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Author Interviews NPR interviews with top authors and the NPR Book Tour, a weekly feature and podcast where leading authors read and discuss their writing. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Author Interviews

Tuesday

The loneliness of the central character in Esther Yi's 'Y/N' is universal

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Yi about her novel, which features a Korean American woman who finds awakening in her devotion to a K-pop star.

The loneliness of the central character in Esther Yi's 'Y/N' is universal

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Dan Ahdoot explores his relationship with food in 'Undercooked'

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with the comedian and actor on his new book, Undercooked: How I Let Food Become My Life Navigator and How Maybe That's a Dumb Way to Live.

Dan Ahdoot explores his relationship with food in 'Undercooked'

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Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor

An unhoused individual sleeps under an American flag blanket in New York City on Sept. 10, 2013. In 2021, approximately 11% of Americans lived below the federal poverty line. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor

Fresh Air

Poverty, by America author Matthew Desmond says if the top 1% of Americans paid the taxes they owed, it would raise $175 billion each year: "That is just about enough to pull everyone out of poverty."

Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor

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'ATC' host Ari Shapiro reflects on a varied life in 'Best Strangers in the World'

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro about his new memoir, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening.

'ATC' host Ari Shapiro reflects on a varied life in 'Best Strangers in the World'

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Sunday

The Sunday Story: America's first female president?

A portrait of former First Lady Edith Wilson hangs at the Wilson House in Washington, D.C. Keren Carrion/NPR hide caption

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Keren Carrion/NPR

Up First

The Sunday Story: America's first female president?

On October 2, 1919, then President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke that left him blind in one eye, partially paralyzed and barely able to write his own name. He was in the midst of his second term. For the remainder of his presidency, some 17 months, his wife managed his duties, serving as a kind of de facto president. Today, as we celebrate Women's History Month, Steve Inskeep joins us to share his interview with Rebecca Boggs Roberts, author of Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson.

The Sunday Story: America's first female president?

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Books

Sociologist Matthew Desmond on why poverty persists in the U.S.

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with sociologist Matthew Desmond about his new book, "Poverty, by America." He says poverty persists in the U.S. because the rest of our society benefits from it.

Sociologist Matthew Desmond on why poverty persists in the U.S.

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Saturday

Books

Ann Napolitano on her new novel 'Hello Beautiful'

Estrangement and reconciliation in an Italian-American family: Ann Napolitano's new novel, "Hello Beautiful," is about loving each other just as we are. NPR's Scott Simon talks to her about it.

Ann Napolitano on her new novel 'Hello Beautiful'

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Paris Hilton was the center of it all. Now she's shedding the 'character' she created

Hilton says she has been misunderstood and underestimated. Cole Bennetts/Getty Images for Paris Hilton hide caption

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Cole Bennetts/Getty Images for Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton was the center of it all. Now she's shedding the 'character' she created

Before the word "influencer" was a household term, before Instagram and TikTok allowed users to document every moment of their life in real time, Paris Hilton was the woman at the center of it all.

Paris Hilton was the center of it all. Now she's shedding the 'character' she created

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Friday

Silicon Valley Bank and the sordid history of 'Palo Alto'

Author photo courtesy of Malcolm Harris; photo illustration by Jesse Brown David Madison/Getty Images/Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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David Madison/Getty Images/Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Silicon Valley Bank and the sordid history of 'Palo Alto'

Even after Silicon Valley Bank crumbled and tech workers have been laid off in the thousands, Silicon Valley is still surrounded by a mythos of progress and futurity. Host Brittany Luse talks to author Malcolm Harris about his new book, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, to break down how that mythos was built, the dark underbelly underneath it, and why the tech industry is a microcosm of American capitalism.

Silicon Valley Bank and the sordid history of 'Palo Alto'

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Wednesday

Why customer service ratings are getting worse

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with former customer service executive Amas Tenumah, author of Waiting for Service, on recent surveys showing Americans' dissatisfaction at record highs.

Why customer service ratings are getting worse

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'Rough Sleepers': How one person can make a difference caring for the unhoused

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks to author Tracy Kidder about his new book, Rough Sleepers, which profiles Dr. Jim O'Connell, who runs an organization called Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

'Rough Sleepers': How one person can make a difference caring for the unhoused

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Tuesday

This law and philosophy professor warns neurotechnology is also a danger to privacy

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Nita Farahany about her new book The Battle For Your Brain, which looks at the promise and perils of neurotechnology — tech that connects the human brain and computers.

This law and philosophy professor warns neurotechnology is also a danger to privacy

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Paris Hilton was at the center of it all. Now she's delving into her pre-fame life

NPR's Juana Summers talks to early 2000s socialite and "it girl" Paris Hilton about her new book, Paris: The Memoir.

Paris Hilton was at the center of it all. Now she's delving into her pre-fame life

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'What Looks Like Bravery' explains how achievement can't protect us from grief

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Laurel Braitman about her memoir, What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love.

'What Looks Like Bravery' explains how achievement can't protect us from grief

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This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

Eugenia Cheng is a mathematician and author of the book How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics. Throughout the book, she uses baking as a vehicle for better understanding mathematics concepts. Basic Books hide caption

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Basic Books

Short Wave

This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

This March 14, Short Wave is celebrating pi ... and pie! We do that with the help of mathematician Eugenia Cheng, Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and author of the book How to Bake Pi. We start with a recipe for clotted cream and end, deliciously, at how math is so much more expansive than grade school tests.

This Pi Day, how to BAKE pi(e) — and have mathematical fun

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