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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books This week: Meg Wolitzer's latest, Charles Frazier returns to the Civil War, the pressures of being the only black person in the room, a new Macbeth, and marriage-saving tips from a divorce lawyer.
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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

This week: Meg Wolitzer, Charles Frazier, Jo Nesbo, Nafissa Thompson-Spires and James Sexton.
Amiri Baraka Didn't Worry About His Politics Overpowering His Poetry
Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Poetry

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

"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.

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

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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

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

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'

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 'Dear Father,' A Poet Disrupts The 'Cycle Of Pain'
Atria Books

Poetry

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

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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When Pop Broke Up With Jazz

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

When Pop Broke Up With Jazz

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

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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Book Club: Hector Tobar Answers Your Questions About 'Deep Down Dark'
Kainaz Amaria/NPR

The 'Morning Edition' Book Club

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

Tobar says it was a "great honor" to interview the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days in 2010. They lived "one of the great adventure stories of the 21st century," he says.

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

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

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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Illustrated Memoir Recalls Marching In Selma At Just 15

Illustrated Memoir Recalls Marching In Selma At Just 15

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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'Girl On The Train' Is A Journey Into The Lives Of Familiar Strangers
Bart Sadowski/iStockphoto

'Girl On The Train' Is A Journey Into The Lives Of Familiar Strangers

In the new psychological thriller, Rachel Watson becomes obsessed with a "perfect couple" she sees each day during her commute. When the woman in the couple disappears, Rachel decides to get involved.

'Girl On The Train' Is A Journey Into The Lives Of Familiar Strangers

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

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

In this installment of Weekend Reads, Jean Kwok recommends Lisa See's novel China Dolls, about the unlikely friendship formed by three young women on vaudeville's all-Asian "Chop Suey Circuit."

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

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