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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.
In 'Green,' A Pre-Teen Wisens Up To His Privilege

'Green,' By Sam Graham Felsen Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

Author Interviews

In 'Green,' A Pre-Teen Wisens Up To His Privilege

Author Sam Graham-Felsen was the chief blogger for the Obama campaign in 2008. His debut novel is a coming-of-age story that grapples with race in America.

In 'Green,' A Pre-Teen Wisens Up To His Privilege

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In 'The Nothing,' A Dirty Old Man Lusts For Life
Claire Harbage/NPR

Author Interviews

In 'The Nothing,' A Dirty Old Man Lusts For Life

The new novel from British author Hanif Kureishi finds its octogenarian protagonist, who suspects his wife may be cheating on him, preoccupied with sex and aging.

In 'The Nothing,' A Dirty Old Man Lusts For Life

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In 'The Power,' Women Develop A Weapon That Changes Everything

The Power By Naomi Alderman. Jennifer Kerrigan/NPR hide caption

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Jennifer Kerrigan/NPR

Book News & Features

In 'The Power,' Women Develop A Weapon That Changes Everything

Naomi Alderman's new novel imagines a world in which women suddenly pose a physical threat to men. Alderman says it was gratifying to imagine how characters might use that power to fight back.

In 'The Power,' Women Develop A Weapon That Changes Everything

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Author Interviews

For Novelist Jennifer Egan, 'The Joy Of Writing Is Being Delivered Out Of My Life'

Fresh Air

"I don't use my life as inspiration," says the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. Her new book, Manhattan Beach, imagines the lives of the women who worked on the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II.

For Novelist Jennifer Egan, 'The Joy Of Writing Is Being Delivered Out Of My Life'

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Why Teens Find The End Of The World So Appealing
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NPR Ed

Why Teens Find The End Of The World So Appealing

Dystopian novels are all about consequences, choices and grey areas. And psychologists say that plays right into the sweet spot of the developing teenage brain.

Why Teens Find The End Of The World So Appealing

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As She Turns 90, Suspense Still Thrills Author Mary Higgins Clark

Author Mary Higgins Clark signs copies of her book Daddy's Gone A Hunting at the Simon and Schuster office in New York in 2013. Mary Altaffer/AP hide caption

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Mary Altaffer/AP

Book News & Features

As She Turns 90, Suspense Still Thrills Author Mary Higgins Clark

Known as the "queen of suspense," Higgins Clark still publishes two books a year. She says the greatest compliment she gets is when someone tells her, "'I read your darn book till 4 in the morning.'"

As She Turns 90, Suspense Still Thrills Author Mary Higgins Clark

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Tiffany Haddish: 'I Know What I'm Supposed To Do Here On This Earth'

Once she started having fun onstage, Tiffany Haddish says "People were kind; it was easier to move forward." Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Culture Creators hide caption

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Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Culture Creators

Author Interviews

Tiffany Haddish: 'I Know What I'm Supposed To Do Here On This Earth'

The Girl's Trip actress has had what seems like a meteoric rise over the last year: a blockbuster movie, a gig hosting Saturday Night Live, and now a new memoir, The Last Black Unicorn.

Tiffany Haddish: 'I Know What I'm Supposed To Do Here On This Earth'

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Showstopping Holiday Desserts For Home Cooks Of All Skill Levels

Step by step visual instructions for rolling the pavlova with peaches and blackberries. We use plums instead of peaches for our holiday version. Peden + Munk hide caption

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Peden + Munk

The Salt

Showstopping Holiday Desserts For Home Cooks Of All Skill Levels

Want to take your homemade treats to the next level? We've got three recipes to put warmth, color and a little wow on your holiday table from chef Yotam Ottolenghi.

Showstopping Holiday Desserts For Home Cooks Of All Skill Levels

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Maureen Corrigan Picks Books To Close Out A Chaotic 2017
Laura Roman/NPR

Review

Book Reviews

Maureen Corrigan Picks Books To Close Out A Chaotic 2017

Fresh Air

Fresh Air's book critic says her 2017 list is chaotic in a good way. "These books zing off in all directions: They're fresh, unruly and dismissive of the canned and contrived."

Maureen Corrigan Picks Books To Close Out A Chaotic 2017

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'Ferdinand' The Peaceful Bull Gets His First Full-Length Film

In the late 1930s, The Story of Ferdinand briefly outsold Gone With The Wind. Penguin Young Readers hide caption

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Penguin Young Readers

Movies

'Ferdinand' The Peaceful Bull Gets His First Full-Length Film

In 1936 the book, The Story of Ferdinand, was published. Two years later, Disney turned it into an Oscar-winning short film. Now, the beloved story has gotten its first major movie adaptation.

'Ferdinand' The Peaceful Bull Gets His First Full-Length Film

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