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Books

From 'Buffy' Superfan To Pulitzer Prize, A Critic Celebrates TV On Her Own Terms

Emily Nussbaum is the TV critic for The New Yorker. Clive Thompson/Courtesy of Random House hide caption

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Clive Thompson/Courtesy of Random House

Television

From 'Buffy' Superfan To Pulitzer Prize, A Critic Celebrates TV On Her Own Terms

Emily Nussbaum's new book, I Like To Watch, is a collection of essays that span her career and the age of prestige TV. She wants to "explode and expand" the types of shows we take seriously, she says.

From 'Buffy' Superfan To Pulitzer Prize, A Critic Celebrates TV On Her Own Terms

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Ask Again, Yes

Review

Book Reviews

'Ask Again, Yes' Is A Profound Yet Unpretentious Family Drama

Fresh Air

Mary Beth Keane's novel opens in 1973 New York and follows two rookie cops and their families over four decades. Her closely-observed domestic tale transforms into something deep and universal.

'Ask Again, Yes' Is A Profound Yet Unpretentious Family Drama

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'A Lot Of Gray Area': A Legal Expert Explains 'How To Read The Constitution'
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Law

'A Lot Of Gray Area': A Legal Expert Explains 'How To Read The Constitution'

Inspired by the challenges to the current presidential administration, law professor Kim Wehle has written a guide to the founding document — and its susceptibility to interpretation.

'A Lot Of Gray Area': A Legal Expert Explains 'How To Read The Constitution'

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Leaving the Witness

Religion

'I Couldn't Continue On': A Former Jehovah's Witness On Leaving The Faith

Fresh Air

"I felt like everything that had mattered to me was gone," Amber Scorah says of her decision to leave the Jehovah's Witness community she grew up in. Her new memoir is Leaving the Witness.

'I Couldn't Continue On': A Former Jehovah's Witness On Leaving The Faith

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The Snakes

Author Interviews

Bad Things Happen Out Of The Blue In Sadie Jones' 'The Snakes'

The author says writing this novel was like writing an "anti-murder mystery." Murder mysteries are nice and tidy, she says, but this disturbing morality tale is about unforeseeable tragedy.

Bad Things Happen Out Of The Blue In Sadie Jones' 'The Snakes'

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'Chasing Cosby' Author Says Covering The Cosby Case Was A Journey Of Disillusionment

Bill Cosby is taken away in handcuffs after he was sentenced for felony sexual assault on Sept. 25, 2018, in Norristown, Penn. Mark Makela/AP hide caption

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Mark Makela/AP

Author Interviews

'Chasing Cosby' Author Says Covering The Cosby Case Was A Journey Of Disillusionment

Nicole Weisensee Egan has followed the sexual assault accusations against Bill Cosby since 2005. At first a skeptic herself, Egan discusses how "America's Dad" managed to escape justice for decades.

'Chasing Cosby' Author Says Covering The Cosby Case Was A Journey Of Disillusionment

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Evvie Drake Starts Over

Author Interviews

2 Fractured Halves Make A Whole In 'Evvie Drake'

The debut novel from NPR's own Linda Holmes follows a suddenly widowed (and not all that grief-stricken) woman and her new lodger — a former major league ballplayer who's lost his ability to pitch.

2 Fractured Halves Make A Whole In 'Evvie Drake'

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'Damaged' Tales Of Love, In Fiction From 'BoJack' Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Beth Novey/NPR

Author Interviews

'Damaged' Tales Of Love, In Fiction From 'BoJack' Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg

The writer, better known for his dark animated comedy about a has-been horse, has written a collection of surreal short stories called Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory.

'Damaged' Tales Of Love, In Fiction From 'BoJack' Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg

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Joy Harjo Becomes The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate

Joy Harjo will become the 23rd poet laureate of the United States, making her the first Native American to hold the position. Shawn Miller/Library of Congress hide caption

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Shawn Miller/Library of Congress

Book News & Features

Joy Harjo Becomes The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate

A member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, the 68-year-old poet and musician says she bears "the honor on behalf of the people and my ancestors" and aims to serve as an "ambassador" of the art form.

Joy Harjo Becomes The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate

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