NPR's Book of the Day

Distinguished war correspondent Thomas Ricks analyzes how civil rights movement protesters used military principles and strategies in his new book, Waging a Good War . He explains to Steve Inskeep how although unarmed and non-violent, the discipline, training, and willingness to sacrifice everything allowed the protesters to achieve success and employ tactics rivaling those of the U.S. military. S...

In this episode, NPR's Scott Simon interviews two writers whose books about friendship reckon with how people, and what we experience with them, make us who we are. First, Hua Hsu talks about his memoir Stay True which focuses on one of his formative college friendships, and how that friendship was cut tragically short. Then, we hear from Kamala Shamsie about her novel Best of Friends . It follows...

Dick Ebersol was a major player in the world of American entertainment until his retirement over a decade ago. He co-created Saturday Night Live , and created Sunday Night Football, which was once the most watched television program in America. In this episode, we get a glimpse of Ebersol's 40-year career as he talks with NPR hosts Ari Shapiro and Juana Summers about his new autobiography From Sat...

Randall Munroe's first book of scientific answers to the absurd questions people have was so popular that he wrote another one. In What If? 2, the author and cartoonist answers confusing and often unusual questions submitted by adults – and children – using science and humor. He spoke to NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about why it's important to lean into this confusion, and how that actually makes way for c...

Kwame Alexander's new novel aimed at teens, The Door of No Return, focuses on the history of slavery. It follows a boy growing up in Ghana in 1860, and it aims to help readers understand the wholeness of the lives and experiences of Africans before they walked through that "door of no return" – and were shipped to the Americas. In an interview with NPR's Rachel Martin, Alexander talks about how he...

In 2009, Hilary Mantel won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for her novel Wolf Hall. Mantel died in September, and in this episode we hear former NPR host Liane Hansen's interview with Mantel just after she won the prize. In the novel, Mantel examines the reign of England's King Henry VIII through the life and relationships of his trusted advisor Thomas Cromwell – and the author says it's importan...

The two books in today's episode point up how authors write and empathize with characters that aren't exactly likable. First we hear from Anthony Doerr who spoke to NPR correspondent Arun Rath about his Pulitzer-Prize winning novel All The Light We Cannot See . Doer talks about how we can better understand the moral choices people make by tuning into untold stories. Then, Scott Simon of NPR's Week...

Author Tochi Onyebuchi says that a majority of space stories he's come across favor those in power. Rich and white people get to escape in spaceships, whereas less affluent Black and brown people are left behind on an increasingly inhabitable Earth. His new science-fiction novel Goliath gets at this power imbalance, and the author spoke to Juana Summers about how it tells us so much about racial a...

In her new graphic memoir, It Won't Always Be Like This, NPR Editor Malaka Gharib revisits the summers she spent in Cairo, Egypt and how they shaped who she is today. She writes about her relationship with her dad and her step-mom, and how that relationship strengthened over the years even as the distance between them grew. The author, her dad, and her step-mom all spoke with NPR's Leila Fadel. Se...

The Marriage Portrait is Maggie O' Farrell's fictional interpretation of Lucrezia de Cosimo de Medici, who fights to survive her forced marriage with her abhorrent husband, Duke Alfonso II. In an interview with Mary Louise Kelly, O'Farrell discusses themes of loss of control and explains her philosophy in how she portrays these historical figures. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...

When former President Donald Trump was in office, a number of his aides said they wanted to quit out of concern for the country's political and military future. Some did quit, some didn't. Political reporters Susan Glasser and Peter Baker conducted 300 interviews for their new book The Divider – two of those with the former President himself. They spoke to Ayesha Rascoe about Trump's White House t...

Today, YA adult novels – both of which have faced bans from schools and libraries – focus on conversations with kids regarding race and police brutality. First, Angie Thomas talks about The Hate You Give , in which an unarmed black teenager is killed by a police officer. Thomas reflects on victims of racial injustice in this discussion. Then, we hear from Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely about All...

Tova Friedman says she's telling her story of having survived the Holocaust in her memoir, Daughter of Auschwitz , to honor the victims' memories. In a profound conversation with Scott Simon, she recalls her childhood – from her tiny apartment in the Jewish ghetto to the crematorium in the concentration camp – and grapples with how such atrocities could have even happened. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

The Unfolding examines the socio-political upheaval in the U.S. following the election of President Barack Obama – as seen through the lens of a wealthy, influential Republican power broker. Author A.M. Homes talks with Ari Shapiro about how she writes characters who she thinks wouldn't normally tell their stories – and also discusses the political evolution of America. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

In her new children's book, I Am Ruby Bridges , civil rights activist Ruby Bridges tells the story of how she was the first black child to desegregate an all-white elementary school – through the eyes of her 6-year-old self. She shares in a conversation with Mary Louise Kelly stories of the racism she endured and how her loneliness at school may resonate with kids today. See pcm.adswizz.com for in...

Iuliia Mendel, press secretary to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, offers a peek behind the curtain in her new memoir, The Fight of Our Lives: My Time with Zelenskyy, Ukraine's Battle for Democracy and What it Means for the World . In an interview with Mary Louise Kelly, Mendel talks about Vladimir Putin – and the resilience of Ukraine. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect...

The two books featured in this episode are stories examining the difficulties and stressors of being Latino in America. First is I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter , which is about a 15-year-old girl who has a contentious relationship with her immigrant parents. Author Erika L. Sánchez explains in conversation with Latino USA's Maria Hinojosa her goal to challenge ideas of Latina perfection. T...

Ken Starr's 2018 memoir, Contempt , gives an inside look into his investigation of the Clinton administration that led to President Clinton's impeachment. In an interview from back when the book was published, Starr, who died this week, discusses in a conversation with Steve Inskeep his perspective on the president and the law, which at times may seem to conflict with his later stance on President...

Mia Mercado's essay collection She's Nice Though: Essays on Being Bad at Being Good examines the reasons why one would want to be viewed as "nice." She explores why one would want to be liked, what we try to accomplish by being nice, and how constraining being agreeable can be. NPR's Ailsa Chang discusses this with Mercado, as well as how this plays into gender and dating. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

In Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships , NPR's own Nina Totenberg documents her friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and how it would sometimes be at odds with their professional duties. Totenberg talks with Steve Inskeep about their respect for each other's obligations as a journalist and a Supreme Court judge, and how they lifted each other up in a time when women were even m...

In Nickel and Dimed , author Barbara Ehrenreich lives the life of a low-wage worker and explores how unsustainable poverty is, as well as how easy it can be for one to get stuck in a vicious cycle. In this conversation with John Ydstie from 2001, Ehrenreich, who died earlier this month, discusses the symptoms of a profit-driven society and the issues that echo those today. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

The two books featured in this episode focus on accessing feelings and mental health. First is a book of essays by spoken word artist, Bassey Ikpi. Ikpi tells Scott Simon that her book I'm Telling the Truth but I'm Lying chronicles the hard work it took to make a real life for herself after facing abuse at home. Then we hear from neurologist and physician Anna DeForest on her novel that questions...

The main argument Gaia Vince makes in her book Nomad Century is that in order for three to five billion people on Earth to survive, it will require a planned and deliberate migration of the kind humanity has never before undertaken. NPR's Scott Simon discusses this possibility with Vince as she explains how human kind has hampered the success of migration through "artificial bordering of nation st...

Olaf Olafsson's new novel Touch is a combination of mystery, memories lost, and love. It puts the idea of "the one that got away" front and center and explores how loneliness can be felt in many different ways. In an interview with Mary Louise Kelly, Olafsson shares why the pandemic was the perfect time to write this story. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of person...

In the book Path Lit by Lightning , author David Maraniss does more than just write Jim Thorpe's life story. He delves into what caused misconceptions and false narratives about the great athlete, examines how exploitation of Native Americans by the U.S. government helped shape Thorpe's resilience, and offers a different perspective on the last few years of Thorpe's life as something admirable. In...