books
News
Is White, Working Class America 'Coming Apart'?In his new book, Charles Murray, co-author of the controversial The Bell Curve, argues that in an increasingly economically stratified America, the white working class is slipping behind.
npr.org | 06-Feb-2012 22:33
Comedian Baratunde Thurston On 'How To Be Black'
Thurston is the son of a pro-black, pan-African mother. He straddled the worlds between his troubled neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and the elite halls of Harvard University. He speaks with host Michel Martin about some of his witty and profound thoughts on race. His new book How To Be Black is part of Tell Me More 's memoir series for Black History Month.
npr.org | 06-Feb-2012 18:00
Down To Brass Tacks: A Detailed Etching Of Moscow
In historical fiction, the facts draw the reader in, making the world of the novel believable. That's the lesson author Eva Stachniak learned from The Beginning of Spring , a Penelope Fitzgerald novel that immerses readers in the lives of its Russian characters.
npr.org | 06-Feb-2012 17:01
'Stay Awake': Stories On Grief And Everything After
Dan Chaon's short stories depict the weight and strain of mourning with impressive sensitivity and authenticity.
npr.org | 06-Feb-2012 13:00
'The Fear Index' Trades In Thrills
Dr. Alex Hoffman is a billionaire genius who invented a form of artificial intelligence that predicts movements in the financial markets. When the security of his mansion is breached, though, he is thrown into a web of paranoia and violence.
npr.org | 06-Feb-2012 06:01
How Whitey Bulger Corrupted The Justice System
Whitey Bulger was the crime boss of South Boston while being protected by the FBI as a confidential informant. Former FBI agent Robert Fitzpatrick's new memoir chronicles his ultimately unsuccessful attempt to bring Bulger down.
npr.org | 05-Feb-2012 21:10
NASCAR's Waltrip: Why It 'Will Never Be The Same'
NASCAR Hall Of Fame driver Darrell Waltrip has a new book, Sundays Will Never Be the Same . Waltrip discusses his long and successful career as a driver and his time afterward in the announcer's booth. Host Rachel Martin also speaks with Waltrip about the day his longtime friend and rival Dale Earnhart died in a crash.
npr.org | 05-Feb-2012 14:00
A Tale Of Two Centuries: Charles Dickens Turns 200
The beloved storyteller was born on Feb. 7, 1812. He had little formal education, but his novels made him famous in his own time, and continue as classics in ours. His two-dozen works of fiction have never gone out of print.
npr.org | 05-Feb-2012 12:04
Media 'Miracle': The 'Big' Story Of Three Whales
In 1988, journalist Tom Rose was sent to Barrow, Alaska, to cover the dramatic rescue of three gray whales. His book has been adapted into a movie called Big Miracle — but the real miracle is how this event became a news story at all.
npr.org | 04-Feb-2012 12:08
It's Too Easy Being Green
Living high on the Prius Fallacy: Why we pretend that more benign consumption is good for the environment.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 06:05
In Paris, Islamic Art Under a Flying Carpet
The Louvre's new project, designed by Italy's Mario Bellini and France's Rudy Ricciotti, will debut in September.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 04:30
Why French Parents Are Superior
While Americans fret over modern parenthood, the French are raising happy, well-behaved children without all the anxiety. Pamela Druckerman on the Gallic secrets for avoiding tantrums, teaching patience and saying "non" with authority.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 04:22
The Secret Appeal of 'Downton Abbey'
Why do we adore a celebration of British pecking orders? Because hierarchies are as American as apple pie.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 03:21
Did Early Humans Ride the Waves to Australia?
Until 150,000 years ago, all our ancestors lived in Africa—and then they started spreading out. Matt Ridley examines the theories around the exodus.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 03:00
Week in Ideas: Christopher Shea
In this column: Nature disappears from picture books, a bullet with some sense, and when it helps to lead a ballot.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 02:57
Week in Words
Erin McKean of Wordnik presents a field guide to unusual words in this week's Wall Street Journal.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 02:52
Sentiment Tracker: Ready for Some Football
The online buzz about the Super Bowl, with the New York Giants and the New England Patriots facing off in Indianapolis.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 02:29
Getting Inside Someone Else's Head
Dan Chaon, author of "Stay Awake: Stories" and the novel "Await Your Reply," on assuming fictional identities.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 02:25
The Wall Street Gene
What makes a top trader? Researchers point to dopamine, says Jonah Lehrer.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 02:21
Don't Forget: Tips for Remembering
Exercises for boosting memory, from the book "Max Your Memory."
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 02:16
Biting Back at Hollywood's Animal Lies
"The Grey" and its depiction of wolves is far from alone in offending, says Joe Queenan—movies get all kinds of animals grievously wrong. Pigs can't talk, for one thing.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 01:56
Invading Cuba, Packing Artworks
Ella Fontanals-Cisneros of Miami will bring part of her collection to Havana.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 00:43
Don't Miss: Feb. 4-10
Exhibitions listed this week include baseball cards featuring African-American pioneers in the major leagues, Eugène Atget's photos and Bill Traylor's drawings.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 00:41
When Artists' Kodaks Were Supercool
"Snapshot: Painters and Photography," looks at what seven late-19th-century European artists did with their new Kodak hand-held cameras.
WSJ.com | 04-Feb-2012 00:39
Ideas Calendar: Feb. 4-10
On the agenda: obsolete law in Washington, Harvard professors and the Ming dynasty in San Francisco.
WSJ.com | 03-Feb-2012 23:37
For the Love of a Fickle Woman
With his third feature film, François Truffaut injected the French New Wave with an exhilarating does of life in "Jules and Jim."
WSJ.com | 03-Feb-2012 23:25
'Best Practices': Learning To Live With Asperger's
David Finch was 30-years-old when he discovered that he was on the autism spectrum. In Journal of Best Practices, he describes how he learned to manage the disorder — and become a better husband and father in the process.
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 21:51
Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Smash' Talk And Getting Serious About Reading
On this week's show: A discussion about the ups and downs of NBC's new musical drama Smash , and a chat with NPR.org's new books editor about high literature, low literature, and how people read.
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 17:08
No Doubt: U.S. Remains 'Tremendously Influential'
Some believe America is in decline. But author Robert Kagan disagrees. He talks to Steve Inskeep about his new book The World America Made ." President Obama recently discussed an article Kagan wrote for The New Republic called "The Myth of American Decline."
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 11:14
NPR Bestsellers: Week Of February 2, 2012
Compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 02:25
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
A memoir from the chef behind New York restaurant Prune, Blood, Bones & Butter debuts at No. 8.
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 02:24
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
Adapted into an Oscar-nominated film, The Help sits at No. 4 in its 43rd week on the list.
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 02:21
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
Susan Cain explores common misconceptions regarding introverts in Quiet , which debuts at No. 3.
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 02:20
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of February 2, 2012
In Taken , two undercover detectives infiltrate the world of human trafficking. It debuts at No. 7.
npr.org | 03-Feb-2012 02:19
Flush Poets Society: Donnelly's 'Cloud Corporation' Wins Six-Figure Prize
Robert Graves once said, "There's no money in poetry." But Brooklyn-based poet Timothy Donnelly might disagree.
npr.org | 02-Feb-2012 21:45
Things Fell Apart: Tony Judt's 'Twentieth Century'
The late British-American writer blends personal and political history in this brilliant final take on a century rife with ideological clashes.
npr.org | 02-Feb-2012 20:11
Celebrating The Legacy Of Langston Hughes
The works of Langston Hughes reflect the lives and struggles of African Americans, and celebrate the richness of the culture. February 1, 2012 marked the 110th anniversary of the late poet, musician and playwright's birth.
npr.org | 02-Feb-2012 19:00
Wislawa Szymborska, Poet Of Gentle Irony, Dies At 88
The Polish poet, a Nobel Prize winner in 1996, died Wednesday in Krakow, Poland. Szymborska was an ironist who deployed whimsy and a light touch, even when exploring weighty themes. Critic David Orr praises her as a writer of "dry-eyed, athletic precision."
npr.org | 02-Feb-2012 18:29
Gov. Deval Patrick has two-book deal
NEW YORK - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has a two-book deal, including a budget-priced e-book and a second...
BostonHerald.com | 02-Feb-2012 16:52
Fired And Foreclosed: Unemployment Lit
Unlike the Great Depression, our current recession hasn't yet produced much memorable literature, but book critic Maureen Corrigan says that situation, like the economy, seems to be changing.
npr.org | 02-Feb-2012 16:48
New In Paperback Jan. 30-Feb. 5
Novelist David Levithan takes a wry look at adultery, while food writer Jessica Harris takes an African journey, astronomer Mike Brown explains the demotion of planet Pluto, novelist Stephen Amidon probes the human heart with his cardiologist brother Thomas, and veterinarian Nicholas Dodman offers help for aging dogs.
npr.org | 02-Feb-2012 04:46
S'il-Vous-Plait: Raising Your 'Bebe' The French Way
Raising her children in Paris, American journalist Pamela Druckerman discovered that the French have mastered the art of child-rearing — or at least they have mastered the art of smoothly assimilating children into adult routines and reducing the stress of parenting.
npr.org | 01-Feb-2012 22:47
Kesey's 'Cuckoo's Nest' Still Flying At 50
The classic American novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has hit the half-century mark. It made its author, Ken Kesey, a literary celebrity — and helped alter perceptions of mental institutions.
npr.org | 01-Feb-2012 22:23
'Before Watchmen,' Apocalyptic Tales, And Leaving Well Enough Alone
Commentator Marc Hirsh says that while rebooting comic-book characters isn't anything new, it's another thing entirely to create prequels to a work that was initially as whole as Watchmen .
npr.org | 01-Feb-2012 21:26
In Praise of the Gross
Making a case that it was the insolent tone of "Tropic of Cancer"—more than the now tame sex scenes—that incited the book-banners. Lee Sandlin reviews "Renegade."
WSJ.com | 01-Feb-2012 20:56
Baratunde Thurston Explains 'How To Be Black'
From the comedian and digital director of The Onion , a satirical self-help book for anyone who has a black friend, wants to be the next black president or speak for the black community.
npr.org | 01-Feb-2012 17:33