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  • Rebecca Yarros on literary tropes, writing through chronic illness and 'Fourth Wing'
    2024/10/26
    Rebecca Yarros is the author of The Empyrean series, a wildly popular collection of "romantasy" novels. In a conversation with NPR's Emily Kwong at this year's National Book Festival, Yarros said she wanted to plot an enemies-to-lovers story when she began writing Fourth Wing, the first book in this series. In today's episode, Yarros talks about the genre tropes she tries to embrace and avoid in her writing. She also discusses working through a chronic illness, how history and politics shape her stories, and the influence of her husband's military experience on how she approaches themes of violence in her work.

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    19 分
  • In new children's books from Trevor Noah and Travis Jonker, adventure is not far off
    2024/10/25
    In two new children's books, characters discover worlds of adventure just outside their doorsteps. Trevor Noah's first picture book, Into the Uncut Grass, is about a young boy and his teddy bear who wander outside the boundaries of their home into unknown territory. The story, illustrated by Sabina Hahn, is about exploring the internal world of a child's imagination and bridging disagreements and differences. In today's episode, Noah speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about how children can begin to grasp the interior lives of their parents and how humor can be a way to process reality. Then, librarian and author Travis Jonker and illustrator Matthew Cordell join Rascoe for a conversation about their new book, The Ship in the Window. They said the book was inspired by a real-life model ship Jonker spotted at a neighbor's house. In the interview, Jonker and Cordell discuss other references for the book, including the work of author William Steig and the book's vintage-inspired color palette.

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    19 分
  • A new biography portrays Queen Elizabeth II as the British public's emotional anchor
    2024/10/24
    Author and essayist Craig Brown is perhaps best known for his sketch comedy writing and satirical columns poking fun at the British government. But he's also a biographer, having written about subjects like Princess Margaret and The Beatles. Now, he's turned his attention to Queen Elizabeth II in a new biography, Q: A Voyage Around the Queen. In the book, Brown portrays the monarch as an anchor for the British public who penetrated the emotional psyche of a nation–even appearing in people's dreams. In today's episode, Brown joins NPR's Scott Simon to talk about what Queen Elizabeth II symbolized to people, what she would've done with her life had she not been royalty, and the unchanging nature of her character.

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    8 分
  • 'How Women Made Music' reexamines the history of music with women at its center
    2024/10/23
    Earlier this week, several legendary female artists–including Cher, Mary J. Blige and Big Mama Thornton–were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But despite this recognition, the history of women in popular music has always been marked by struggle. How Women Made Music, a new book from NPR Music and edited by Alison Fensterstock, centers and celebrates that radical history by compiling archival interviews, essays and images from the past 50 years. In today's episode, NPR's Ann Powers talks with NPR's Scott Detrow about the multi-platform project that inspired the book and how female artists have changed history by making revolutionary music–not just by telling their stories.

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    6 分
  • With a new cookbook, TikTok creator Owen Han aims to perfect the art of the sandwich
    2024/10/22
    Owen Han used to work in hospitals, but his life changed in 2020 when his father died. Motivated by his late father's encouragement to pursue his passions, Han started posting food content on TikTok. He shared recipes for dishes inspired by his Italian and Chinese heritage, like his grandmother's shrimp toast. Since then, Han has become known for his creative twists on classic sandwiches–and fittingly, sandwiches are the focus of his new cookbook, 'Stacked.' In today's episode, Han joins NPR's Scott Simon to talk about his expansive definition of a sandwich and how ASMR has inspired his approach to texture.

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    8 分
  • 'The Indian Card' explores the question of Native identity in the United States
    2024/10/21
    Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz is a self-proclaimed data nerd. So, when she started work on a project on Native identity, she turned to the Census data. Quickly, she noticed that the number of people in the United States who identify as Native had skyrocketed over the last decade. That data made her curious about how communities–and the federal government–have historically defined Native identity. The result of that project is a new nonfiction book, The Indian Card, which combines research and interviews to tell stories about the relationship between identity and bureaucracy. In today's episode, Lowry Schuettpelz joins NPR's Scott Detrow to talk about the historical and personal impact of federal policies like the Indian Relocation Act, blood quantum and tribal enrollment.

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    9 分
  • Food meets family in new books from Ina Garten and Stephen Colbert
    2024/10/18
    Ina Garten and Stephen Colbert share some big commonalities. They've both had long and successful careers in television, they're friends–and they love food. Garten has built her career around her persona as the Barefoot Contessa, with recipes that find the intersection between simple and interesting. And now, she's out with a memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens. Colbert also has a food-centered book, although his project is a cookbook co-authored with his wife, Evie McGee-Colbert. In today's episode, NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Garten about growing up in a home where food was strictly fuel and about the joy of solving complex problems. Later, Shapiro talks with the Colberts about the cuisine of the South Carolina Lowcountry and how they've finally learned to play sous-chef for each other 31 years into their marriage.

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    18 分
  • 'Twenty-Four Seconds from Now' is a love story for Black boys–and everyone else, too
    2024/10/17
    Earlier this month, novelist and poet Jason Reynolds received a grant from the MacArthur Foundation for his work "depicting the rich inner lives of kids of color." The latest example of that work is Twenty-Four Seconds from Now..., Reynolds' new young adult novel. The book follows a young Black couple, Neon and Aria, high school seniors who face a potential split as one of them prepares to attend college. The novel explores the couple's decisions around love and intimacy as they navigate their relationship while receiving mixed advice from parents and friends. In today's episode, Reynolds speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about how rare it is for love stories to be narrated by Black boys and the complexity of young men's interior lives, especially around topics like body image and sex.

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    8 分