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Books

Shahu Patole prepares food in his mothers kitchen in Khamgaon, India on November 11, 2024. Maya Levin for NPR

Shahu Patole prepares food in his mother's kitchen in Khamgaon, India. He's the author of the cookbook Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada. Maya Levin for NPR hide caption

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Maya Levin for NPR

Goats and Soda

This cookbook is unlike any other from India. Pass the honeycomb, please!

In Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada, Shahu Patole pays tribute to a cuisine that has long been considered not worthy of documentation. We interviewed Patole — and are sharing some of his recipes.

Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert have been married since 1993.

Stephen and Evie McGee Colbert have been married since 1993. Eric Wolfinger/Celadon Books hide caption

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Eric Wolfinger/Celadon Books

Food

'Does This Taste Funny?' is a Colbert family cookbook

What do cooking and a nightly TV show have in common? Both require "a little care, a little love and a little imagination," says Stephen Colbert. He and his wife Evie Colbert have written a cookbook.

'Does This Taste Funny?' is a Colbert family cookbook

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Dreaming of a Black Utopia in Trump's America
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Perspective

Code Switch

Dreaming of a Black Utopia in Trump's America

In his new book, The Black Utopians, author Aaron Robertson tells the story of how Black folks have created many different versions of utopian communities throughout history — and why those communities tend to be especially meaningful during times of political tension and racial unrest.

Dreaming of a Black Utopia in Trump's America

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Cahokia Jazz, Colored Television, Creation Lake, The God of the Woods, James, The Letters of Emily Dickinson, Long Island, Martyr!, Tell Me Everything, A Wilder Shore
NPR

Review

Book Reviews

Maureen Corrigan picks her favorite books from an 'unprecedented' 2024

This year, our Fresh Air book critic highlights alternative history, suspense, satire — and some of the most extraordinary letters ever written. Here are Maureen Corrigan's 10 best books of 2024.

Maureen Corrigan picks her favorite books from an 'unprecedented' 2024

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American poet Yolanda Cornelia 'Nikki' Giovanni leans on her desk beside a typewriter, in front of a wall decorated with photos, 1973. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

American poet Yolanda Cornelia 'Nikki' Giovanni leans on her desk beside a typewriter, in front of a wall decorated with photos, 1973. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Getty Images/Hulton Archive hide caption

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Getty Images/Hulton Archive

Culture

Renowned poet and Black arts movement icon Nikki Giovanni dies at 81

The poet and activist was a leading figure of the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni was working on her upcoming book of poetry, set to publish in the fall.

Author Interviews

Werner Herzog says it's not good to circle 'your own navel' but wrote a memoir anyway

The German filmmaker reflects on his unusual life and the curiosity that has fueled his career in the memoir, Every Man for Himself and God Against All. Originally broadcast Oct. 25, 2023.

Werner Herzog says it's not good to circle 'your own navel' but wrote a memoir anyway

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Mental health. Vector illustration, EPS 10
kovalto1/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Your Health

Stay away from Dr. Google, and other lessons learned about hypochondria

Caroline Crampton developed excessive health anxiety after being treated for cancer as a teen. In A Body Made of Glass she chronicles her experience with hypochondria and the history of the condition.

Stay away from Dr. Google, and other lessons learned about hypochondria

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Time of the Child
Bloomsbury Publishing

Review

Book Reviews

'Time of the Child' is a marvelous blend of despair and redemption

Set in a small Irish village in the weeks leading up to Christmas 1962, Niall Williams' latest novel avoids cliché by investing specificity and life into characters and places.

'Time of the Child' is a marvelous blend of despair and redemption

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Kash Patel speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Thomas & Mack Center, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Kash Patel speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Thomas & Mack Center, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

Politics

J. Edgar Hoover's biographer weighs in on Trump's pick to lead the FBI

Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead the FBI, may test internal guardrails, historian and J. Edgar Hoover biographer Beverly Gage tells Morning Edition.

What Trump's pick of Kash Patel to lead the FBI could mean for the bureau

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"Brain rot" is the term of the year for 2024, referring to concerns that endlessly scrolling through social media videos and other content can cause harm. Here, TikTok's logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen showing a TikTok home screen. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

"Brain rot" is the term of the year for 2024, referring to concerns that endlessly scrolling through social media videos and other content can cause harm. Here, TikTok's logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen showing a TikTok home screen. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

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Michael Dwyer/AP

Writer Thoreau warned of brain rot in 1854. Now it's the Oxford Word of 2024

The term brain rot first appeared in Henry David Thoreau's famous Walden, according to the Oxford University Press. How did he use it — and what might he have made of its modern meaning?

Comedian Stephen Colbert is serious about food

Stephen Colbert and Evie Colbert arrive for the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

Comedian Stephen Colbert is serious about food

If you've followed Stephen Colbert's career closely, you might have picked up on something. It's there back in his days on The Colbert Report, when he issued a throw-down about the proper way to make barbecue sauce and that time on The Late Show, when he took calls on the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Comedian Stephen Colbert is serious about food

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Ina Garten was ready for the luck

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 13: Ina Garten signs cookbooks during Food Network's 25th Birthday Party Celebration at the 11th annual New York City Wine & Food Festival in 2018 in New York City. Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Food Network hide caption

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Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Food Network

Consider This from NPR

Ina Garten was ready for the luck

Thirteen bestselling cookbooks, a thriving food business in the Hamptons that she sold decades ago, and now her memoir "Be Ready When the Luck Happens" has hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list.

Ina Garten was ready for the luck

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Angela Merkel recounts being the first and only in new memoir

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and US President Donald Trump speak during a bilateral meeting at the G7 Summit in 2019. Trump is one of four U.S. Presidents Merkel worked with during her time as Germany's Chancellor. NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

Angela Merkel recounts being the first and only in new memoir

In her new memoir, Angela Merkel writes about the many dilemmas she had to navigate as Chancellor of Germany. Dilemmas her male colleagues never had to sweat. Like, can you wear a pantsuit instead of a skirt in the Bundestag, Germany's parliament? She decided the answer was, yes.

Angela Merkel recounts being the first and only in new memoir

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A file photo from April 30, 2014 shows then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel attending the parliamentary election campaign program for Hesse State, at the Frankfurt's Kap European Congress Center in Frankfurt, Germany.

A file photo from April 30, 2014, shows then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel attending the parliamentary election campaign program for Hesse State, at the Frankfurt's Kap European Congress Center in Frankfurt, Germany. Mehmet Kaman/Anadolu hide caption

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Mehmet Kaman/Anadolu

Author Interviews

Angela Merkel and the future of NATO under a second Trump term

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she had to consider whether she is a "feminist." She joined NPR's Mary Louise Kelly to discuss her new memoir, Freedom.

Angela Merkel and the future of NATO under a second Trump term

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Bailey Williams is a storyteller and yoga teacher in Alaska.

Bailey Williams is a storyteller and yoga teacher in Alaska. Abrams Books hide caption

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Abrams Books

Author Interviews

'I think of my body as a teacher,' says Marine who struggled with disordered eating

During her years as a military linguist, Bailey Williams pushed her body to extremes. Her new book is Hollow: A Memoir of My Body in the Marines.

'I think of my body as a teacher,' says Marine who struggled with disordered eating

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In a 'Still Life' painting nothing moves — but, wait! Was that a dragon?
Illustrations © 2024 Paul O. Zelinsky/HarperCollins Publishers

Picture This

In a 'Still Life' painting nothing moves — but, wait! Was that a dragon?

An authoritative artist has many rules for his still life painting. Too bad! Because the mouse, the dragon, the knight, and the princess are here to break them in this raucous new picture book.

PICTURE THIS: STILL LIFE

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Author Interviews

'Charlie Chaplin vs. America' explores the accusations that sent a star into exile

Author Scott Eyman explains how Chaplin was smeared in the press, condemned for his alleged communist ties and banned from returning to the U.S. Originally broadcast Oct. 24, 2024.

Charlie Chaplain

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