Episódios

  • 'We Were Liars' author returns for more teenage catharsis in 'We Fell Apart'

    'We Were Liars' author returns for more teenage catharsis in 'We Fell Apart'
    Nov 26 2025
    E. Lockhart understands the struggle of being a teenager. Her first novel We Were Liars was a standout YA hit of 2014, celebrated (and at times, criticized) amongst teens in particular for its twisty and devastating coming-of-age narrative set on a fictional island near Martha’s Vineyard. Lockhart returns to the East Coast for We Fell Apart, her third book in the series, crafting another summer tale of mystery and self-discovery. In today’s episode, Lockhart joins NPR’s Juana Summers to discuss her newest novel, and what we could all learn from teenagers — and perhaps their reading habits too.

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    8 minutos
  • Comic journalist Joe Sacco on his portrait of deadly riots in Uttar Pradesh, India

    Comic journalist Joe Sacco on his portrait of deadly riots in Uttar Pradesh, India
    Nov 25 2025
    In 2013, two young Hindu cousins killed a Muslim man in a rural part of Uttar Pradesh, India. What followed was a series of alternating violence in the region between Hindus and Muslims. Renowned comic journalist Joe Sacco's new book, The Once And Future Riot, investigates that conflict and the stories people tell themselves about what happened. In today’s episode, Sacco speaks with NPR’s Andrew Limbong about illustrating violence and the “she-said, he-said” nature of this story.


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    9 minutos
  • Justinian Huang’s new novel follows a Taiwanese-American family intent on a male heir

    Justinian Huang’s new novel follows a Taiwanese-American family intent on a male heir
    Nov 24 2025
    Justinian Huang’s new novel Lucky Seed is about a single, gay son pressured by his Taiwanese-American family to produce a male heir. In an interview with NPR’s All Things Considered, Huang tells NPR’s Ailsa Chang that his own family asked him to have a baby boy – or else they would risk punishment in the afterlife. In today’s episode, Huang speaks with Chang about being the “chosen one” in his family, the concept of “hungry ghosts,” and how writing the book changed Huang’s relationship with his mother.


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    9 minutos
  • Revisiting ‘Gone Girl’

    Revisiting ‘Gone Girl’
    Nov 22 2025
    Amy and Nick Dunn have the perfect life and are the perfect couple until they reach a breaking point, revealing their true selves. The book that spawned dozens of imitators but few peers, Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is this week’s read on the latest Books We’ve Loved. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker are joined by Greta Johnsen to divulge how this suspense thriller continuously brings fans back to this story. Special guest, Andrea Bartz, shares how being from the Midwest, like Flynn, is your best tool to write a mystery.

    Greta’s Recommendation: ‘Fates and Furies’ by Lauren Groff

    Parker’s Recommendation: ‘My Sister, the Serial Killer’ by Oyinkan Braithwaite

    Andrew’s Recommendation: ‘Liars’ by Sarah Manguso

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    36 minutos
  • 'The Ten Year Affair,' 'Sex of the Midwest' look at the role of sex in domestic life

    'The Ten Year Affair,' 'Sex of the Midwest' look at the role of sex in domestic life
    Nov 21 2025
    Two new books examine how sex fits into suburban and small-town life, respectively. First, Erin Somers explores marriage and desire in her novel The Ten Year Affair. In today’s episode, she speaks with NPR’s Andrew Limbong about combining a multiverse plot with domestic fiction. Then, Robyn Royle knits a dozen short stories together in Sex of the Midwest, in which the residents of a small town receive an email inviting them to participate in a sex survey. In today’s episode, Royle tells NPR’s Scott Simon about the many misconceptions surrounding small-town life.


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    16 minutos
  • 'Fire in Every Direction' is a personal work by Palestinian scholar Tareq Baconi

    'Fire in Every Direction' is a personal work by Palestinian scholar Tareq Baconi
    Nov 20 2025
    Tareq Baconi is a Palestinian scholar best known for Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. But in his new memoir Fire in Every Direction, the academic turns to more personal subjects, reflecting on three generations of displacement in his family. In an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition, Baconi speaks with NPR’s Leila Fadel about how silence – around queerness, politics, and shame – has shaped his family’s story.


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    14 minutos
  • Kathy Iandoli on Gucci Mane’s memoir and becoming the go-to writer for rappers

    Kathy Iandoli on Gucci Mane’s memoir and becoming the go-to writer for rappers
    Nov 19 2025
    Gucci Mane’s new memoir Episodes covers a range of difficult topics: depression, mania, anxiety, drug abuse. There are even pages of the book that are blacked out to reflect the rapper’s gaps in memory. Writer Kathy Iandoli worked with Gucci on the project – and she’s become the go-to writer for rappers looking to tell their stories. In today’s episode, Iandoli speaks with NPR’s Andrew Limbong about her collaboration with Gucci and her take on what draws musical artists to write books in the first place.


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    9 minutos
  • 'Bog Queen' cherishes Earth’s mossy wetlands and the bodies they preserve

    'Bog Queen' cherishes Earth’s mossy wetlands and the bodies they preserve
    Nov 18 2025
    You may have heard of a bog — those wet, mucky environments found mostly in the northern temperate pockets of Canada or Europe — but did you know that bogs can preserve human bodies for thousands of years? Anna North’s Bog Queen, part-history and part-mystery, explores the abiotic relationship between humans and what may be their greatest protector: the moss. In today’s episode, North sits down with NPR’s Scott Simon to discuss her newest novel, and the importance of caring for that which cares for us.


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    8 minutos