'Republic Of Lies' Explores The Fixation With Conspiracy Theories April 20, 2019 • Author Anna Merlan's recitations are chilling, as are her warnings that fringe beliefs tend to go mainstream — and how their rise is seen against a resurgence in nationalism and white supremacy.
Emotionally Complex 'Arid Dreams' Operates On Multiple Levels April 20, 2019 • Duanwad Pimwana is one of Thailand's preeminent female writers, and this newly translated story collection — while not uniformly flawless — lets readers watch her grow into a true master of the form.
'Einstein's Unfinished Revolution' Looks At The Quantum-Physics-And-Reality Problem April 19, 2019 • A century after the birth of quantum mechanics, no one is sure what it is telling us about the nature of reality — and Lee Smolin's book adds to a stream of excellent works on the topic.
'Ungovernable' Brings Up Grim Realities Of Victorian Child Rearing April 19, 2019 • Therese Oneill's new book presents plenty of suitably eyebrow-raising excerpts, but amid the snark at parenthood past and present, there are some unavoidable issues that come at a fraught time.
'The Raven's Tale:' O, For A Muse Of Angst April 19, 2019 • Teenaged, angst-ridden Edgar Allan Poe seems like a great protagonist for a supernatural young adult novel — but The Raven's Tale has some serious flaws that leave a void at the story's heart.
'Tragedy, The Greeks, And Us' Examines How Classical Philosophers Saw Early Dramas April 18, 2019 • The Stone's Simon Critchley premises tragedy on action — as opposed to the generally more passive approach philosophy has a reputation for — and examines how Plato and others saw it as a threat.
'Pickle's Progress' Is A Weird — But Secretly Sweet — Journey April 17, 2019 • Marcia Butler's new novel centers on a drunken, bickering couple whose lives are turned upside down after a car crash. It's a deeply weird book that succeeds because of Butler's considerable charisma.
'The Problem Of Democracy' Looks At Personality's Role In U.S. Leadership April 17, 2019 • A new book focuses on how the Adams father-son duo spent years abroad making a case for our young country — yet both saw themselves rejected in favor of more charismatic and populist rivals.
In 'Southern Lady Code,' Helen Ellis Brings Her Hilarity To Southern Manners April 17, 2019 • Amid disquisitions on the importance of thank-you notes and a hilariously graphic description of a mammogram, Ellis occasionally ventures into more weighty territory in her first work of nonfiction.
In 'White' Bret Easton Ellis Falls Victim To The Behavior He Criticizes April 16, 2019 • It's possible to seriously consider the left's preoccupation with public shaming, its increasingly repetitive vocabulary of resistance and privilege — and do it well. But that's not been done here.
'Normal People' Appeals Across Genders And Generations April 16, 2019 • Sally Rooney avoids a sophomore slump with Normal People, a will-they-won't-they love story with sympathetic protagonists whose lives are complicated by economic uncertainty and class differences.
Carina Press For April, 3 Novels Of Love At Any Age, In Any Era April 15, 2019 • This month's romance roundup includes the latest in Lucy Parker's London Celebrities series, an older woman chucking convention in Victorian England, and a reworking of The Taming of the Shrew.
Challah, borscht and a bialy are among the items listed in The 100 Most Jewish Foods. Noah Fecks/The 100 Most Jewish Foods hide caption toggle caption Noah Fecks/The 100 Most Jewish Foods The Salt 'Debatable' List Of '100 Most Jewish' Foods Leaves Plenty Of Room For Kibbitzing April 14, 2019 • As families around the country fill their freezers with matzo balls and gefilte fish in preparation for the coming Passover Seder, a new book asks: What does it mean for a food to be Jewish?
'Optic Nerve' Tells A Life Story Through Visions Of Art April 13, 2019 • María Gainza's protagonist — also named María — combines the her experiences of art with her personal experiences for an unpretentious, imaginative and compelling account of her life.
Beyond Crabgrass: A Look At America's 'Radical Suburbs' April 12, 2019 • Amanda Kolson Hurley is well-acquainted with suburbia's many negative stereotypes. But in a new book, she asks us to take a look at what is possible in this realm when the human spirit is at its best.
In 'Freedom's Detective,' A Flawed But Remarkable Hiram Whitley Infiltrates The KKK April 11, 2019 • Journalist Charles Lane's account is endlessly gripping — and he does an excellent job of placing the operation in historical context, chronicling racism and resentment in the South post-Civil War.
Books Virginia Hall, The Subject Of 'A Woman Of No Importance,' Was Anything But April 11, 2019 • A very smooth read about a rocky life, Sonia Purnell's biography of the masterful WWII spy is a reminder of what can be done with a few brave people — and a little resistance.
Little-Remembered Religious Preachers Get Their Due In 'American Messiahs' April 10, 2019 • Bizarre as they may have been, many messianic leaders were stunningly successful, heading movements that flourished for years due, in part, to their keen ability to offer responses to social distress.
A Daughter Reflects On Her Dad's Ongoing Influence In 'All That You Leave Behind' April 10, 2019 • Erin Lee Carr's memoir about her relationship with her dad, David Carr, provokes gratitude and empathy — but she fails to investigate herself with the rigor she brings to her own journalism.
Personal Demons And Class Differences Complicate Love In 'Normal People' Fresh Air April 9, 2019 • Marianne is a social pariah, Connell is a football player. Sally Rooney's nuanced, flinty love story opens in a small town in Ireland, where two teens who "get" each other get together. Personal Demons And Class Differences Complicate Love In 'Normal People' Listen · 6:04 6:04 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/711377704/711452800" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Personal Demons And Class Differences Complicate Love In 'Normal People' Listen · 6:04 6:04 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/711377704/711452800" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
3 Young Adult Novels To Help You Out Of Hibernation April 9, 2019 • It's getting too nice to stay inside, but when you venture out into the sunshine, be sure to take a good book with you. And if young adult fiction is your favorite, we've got three great spring reads.
Teen Years Echo Through A Lifetime In 'Trust Exercise' April 9, 2019 • Susan Choi's new novel is set at a performing arts high school in the 1980s, as students navigate the line between adolescence and adulthood, student-teacher relationships and the drama of first love.
In 'Working,' Writer Robert Caro Explains His Process — And What Drives Him April 8, 2019 • The memoir is a window into the seemingly superhuman reporting, researching, writing and will-power that have led Caro's reinvention of the political biography. But when's the next LBJ book coming?
'The Old Drift' Takes The Long View Of Human (And Mosquito) History April 7, 2019 • Namwali Serpell's lush, sprawling new novel is a speculative history — and future — of Zambia, from colonialism to an ill-fated space program and the age of mass surveillance and drone warfare.
