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A Wife of Bath 'biography' brings a modern woman out of the Middle Ages

The Wife of Bath from The Ellesmere Manuscript, one of the earliest manuscripts of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. The Huntington Library hide caption

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The Huntington Library

Author Interviews

A Wife of Bath 'biography' brings a modern woman out of the Middle Ages

Dreamed up by Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales more than 600 years ago, the Wife of Bath was known for her lusty appetites, gossipy asides and fondness for wine.

A Wife of Bath 'biography' brings a modern woman out of the Middle Ages

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Author Interviews

Novelist Julie Otsuka draws on her own family history in 'The Swimmers'

Fresh Air

Otsuka has recently been awarded the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for her novel about a Japanese American woman who's lost much of her memory to dementia. Originally broadcast Feb. 22, 2022.

Novelist Julie Otsuka draws on her own family history in 'The Swimmers'

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Pamela Anderson Takes Control Of Her Life Story

Pamela Anderson attends the premiere of Netflix's "Pamela, a love story". Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images hide caption

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Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

Pamela Anderson Takes Control Of Her Life Story

Pamela Anderson has had an incredibly rich, and varied, career. She's an actress, the author of several books, and a prominent activist - especially for animal rights.

Pamela Anderson Takes Control Of Her Life Story

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How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy

An artisanal miner carries a sack of ore at the Shabara artisanal mine near Kolwezi, DRC, on Oct. 12, 2022. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy

Fresh Air

Phone and electric car batteries are made with cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt Red author Siddharth Kara describes the conditions for workers as a "horror show."

How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy

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Junk food companies say they're trying to do good. A new book raises doubts

As soda consumption has dropped in the West, companies are making an effort to woo new customers in other places. This Coke bottle ad is in Mozambique. Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images hide caption

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Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Junk food companies say they're trying to do good. A new book raises doubts

As the marketing of soda and fast food ramps up around the world, the companies involved forge partnerships to help the poor. The new book 'Junk Food Politics' casts a critical eye at their efforts.

We royally wade into the Harry and Meghan discourse

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged in 2017 Chris Jackson/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We royally wade into the Harry and Meghan discourse

It was a game changer when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior members of the royal family. Since then, they've given interviews, secured lucrative multimedia deals, and launched several personal projects — Harry recently published the highly anticipated memoir Spare. And they've done it all while bringing long-overdue conversations about race and the royal family's legacy to the forefront. So how, exactly, do we process all of this?

We royally wade into the Harry and Meghan discourse

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Trump sues Bob Woodward for releasing audio of their interviews without permission

Former President Donald Trump is suing Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward over Woodward's latest book, The Trump Tapes. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Audi Canada and Scott Eisen/Getty Images hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Audi Canada and Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Politics

Trump sues Bob Woodward for releasing audio of their interviews without permission

The former president has made good on his threat to sue the Washington Post reporter over his use of interview recordings. The lawsuit seeks nearly $50 million in damages.

After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

"I was much less self-assured now that I was a patient myself," says neurosurgeon Henry Marsh. "I suddenly felt much less certain about how I'd been [as a doctor], how I'd handled patients, how I'd spoken to them." Image Source/Getty Images hide caption

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Image Source/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

Fresh Air

Dr. Henry Marsh felt comfortable in hospitals — until he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. "I was much less self-assured now that I was a patient myself," he says. His book is And Finally.

After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

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'Hot Dog' wins Caldecott, Newbery is awarded to 'Freewater'
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Book News & Features

'Hot Dog' wins Caldecott, Newbery is awarded to 'Freewater'

Hot Dog, by Doug Salati, is about an overheated pup who finds his calm on a trip to the beach. Freewater, by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is about two enslaved children finding freedom.

'Hot Dog' wins Caldecott, Newbery is awarded to 'Freewater'

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Life Kit

Making friends is easy when you're young, but it can be harder as you age

NPR's Life Kit offers tips on building and maintaining friendships from a psychologist who compiled a how-to guide for navigating them. (Story first aired on All Things Considered on Sept. 10, 2022.)

Making friends is easy when you're young, but it can be harder as you age

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What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing

Lesley Manville stars in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Dávid Lukács/Ada Films/Focus Features hide caption

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Dávid Lukács/Ada Films/Focus Features

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and more.

Classic LA noir meets the #MeToo era in the suspense novel 'Everybody Knows'
Mulholland Books

Review

Book Reviews

Classic LA noir meets the #MeToo era in the suspense novel 'Everybody Knows'

Fresh Air

Jordan Harper's hardboiled plot centers on a "black-bag publicist" who works for a prestige crisis management firm, putting out fires and quieting scandals for Hollywood's elite.

Classic LA noir meets the #MeToo era in the suspense novel 'Everybody Knows'

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Pamela Anderson on her new memoir — and why being underestimated is a secret weapon

Anderson says her memoir started out as a poem before she crafted it into a book. Harper Collins hide caption

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Harper Collins

Culture

Pamela Anderson on her new memoir — and why being underestimated is a secret weapon

Pamela Anderson, the Playboy Playmate and TV star who became one of the most famous sex symbols of all time, has written a book about herself. And it was her sons who gave her the idea.

Pamela Anderson on her new memoir — and why being underestimated is a secret weapon

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A TikTok star who was functionally illiterate finds a community on BookTok

Oliver James lives in California with his partner and their two kids. Courtesy of Oliver James hide caption

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Courtesy of Oliver James

A TikTok star who was functionally illiterate finds a community on BookTok

Oliver James is a TikTok star who pledged to read 100 books this year. He has had a lot of difficulty with reading since he was a child and is now teaching himself at age 34.

A TikTok star who was functionally illiterate finds a community on BookTok

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For the Beatles-obsessed, here are 3 never-before-seen photos from 1964

"The crowds chasing us in A Hard Day's Night were based on moments like this," McCartney writes. "Taken out of the back of our car on West Fifty-Eighth, crossing the Avenue of the Americas." Paul McCartney/1964: Eyes of the Storm hide caption

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Paul McCartney/1964: Eyes of the Storm

Music News

For the Beatles-obsessed, here are 3 never-before-seen photos from 1964

When the Beatles embarked on the tour that helped launch the British Invasion in 1964, Paul McCartney had a 35mm camera on hand to help document the history-making mayhem.

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