Episódios

  • In the novel ‘Loved One,’ an ambiguous friendship is further complicated by loss

    In the novel ‘Loved One,’ an ambiguous friendship is further complicated by loss
    Aug 27 2025
    Aisha Muharrar’s debut novel Loved One is about a woman’s effort to understand her relationship with a friend who’s recently died. Julia had been friends with Gabe for nearly a decade after the two briefly dated – but their relationship became complicated right before his death. In today’s episode, Muharrar joins NPR’s Juana Summers for a conversation about ambiguous loss, uncertainty, and how the author hoped to write a book about grief that wouldn’t depress people.


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    9 minutos
  • ‘Dinner with King Tut’ follows experimental archaeologists as they recreate the past

    ‘Dinner with King Tut’ follows experimental archaeologists as they recreate the past
    Aug 26 2025
    To write his latest book Dinner with King Tut, Sam Kean joined a group of experimental archaeologists who learn by doing. These researchers aim to recreate the sites, sounds, smells and tastes of lost civilizations in order to solve mysteries about how people lived. In today’s episode, Kean talks with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about eating caterpillars, making acorn bread, and the tension between experimental archaeologists and their academic counterparts.


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    10 minutos
  • For her 25th book, Karin Slaughter wanted to capture life in small-town Georgia

    For her 25th book, Karin Slaughter wanted to capture life in small-town Georgia
    Aug 25 2025
    Karin Slaughter’s new book opens on a hot summer night in Georgia. It’s Madison Dalrymple’s 15th birthday and she has a big night planned with her best friend. But both girls go missing and there’s no easy answer to what happened to them. We Are All Guilty Here is the crime writer’s 25th book in 25 years of writing. In today’s episode, Slaughter joins NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly for a conversation that touches on the dynamics of small Southern towns and the impact of the 1979-1981 Atlanta child murders.


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    9 minutos
  • ‘Cook Once, Eat Twice’ and ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ are new books from cooking stars

    ‘Cook Once, Eat Twice’ and ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ are new books from cooking stars
    Aug 22 2025
    Nadiya Hussain and Kristen Kish are winners of two of the most popular cooking shows on television – and they’re both out with new books about life and food. First, Hussain won The Great British Baking Show in 2015. Her latest cookbook Cook Once, Eat Twice is about simplicity, efficiency, and turning one dish into two different meals. In today’s episode, she speaks with NPR’s Sarah McCammon about a two-part recipe from her cookbook. Then, Kristen Kish won season 10 of Top Chef, but says she wasn’t always comfortable being showcased. Her new memoir Accidentally on Purpose tells the story of that journey. In today’s episode, she talks with Here & Now’s Jane Clayson about growing up adopted, working at fast food restaurants, and filling in for Padma Lakshmi on Top Chef.


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    19 minutos
  • ‘Atlantic’ writer James Parker says his odes are exercises in gratitude and attention

    ‘Atlantic’ writer James Parker says his odes are exercises in gratitude and attention
    Aug 21 2025
    James Parker finds inspiration for odes in small and large things: history, America, brain farts, his flip phone, Pablo Neruda, meditation. The Atlantic staff writer’s book Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes spans these subjects and more. In today’s episode, Parker joins Here & Now’s Anthony Brooks for a conversation that touches on the subjects he’s found difficult to write odes to, the origins of ode, and what it means to stay ode-ready.


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    11 minutos
  • In ‘The Hounding,’ rumors swirl around five sisters living in 18th-century England

    In ‘The Hounding,’ rumors swirl around five sisters living in 18th-century England
    Aug 20 2025
    Author Xenobe Purvis says the premise for her new novel is based on a nugget of history. In 1700, a doctor reported that five sisters in Oxfordshire, England were said to be “seized with frequent barking in the manner of dogs.” Purvis’ The Hounding imagines what happens to these girls after a ferryman starts a dangerous rumor about them. In today’s episode, Purvis talks with NPR’s Scott Simon about rumors, gossip and the danger of being a girl in society.


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    7 minutos
  • Alexis Okeowo’s ‘Blessings and Disasters’ is an ode to Alabama’s complicated history

    Alexis Okeowo’s ‘Blessings and Disasters’ is an ode to Alabama’s complicated history
    Aug 19 2025
    Alexis Okeowo grew up in Alabama. But it wasn’t until they left for college that Okeowo realized the strong stereotypes outsiders held about their home state. With their new book Blessings and Disasters, the New Yorker staff writer blends memoir and reporting to tell an alternate history of Alabama. In today’s episode, Okeowo speaks with NPR’s Emily Kwong about those who are often excluded from the state’s history, including the Poarch Creek Indians and Alabama’s West African communities.


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    9 minutos
  • ‘Dwelling’ fictionalizes the American housing crisis with elements of fairy tale

    ‘Dwelling’ fictionalizes the American housing crisis with elements of fairy tale
    Aug 18 2025
    In Emily Hunt Kivel’s new novel Dwelling, a mass eviction in New York City throws a young woman’s life into chaos. Suddenly homeless, Evie relocates to Gulluck, Texas, where she moves into a giant cowboy boot, the only rental property she can afford. In today’s episode, Kivel joins NPR’s Adrian Ma for a discussion about how she approached American capitalism through the lens of fairy tales.


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    9 minutos