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.
Special Series
The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books
This week: Meg Wolitzer, Charles Frazier, Jo Nesbo, Nafissa Thompson-Spires and James Sexton.
Maya Angelou and her mother, Vivian Baxter. Although it took years, Angelou and her mother eventually developed a close and loving relationship. Random House hide caption
In Digestion: Mary Roach Explains What Happens To The Food We Eat
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The Library of America recently published the ninth and final volume of a complete collection of Philip Roth's works, and a new documentary on PBS looks back on his prolific career. Courtesy PBS hide caption
At 80, Philip Roth Reflects On Life, Literature And The Beauty Of Naps
Chinua Achebe, Nigerian-born novelist and poet speaks about his works and his life at his home on the campus of Bard College in 2008. Craig Ruttle/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption
Dunya Mikhail is an Iraqi-American poet who teaches in Michigan. She has published five books in Arabic and two in English. Michael Smith/Courtesy of Dunya Mikhail hide caption
James Salter's previous books include The Hunters and A Sport and a Pastime. Corina Arranz hide caption
The cherry, prunus cerasus — specifically, the variety marasca — is the only plant that appears in the Manhattan cocktail in an easily recognizable form. But as author Amy Stewart explains, the maraschino garnish is far from the only horticultural element of the cocktail. See below for the rest of the ingredients in a Manhattan. Koehler's Medicinal Plants/Image courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.botanicus.org hide caption
Chewed pencils iStockphoto.com hide caption