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Beloved children's author and wilderness enthusiast Gary Paulsen has died at 82

Gary Paulsen Brian Adams/Getty Images hide caption

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Brian Adams/Getty Images

Obituaries

Beloved children's author and wilderness enthusiast Gary Paulsen has died at 82

Gary Paulsen — whose wilderness adventure Hatchet taught generations of kids to survive in the forest — worked as a farmhand, truck driver and satellite technician before turning to writing.

Beloved children's author and wilderness enthusiast Gary Paulsen has died at 82

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Fiona Hill's new Trump-era memoir is less about Trump than it is about us
Mariner Books

NPR's Book of the Day

Fiona Hill's new Trump-era memoir is less about Trump than it is about us

In her memoir, Fiona Hill extends her riveting testimony from Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. And while she might not dish as much dirt as other Trump-era memoirists, the former senior National Security official writes movingly about Trump and about polarization and other threats to American democracy. She points to Russian history to suggest that distrust in government and political systems can lead to collapse. And while she describes Trump as the symptom of that division and distrust, she also says he put a spotlight on what needs fixing.

Fiona Hill's new Trump-era memoir is less about Trump than it is about us

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Why a literary magazine at the nation's oldest public hospital matters more than ever

A laboratory in New York City's Bellevue Medical Center on May 17, 1949. Gottscho-Schleisner Collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division hide caption

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Gottscho-Schleisner Collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

Why a literary magazine at the nation's oldest public hospital matters more than ever

One of the world's most famous hospitals also houses a respected literary magazine focused on health and healing. The Bellevue Literary Review has seen an uptick of submissions during the pandemic.

Why a literary magazine at the nation's oldest public hospital matters more than ever

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Humor, horror and social commentary blend in Percival Everett's detective novel
Graywolf Press

NPR's Book of the Day

Humor, horror and social commentary blend in Percival Everett's detective novel

Percival Everett's page-turning new detective novel The Trees is at once gruesome and screamingly funny. A racial allegory rooted in southern history, the book features two big-city special detectives with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation who are sent to investigate a small-town crime. The murders are hideous in detail, the language is rough, there are racial epithets of all kinds, and somehow the politically incendiary humor is real. Everett talks with NPR's Scott Simon about how — and why — he blended these styles.

Humor, horror and social commentary blend in Percival Everett's detective novel

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'Dear Memory' digs into the shame accompanying immigrant silence
Milkweed

Author Interviews

'Dear Memory' digs into the shame accompanying immigrant silence

Victoria Chang traces her family history through letter writing in her book, Dear Memory. In an NPR interview, she talks facing micro and macro aggressions and staying silent, just like her parents.

'Dear Memory' digs into the shame accompanying immigrant silence

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Superman's son comes out as bisexual in a new comic. It's a big deal — sort of

In November's Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, (written by Tom Taylor, art by John Timms), Jonathan Kent, son of Clark, will get a boyfriend. DC Comics hide caption

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DC Comics

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Superman's son comes out as bisexual in a new comic. It's a big deal — sort of

DC Comics announced that Superman's teenage son will be romantically involved with a male friend in a comic to be published in November. It's a growing trend.

Superman's son comes out as bisexual in a new comic. It's a big deal — sort of

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Myriam J.A. Chancy's historical novel about a Haitian earthquake hits on human truths
Tin House Books

NPR's Book of the Day

Myriam J.A. Chancy's historical novel about a Haitian earthquake hits on human truths

Back in August, Myriam J.A. Chancy was preparing for the release of her novel What Storm, What Thunder when the news broke: a magnitude 7.2 earthquake had hit Haiti. It was a "chilling and bittersweet" moment, she says; her soon-to-be-published book revolved around the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country, and its aftermath. In this episode, she talks to NPR's Scott Simon about the eerie similarities between the two quakes, how her characters speak to how international relief efforts have historically failed Haiti, and what the world can learn from the country's rebuilding efforts.

Myriam J.A. Chancy's historical novel about a Haitian earthquake hits on human truths

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Rep. Schiff reveals impeachment regrets, tensions on Capitol Hill after insurrection

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks during the House select committee hearing in July on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington. Jim Lo Scalzo/AP hide caption

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Jim Lo Scalzo/AP

Author Interviews

Rep. Schiff reveals impeachment regrets, tensions on Capitol Hill after insurrection

In a wide-ranging interview with NPR's Michel Martin, Rep. Adam Schiff discusses his regrets from President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial and his relationship with his GOP colleagues.

Rep. Schiff reveals impeachment regrets, tensions on Capitol Hill after insurrection

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The Realities Of Abortion Politics In 'Family Roe: An American Story' & 'Red Clocks'

the covers of The Family Roe and Red Clocks W. W. Norton & Company / Little, Brown and Company hide caption

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W. W. Norton & Company / Little, Brown and Company

NPR's Book of the Day

The Realities Of Abortion Politics In 'Family Roe: An American Story' & 'Red Clocks'

Authors Joshua Prager and Leni Zumas each explore the real world implications of abortion politics, through fiction and non-fiction. First, in a conversation with Michel Martin, Prager talks through his book The Family Roe: An American Story, centered on the woman who was the baby at the center of the landmark Roe v. Wade trial. Then Leni Zumas and Scott Simon discuss Zumas' novel Red Clocks, set in a time where fetal personhood legislation has outlawed not only abortion, but also in-vitro fertilization.

The Realities Of Abortion Politics In 'Family Roe: An American Story' & 'Red Clocks'

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The Nobel Prize in literature goes to a Black writer for the first time since 1993

Abdulrazak Gurnah has won this year's Nobel Prize in literature. Gurnah has written 10 novels, including Paradise, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images hide caption

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Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images

Book News & Features

The Nobel Prize in literature goes to a Black writer for the first time since 1993

The Zanzibar-born novelist is known for his postcolonial works, examining refugee life in England and the effects of empire. He is the first Black person awarded the prize since Toni Morrison in 1993

The Nobel Prize in literature goes to a Black writer for the first time since 1993

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