black Girl'

Zakiya Dalila Harris was working as an editorial assistant at a New York publisher when she ran into another Black woman for the first time on her office floor. That's when she got the idea for her book, The Other Black Girl. What's it like when you're used to being the only one, but now there's another one like you? And what if things get weird? Like, really weird. Sam and Zakiya talk about how her book subverts the office drama and what lessons it has for a still very white publishing industry.

Zakiya Dalila Harris And 'The Other Black Girl'

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The Supreme Court Justice Who Made History By Voting No on Racial Segregation

John Marshall Harlan, who was named for Chief Justice John Marshall, served on the Supreme Court from 1877 until his death in 1911. Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Corbis via Getty Images

Author Interviews

The Supreme Court Justice Who Made History By Voting No on Racial Segregation

A new book explores the life of Justice John Marshall Harlan, who wrote the dissenting opinion in the Supreme Court case that upheld the principle of racial segregation.

The Supreme Court Justice Who Made History By Voting No on Racial Segregation

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