NPR's Book of the Day

Author Emma Straub has written a book about family dynamics and the mess and love that comes with them in All Adults Here . It's no secret that families are complicated. Straub argues a lot of our familial relationships are watching each other grow up and whether or not you allow those you love to grow and change. She told NPR's Scott Simon though that even the bits that aren't perfect are worth l...

Two collections of short stories, both alike in playfulness in our fair podcast. The first is with Gwen Kirby whose debut collection of short stories is called, hilariously, Shit Cassandra Saw . It ranges from radioactive cockroaches to tapdancing Twizzlers. Kirby told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly that writing this book was a cathartic experience. The second interview is with Helen Oyeyemi about her co...

A non-fiction science book about animal sexuality could read like a dry textbook, but Eliot Schrefer wanted his book to be accessible. Queer Ducks uses interviews with scientists, illustrations, and stories to help teenagers learn more about sexuality in the animal kingdom. In an interview with Sacha Pfeiffer, Schrefer said he didn't want his book to argue for human behavior based on that of anima...

Frye Gaillard and Cynthia Tucker are old enough to remember Jim Crow in the South. But they recognize the part of the country they grew up in for both its flaws and its significant role in the history of the country. In their new book, The Southernization of America , Tucker and Gaillard make an argument about how the South shapes the nation's political and cultural landscape – for good and bad. I...

As a little boy grieving his mother, Séamas O'Reilly couldn't entirely grasp the monumental task it was for his father to have to raise 11 children all on his own. In his new memoir, Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? , he uses humor to get through all the sad, tragic parts of his childhood and to help celebrate the joy and love of his unusually large family. In an interview with Scott Simon on Weekend Editi...

Junteenth was celebrated across the country this weekend and is observed nationally Monday. In a new, Juneteenth-inspired cookbook, Nicole A. Taylor puts a summery spin on traditional African American food: making cocktails with sweet potatoes, fresh salads with collard greens and tons of ice cream. Although many people argue against commemorating the holiday with barbecues and other celebrations,...

Father's Day is this Sunday, giving us a good opportunity to reflect not only the art of fatherhood but also on the struggles that come after dads leave us. First, Helen McDonald talks to Robin Young on Here and Now about grieving her father's death by training a hawk – and finding her path again after grief. Then, Keggie Carew discusses her memoir Dadland , which talks about her relationship with...

You've probably seen it: Reese Witherspoon playing ambitious, throat-cutting Tracy Flick in the 1999 movie Election. It's the film adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel of the same name. Now, Perrotta has written a sequel called Tracy Flick Can't Win . In it, we meet Tracy Flick in middle age and just a tad bit away from accomplishing her high school dreams of becoming president of the United States....

Keri Blakinger says there are no rules behind bars. In 2010, she was arrested on a drug charge and spent two years in prison. And although that statement might sound counterintuitive, Blakinger says that inside the prison, no one is watching when it matters. In her memoir Corrections in Ink , she writes about her path from high-achieving teenager to incarcerated woman to reporter and writer. In an...

Inspired by a true story from Oakland, California, Leila Mottley's first novel follows a young Black girl who is sexually abused by a group of police officers. Kiara is a 17-year-old girl who comes from a fractured, poor family, and the novel follows her story as she attempts to survive and thrive navigating so much with so little protection. In an interview with Ayesha Roscoe on Weekend Edition S...

Four strangers sitting in the reading room of the Boston Public Library suddenly hear a woman's piercing scream. When the body is found, the four characters quickly become friends as they work to solve the mystery. It's the plot of Sulari Gentill's new novel The Woman in the Library , a thriller set in the cold winter months of Boston, Massachusetts. In an interview on All Things Considered, Genti...

There is a common hurdle for many first generation immigrants: feeling out of place. Whether that's in school, speaking a different language, or living through parents' expectations. Today: two books about overcoming those feelings of inadequacy. First, Simu Liu, Marvel's first Asian superhero, discusses his memoir We Were Dreamers , where he talks about his complicated relationship with his paren...

Author Dan Chaon wanted to find a way to write about current times – instability, fear, political division – by creating an alternate version of America. Set in the future, his new book Sleepwalk is a dark and shadowy dystopia "one more pandemic away." Through the story, however, his eccentric main character discovers a longing for kingship and connection that was partly inspired by Chaon's experi...

We have something a little different today. Often when we travel to new places, we look for books about the areas we'll be exploring. Whether via travel books, poetry, or fiction, reading about new places can help us understand them in all of their complexities. As summer kicks off and many start traveling, we asked experts in every state – and also D.C. and Puerto Rico – to tell us the books they...

Leslie Fenwick is a nationally-known education policy and leadership studies scholar at Howard University. In her new book, Jim Crow's Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership , Fenwick argues that the landmark Brown Versus the Board of Education decision ending legal segregation in American schools also resulted in the mass firing, or demotion, of Black principals and...

The last couple of years have been tough for everyone, and dealing with the plethora of emotions they have brought on can be complicated for many adults. In their new book, Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay , Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy explore seven emotions that they found particularly difficult to overcome: uncertainty, comparison, anger, burnout, perfectionism, despa...

Trauma isn't finite. It doesn't happen only to one person – and its effects on people and communities don't always end. Today, two books that explore the different sides of generational trauma: First, Anjali Enjeti talks about The Parted Earth , a novel that traces the impact of India's partition across several generations and explores how understanding our families' pasts can help us understand o...

Grady Hendrix loves horror movies, especially those old 80s slashers. And his new book is a tribute to that "final girl" at the end of so many of them: The one who doesn't necessarily survive by being smarter or stronger, but simply makes it to the end alive by not giving up. NPR's Audie Cornish interviewed him about his novel Final Girl Support Group , which is about exactly what it sounds like,...

Jhumpa Lahiri is best known for her fictional stories about immigration; novels that usually explore themes that arise from living in between two worlds. In her new book of essays, Translating Myself and Others , Lahiri writes about the ways in which she herself has lived between worlds, and the other kind of writing she does: translation. In an interview with All Things Considered, Lahiri spoke t...

For teenagers, every life question can feel existential. It was like that for Elif Batuman, who found meaning through literature and creative writing. Her new book Either/Or – the sequel to The Idiot – explores the life of an adolescent as she looks for answers to her questions in books. In an interview on Morning Edition, Batuman told Rachel Martin about living an aesthetic life, experiencing a s...

During World War II, as American publishers sought ways to support the troops abroad, they began printing small, pocket-sized books that soldiers could fit anywhere. In When Books Went to War , Molly Guptill Manning tells the story of these little printed editions and how they served as a way of entertainment for soldiers looking for an escape from war. In an interview with Morning Edition, Guptil...

Contrary to how it might feel when we're just seeing them through screens, celebrities, too, deal with very common human problems: disease, mental health concerns, complicated relationships. Today, we bring you two celebrity memoirs that show journeys in the spotlight and the human side of fame. First, Selma Blair talks about her memoir Mean Baby , in which she recounts her battles with addiction,...

In a frightening new horror novel, a young woman reunites with her cousin after escaping from a motherhood cult. In Just Like Mother , Anne Heltzel explores many different perspectives on motherhood, from unquestioning desire to ambivalence and fear. In an interview on Weekend Edition Sunday, Heltzel told Ayesha Roscoe about how she was able to 'spread her wings in the horror genre,' and that she...

Most people know George Floyd through how he died, not how he lived. His Name is George Floyd , a new biography by journalists Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, is trying to change that. Through his diary, interviews with family and friends, and research, Samuels and Olorunnipa paint a picture of who Floyd was as a man, without shying away from his imperfections. In an interview on All Things...

The leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion on Roe v. Wade earlier this month has reignited debates about the power and reach of the highest court in the country. In his new book, Our Unfinished March, former Attorney General Eric Holder argues in favor of reforms, such as term limits and streamlining appointments, that he says would protect minorities. In an interview with Michel Martin on All Th...