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In 'Julie Chan Is Dead,' former influencer Liann Zhang takes a swipe at the industry May 13, 2025

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Julie Chan has an average life working as a cashier at a grocery store. But she's constantly getting mistaken for a famous influencer, her estranged identical twin Chloe. One day, Julie receives a mysterious phone call that results in her decision to swap lives with her sister, adopting Chloe's followers and the glamorous lifestyle that comes with them. That's the setup of Liann Zhang's debut novel, Julie Chan Is Dead. In today's episode, Zhang talks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the author's own experience as a teenage "skinfluencer" – and Zhang's views on influencer culture today.
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Isabel Allende's latest historical novel draws from her time at a women's magazine May 12, 2025

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While crafting her latest novel, Isabel Allende says she wanted to tell the story of the Chilean Civil War of 1891 from the perspective of a neutral party. She decided to make her protagonist a female writer who uses a male pen name and convinces an editor to hire her as a war correspondent. In today's episode, Allende joins Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes to talk about My Name is Emilia Del Valle. They discuss the feminist spirit throughout the author's body of work, their shared interest in pushing back against dominant narratives, and Fernandes' personal relationship to Allende's work.
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In 'Romantic Friction,' 'The Fact Checker' the publishing world is fodder for fiction May 09, 2025

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In their new novels, authors Lori Gold and Austin Kelley draw from personal experiences in the publishing and magazine industries. First, Gold's Romantic Friction follows Sofie Wilde, a popular fantasy romance author and self-proclaimed outcast. At a book event, she finds out about a new author who's billed herself as "the next Sofie Wilde" – and is using AI to write books pulled directly from Sofie's. In today's episode, Gold speaks with Here & Now's Tiziana Dearing about the author's feelings about AI's role in publishing, the rabid fandom of romance readers, and books that go viral. Then, we hear from Kelley about his new novel The Fact Checker, in which a fact checker ends up on a quest for a missing source. In today's episode, Kelley joins NPR's Scott Simon for a conversation about the book and the author's time as a fact checker with The New Yorker.
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'Personhood' argues fetal rights are the next frontier of the anti-abortion movement May 08, 2025

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Mary Ziegler is a law professor at UC Davis and a leading scholar on the abortion debate. In her new book Personhood, she argues that the anti-abortion movement's ultimate goal is fetal personhood, which would give fetuses and embryos the rights of people under the Constitution. Ziegler's book makes the case that the history of this movement is crucial to our understanding of where the abortion fight is headed next. In today's episode, Ziegler talks with Here & Now's Tiziana Dearing about the legal meaning of fetal personhood, the way conservatives might reimagine constitutional equality, and whether this debate amounts to a new Civil War.
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The new novel 'Fair Play' is a self-aware take on the golden age of detective fiction May 07, 2025

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In the new novel Fair Play, Abigail is hosting a murder mystery party at an Irish country house on New Year's Eve. She's also in deep mourning for her brother. The story's opening reads as a typical setup for a crime novel. But Irish author Louise Hegarty's debut novel honors the golden age of detective fiction while simultaneously turning the genre on its head. In today's episode, Hegarty joins NPR's Ayesha Rascoe for a conversation that touches on Fair Play's meta elements, as well as its atypical relationship to grief.
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Loryn Brantz's 'Poems of Parenting' gives parents permission to laugh out loud May 06, 2025

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Parenting young children can be extremely taxing, but also beautiful – and hilarious. That nuance is at the core of Loryn Brantz's new poetry collection, Poems of Parenting. The illustrated poems are based on Brantz's popular series of Instagram posts that give parents permission to laugh. In today's episode, the artist and author shares a selection of poems with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes. They also discuss Brantz's creative pivot from children to adults, the phrase "mom brain" and Brantz's relationship to her own children.
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In her new memoir, Tina Knowles, mother of Beyoncé and Solange, tells her own story May 05, 2025

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Tina Knowles intended to write a behind-the-scenes look at her career in the music business. But she says that when she began writing, her own story flowed onto the page instead. In her new memoir Matriarch, the entrepreneur and mother of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Solange Knowles shares the story of how she helped her daughters become cultural icons. In today's episode, Tina Knowles speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about fighting to allow her girls to express their style, a memorable moment on set with the singer Maxwell, and Knowles' relationship with her ex-husband.
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New cookbooks from Sarah Ahn and Roy Choi take different approaches to Korean cuisine May 02, 2025

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Two new cookbooks take different approaches – one modern and one more traditional – to Korean cuisine. First, Roy Choi is the co-founder of Los Angeles' Kogi BBQ food trucks, which put Korean-Mexican fusion on the map. He rose to fame cooking meat, but his first full cookbook The Choi of Cooking focuses on vegetables. In today's episode, Choi speaks – and cooks – with NPR's Ailsa Chang. Over breakfast burritos, they discuss the chef's quest to elevate vegetables and break what Choi calls an addiction to junk food. Then, Sarah Ahn became social-media-famous for posting videos of her mother's traditional Korean recipes. Now, the two women are out with Umma, a cookbook that focuses on preserving identity through recipes. In today's episode, Ahn speaks with Here & Now's Lisa Mullins about collaborating with her mom, the cultural history of kimchi, and the difference between Korean and Southern fried chicken.
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With 'Rabbit Moon,' Jennifer Haigh chooses Shanghai as the backdrop to family tragedy May 01, 2025

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Jennifer Haigh's latest novel Rabbit Moon opens with a hit and run accident in pre-dawn Shanghai. The victim is a 22-year-old American woman named Lindsey. Her parents immediately fly into Shanghai while Lindsey's sister awaits news from a New England summer camp – and the accident scars an already-fractured family. In today's episode, Haigh speaks with Here & Now's Scott Tong about their impressions of Shanghai, her interest in turning the idea of studying abroad on its head, and how she approached the topic of international adoption.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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In 'Putin's Revenge,' Lucian Kim traces the lead-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine Apr 30, 2025

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For more than 20 years, Lucian Kim covered Russia and Ukraine as a journalist. Now, the former NPR reporter is out with a new book that aims to explain the confluence of personal and geopolitical motivations that led to Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin's Revenge identifies key moments in the decades leading up to the invasion, including the 2004 Orange Revolution, George W. Bush's support of NATO membership for Ukraine, and Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea. In today's episode, Kim talks with Here & Now's Robin Young about several turning points in the conflict, the evolution of Putin's position towards the West and Ukraine, and why Kim was initially drawn to cover Russia as a story of a collapsed empire.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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