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In 'The Catch,' estranged sisters confront a mystery surrounding their mother's death Jun 10, 2025

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Yrsa Daley-Ward's new novel The Catch has a mind-bending premise. Clara and Dempsey are twin sisters raised separately after their mother's mysterious death. Then, on their 30th birthday, Clara swears she sees her mom on a city bus. But there's a catch: Her mom is the same age as the twins – 30. In today's episode, Daley-Ward speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about what happens when we desperately want something to be true. They discuss writing as a kind of wish-fulfillment, the book's dedication to readers who have lost a parent, and Well-Read Black Girl's new publishing imprint.
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Madeleine Thien's new novel 'The Book of Records' is a story that traverses centuries Jun 09, 2025

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It took author Madeleine Thien nearly a decade to write her new novel The Book of Records. In the story, 7-year-old Lina and her father take refuge at an imagined place called the Sea. There, buildings serve as a waystation for people who are fleeing one place to make home in another. Thien says she wanted to set her novel in a location where centuries and histories might converge. In today's episode, Thien talks with NPR's Ari Shapiro about her personal relationship to the three historical thinkers who enter the story: Hannah Arendt, Baruch Spinoza, and Du Fu.
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'What Will People Think?' and 'Climbing in Heels' star women trying to make it big Jun 06, 2025

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New novels by Sara Hamdan and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas follow women in the entertainment industry who must balance ambition with the pressures of family, friendship and love. First, in What Will People Think?, a Palestinian-American woman named Mia works as a fact checker by day and performs standup comedy by night. She hides her comedy career in order to protect her family until she discovers her grandmother has a secret too. In today's episode, Hamdan joins NPR's Ailsa Chang for a conversation about the politicization of the Palestinian identity and using comedy to explore cultural stereotypes. Then, in Climbing in Heels, three women working as secretaries at a Hollywood agency face sexism as they aspire to careers beyond their office jobs. In today's episode, Goldsmith-Thomas talks with NPR's Leila Fadel about moving from secretary to agent in her own career.
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'Theater Kid' is a memoir from the producer of 'Rent,' 'Avenue Q,' and 'Hamilton' Jun 05, 2025

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Jeffrey Seller says he found his home on stage from an early age. He grew up in the suburbs of Detroit as an adopted, gay, Jewish kid in a low-income family – but he was also a theater kid. In his new memoir Theater Kid, Seller reflects on how he moved on from the challenges of his childhood to find incredible success on Broadway. In today's episode, he speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about what first drew him to projects like In the Heights and Hamilton, the surprising jobs held by Seller's father, and what theater can unlock for its audiences.
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'Freedom Season' argues the events of 1963 transformed the civil rights movement Jun 04, 2025

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The year 1963 was a landmark one for the civil rights movement – and it's the subject of Peniel Joseph's new book Freedom Season. In the book, the University of Texas at Austin professor argues the events of 1963 ushered in what would become a 50-year consensus on racial justice, including the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act and transformations to public institutions. In today's episode, Joseph joins Here & Now's Scott Tong for a conversation about the varied voices of the civil rights era – who didn't always agree – including James Baldwin, Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy.
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In new memoir, women's college basketball coach Dawn Staley says she's a 'sore loser' Jun 03, 2025

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There's a statue of Dawn Staley in Columbia, South Carolina, where she's coached the University of South Carolina women's basketball team to three national championships. But she's from Philadelphia, where she grew up in the projects surrounded by both a nurturing environment and tough love. In her new memoir Uncommon Favor, Staley writes about the life lessons she's learned from the sport that's defined her career, her upbringing in North Philly, and her mother. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Juana Summers about fighting for equal pay and being a sore loser.
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In debut novel 'Food Person,' a food writer ghostwrites a celebrity cookbook Jun 02, 2025

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In Adam Roberts' debut novel, a food writer named Isabella loses her job after fumbling a chocolate souffle demonstration on Instagram Live. But soon after, she is offered the opportunity to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, a famous actress whose career is in need of a reboot. Food Person follows this chaotic collaboration between Isabella, who lives and breathes food, and Molly, who doesn't care much for food at all. In today's episode, Roberts joins NPR's Scott Simon for a conversation about pushing past celebrity stereotypes, the author's favorite food writers, and a recipe involving cavatappi.
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Two authors consider how being a daughter shaped their relationship to motherhood May 30, 2025

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New books by Joy Harjo and Ruthie Ackerman focus on very different moments in the life cycle of motherhood. First, Harjo's new book Washing My Mother's Body is an illustrated version of a poem she wrote in order to process grief. Harjo, the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate and member of the Muscogee Nation, never got to carry out an important ritual after her mother's death – but returns in the poem to take care of things left undone. In today's episode, Harjo speaks with NPR's Leila Fadel about that ritual and the potency of the mother-daughter relationship. Then, journalist Ruthie Ackerman grew up hearing family stories that made her believe she shouldn't become a mom. But years later, she learned pieces of those stories weren't true. The Mother Code is a new memoir exploring Ackerman's indecision around becoming a parent. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Juana Summers about viewing maternal ambivalence as the norm.
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In 'Anima Rising,' Gustav Klimt encounters a young woman under strange circumstances May 29, 2025

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In 1911 Vienna, a man on his way home spots the figure of a woman at the edge of the river. She is still, beautiful and nude, framed by tendrils of yellow hair. The man is Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. So instead of calling for help, the artist takes out his sketchbook. In his new historical novel Anima Rising, Christopher Moore uses this strange encounter as the jumping off point for his story, which goes on to involve characters like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. In today's episode, Moore joins NPR's Scott Simon for a conversation about the mystery at the center of the story and the real-life Klimt's relationship to women.
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'Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadows' restores a lost chapter of comic book history May 28, 2025

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In the 1950s, horror comic books – featuring at times gory depictions of violence – were rising in popularity. But these comics triggered a moral panic, ultimately leading to the Comics Code Authority's decision to outlaw werewolves, vampires and even the word "horror." Now, journalist Michael Dean is out with an anthology of these long-forgotten Marvel comics: Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadows, first published in 1969. In today's episode, Dean talks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the horror ban, the perceived relationship between comics and juvenile delinquency, and how Tower of Shadows compares to its superhero siblings.
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