The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books : NPR

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Poetry

Amiri Baraka Didn't Worry About His Politics Overpowering His Poetry

January 31, 2015 • "The real hallmark of an effective political artist is that the politics is accepted with the art," said Baraka. A new career-spanning anthology collects his work from 1961 to 2013. He died in 2014.

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'Little House,' Big Demand: Never Underestimate Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder entertained generations of children with her Little House series, which was loosely based on her family's pioneering life. Her memoir, Pioneer Girl, was published in 2014. South Dakota State Historical Society hide caption

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South Dakota State Historical Society

Book News & Features

'Little House,' Big Demand: Never Underestimate Laura Ingalls Wilder

January 28, 2015 • Wilder's memoir reveals that she witnessed more violence than you'd ever know from her children's books. The South Dakota State Historical Society can barely keep up with demand for the autobiography.

'Little House,' Big Demand: Never Underestimate Laura Ingalls Wilder

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After Father's Death, A Writer Learns How 'The Japanese Say Goodbye'

Marie Mutsuki Mockett says the Japanese tradition of Tōrō nagashi — lighting floating paper lanterns in honor of loved ones — reminded her that she was not alone in her grief. Alberto Carrasco Casado/Flickr hide caption

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Alberto Carrasco Casado/Flickr

Parallels

After Father's Death, A Writer Learns How 'The Japanese Say Goodbye'

January 27, 2015 • Lost in a deep depression, Marie Mutsuki Mockett visited a temple owned by her mother's family near Fukushima. There, she found traditions and ways of thought that helped her work through her grief.

After Father's Death, A Writer Learns How 'The Japanese Say Goodbye'

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In Winter, Keeping Warm With Beloved Books

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Book News & Features

In Winter, Keeping Warm With Beloved Books

January 25, 2015 • Critic Juan Vidal says winter is a time for turning inward and warding off the chill with your favorite books, the ones you return to over and over again when the days get shorter and snow closes in.

In 'Dear Father,' A Poet Disrupts The 'Cycle Of Pain'

Atria Books

Poetry

In 'Dear Father,' A Poet Disrupts The 'Cycle Of Pain'

January 25, 2015 • J. Ivy says his father grew up in pain and passed that pain on to the next generation. In his new book, he says that forgiveness is an ongoing act — and you must constantly remember to forgive again.

In 'Dear Father,' A Poet Disrupts The 'Cycle Of Pain'

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Frank Sinatra captured by photographer William "PoPsie" Randolph during a 1943 concert. Author Ben Yagoda points to Sinatra as one of the interpreters who helped revive the Great American Songbook. William "PoPsie" Randolph/Courtesy of Riverhead hide caption

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William "PoPsie" Randolph/Courtesy of Riverhead

Author Interviews

When Pop Broke Up With Jazz

January 23, 2015 • For the first half of the 20th century, Tin Pan Alley songwriters like Irving Berlin and the Gershwins dominated pop music. By the the 1950s, tastes had changed, and the music changed with them.

When Pop Broke Up With Jazz

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Bulgakov's 'Master' Still Strikes A Chord In Today's Russia

Written during the Soviet era, Mikhail Bulgakov's classic novel, The Master and Margarita, continues to resonate in today's Russia. Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images hide caption

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Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images

Parallels

Bulgakov's 'Master' Still Strikes A Chord In Today's Russia

January 21, 2015 • Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov's classic, The Master and Margarita, ridiculed Soviet leaders and bureaucracy. It wasn't published until 27 years after his death, but it still resonates with Russians.

Bulgakov's 'Master' Still Strikes A Chord In Today's Russia

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Exclusive First Read: Scott McCloud's 'The Sculptor'

Book Club: Hector Tobar Answers Your Questions About 'Deep Down Dark'

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Finding A Childhood Bully, And So Much More, In 'Whipping Boy'

Allen Kurzweil's previous books include The Grand Complication and A Case of Curiosities. Ferrante Ferranti hide caption

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Ferrante Ferranti

Author Interviews

Finding A Childhood Bully, And So Much More, In 'Whipping Boy'

January 18, 2015 • In his new memoir, Allen Kurzweil goes looking for his childhood tormentor — and discovers he's served time for involvement in an international fraud scheme so wild and colorful, it could be a movie.

Finding A Childhood Bully, And So Much More, In 'Whipping Boy'

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Author Interviews

Illustrated Memoir Recalls Marching In Selma At Just 15

January 17, 2015 • Lynda Blackmon Lowery was still a child when she joined the legendary 1965 march. Now she's written a book for young readers about the experience, called Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom.

Illustrated Memoir Recalls Marching In Selma At Just 15

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The Daily Texture Of Life Becomes Art In 'The First Bad Man'

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This Weekend, Visit San Francisco's Famed Forbidden City In 'China Dolls'

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'Golden Son' Is Space Opera That Doesn't Forget The Opera

Review

Time Machine

'Golden Son' Is Space Opera That Doesn't Forget The Opera

January 11, 2015 • Pierce Brown's followup to last year's Romans-in-space epic Red Rising is bigger, louder, and bloodier than its predecessor. Reviewer Jason Sheehan says it isn't perfect — but it is hard to put down.