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In 'Growing Up Urkel,' actor Jaleel White reflects on a career-defining role Nov 27, 2024

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Steve Urkel, the nerdy, bespectacled neighbor in Family Matters, is one of '90s television's most iconic characters. Urkel's nasally voice, oversized glasses and signature catchphrases made the character nearly inescapable in pop culture – and also made a star out of Jaleel White, the actor who played him. In a new memoir, Growing Up Urkel, White reflects on how the role catapulted his career while permanently shaping the way others see him. In today's episode, he joins NPR's Ailsa Chang for a conversation that touches on the character's mass appeal, TV stereotypes about Black boys, and how playing Urkel has affected White's view of his own masculinity.
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NPR staffers pick their favorite reads of the year Nov 26, 2024

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The 2024 edition of Books We Love is here. Each year, NPR staffers and critics submit their favorite reads of the year across genres. Those selections are compiled into a reading guide, where you can sort by filters, including Book Club Ideas, The States We're In, Rather Short or Rather Long. In today's episode, NPR's Andrew Limbong and Steve Inskeep discuss some of the 350+ books chosen by staff this year, including their own picks.
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Bonnie Kistler's new thriller explores ageism from the lens of a murder Nov 25, 2024

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Kate's new husband, who she reunites with 50 years after they were high school sweethearts, has just confessed that he was behind the Tylenol murders — a real, unsolved series of deaths in 1982 from poison-laced Tylenol pills in the Chicago area. When Kate tries to report him, the killer convinces everyone around her that her age, 70, is deteriorating her memory. This is the beginning of Bonnie Kistler's new thriller, Shell Games. In today's episode, Kistler speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about psychological manipulation and how the idea for the book came from a dream where she was the wife in question.
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Two nonfiction books take critical views of bankruptcy and microlending systems Nov 22, 2024

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Two nonfiction books question the efficacy of financial systems that are meant to help lift people out of poverty. In Unjust Debts, law professor Melissa Jacoby argues that bankruptcy in the United States exacerbates existing racial and economic inequalities. While filing for bankruptcy is supposed to offer individuals and families a fresh start, Jacoby suggests that the system often benefits corporations instead. In today's episode, she speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about the favorable treatment afforded to corporations and possible strategies of reform. Then, journalist Mara Kardas-Nelson's We Are Not Able to Live in the Sky takes a critical look at microcredit through the stories of women borrowers in Sierra Leone. Microcredit was introduced in the 1970s as an anti-poverty measure and ultimately won its creator the Nobel Peace Prize. But in today's episode, Kardas-Nelson talks with NPR's Fernandes about the way these loans have kicked off vicious cycles of debt.
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'Say Nothing' tells the story of 'The Troubles' through one woman's murder Nov 21, 2024

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In the late 1900s, Protestants and Catholics were in conflict over who should rule Northern Ireland, the British or the Irish. The time was dubbed "The Troubles." Journalist Patrick Radden Keefe's Say Nothing tells the story of this conflict through the disappearance of a woman, Jean McConville. His nonfiction book has now been adapted into an FX show by the same name. In today's episode, we revisit a 2019 conversation between Keefe and NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the conflict, McConville, and how The Troubles left a wound on Ireland's history that remains open today.
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In 'Citizen,' former President Clinton reflects on his post-White House years Nov 20, 2024

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Since leaving the White House more than two decades ago, Bill Clinton has remained a leader in the Democratic Party, but has mostly focused on philanthropy and public service. He has aimed to address the HIV/AIDS crisis globally and he worked to help free two American journalists incarcerated in North Korea. Clinton's new memoir, Citizen, takes stock of these post-presidential years – but also serves as a vehicle for the former president to address past controversies. In today's episode, Clinton joins NPR's Leila Fadel for a discussion that touches on how the Democratic Party should respond to this political moment, and how writing his new book has helped him let go of the past.
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In a new version of 'The Cake Bible,' Rose Levy Beranbaum updates a culinary classic Nov 19, 2024

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When Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible was first published in 1988, it took the baking world by storm. It was the first cake book to list ingredients by weight instead of volume and also introduced the technique of reverse creaming. Now, 35 years later, Beranbaum has released a new version of The Cake Bible. The update includes altered recipes that keep pace with changes to ingredients and equipment over the past few decades, like taller cake pans and smaller egg yolks. In today's episode, Beranbaum speaks with Here & Now's Robin Young about the biggest mistakes for beginner bakers to look out for, the author's recent preference for simple design, and a chocolate cake named after Plácido Domingo.
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In the new novel 'Pony Confidential,' a crime-solving pony seeks revenge Nov 18, 2024

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Pony Confidential, a new novel by author Christina Lynch, is about an unlikely detective: a crime-solving pony who sets off to find his long-lost first owner. Penny, who was just a little girl when separated from Pony, is now an adult who has been accused of murder–and Pony is ready to clear her name. The book was inspired by a combination of tales from The Odyssey and Lynch's curiosity about the inner world of her own real-life pony, Flora. In today's episode, Lynch joins NPR's Scott Simon to talk about the emotional lives of animals, the novel's subtext about the legal system, and the parallels between Pony and Penny's respective confinement.
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Two new books on Johnny Carson and Shirley MacLaine offer intimate views of celebrity Nov 15, 2024

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New books focused on Johnny Carson and Shirley MacLaine offer intimate portraits of two of television and Hollywood's biggest stars. Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years, becoming an unparalleled nighttime staple and unifying force within American culture. His life is the subject of Carson the Magnificent, a new biography co-written by Bill Zehme and Mike Thomas, who took over the decades-long research project after Zehme died in 2023. In today's episode, Thomas joins NPR's Scott Simon to discuss the divisions between Carson's public and private personas. Then, Shirley MacLaine's personal photo walls feature pictures of dignitaries, starlets and leaders like the Obamas, the Dalai Lama, Dolly Parton, Stephen Hawking and others. In her new book, The Wall of Life, MacLaine uses her photo collection as a way to tell her life stories through a scrapbook format. In today's episode, she speaks with Here & Now's Robin Young about past lives, enduring friendships in Hollywood, and the balance between reality and fame.
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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Brit Barron's new book is a guide on maintaining relationships in a polarized world Nov 14, 2024

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We live in a time where it can be difficult to maintain good relationships with people with opposing views. While writing her new book, Do You Still Talk to Grandma?, Brit Barron saw everyone around her struggling to hold this tension while connecting with the people they love. Her book is a guide to navigating those relationships with our loved ones – even when we disagree with them. In today's episode, she talks with NPR's Deepa Fernandes about binary thinking, the issue of social media, and our need to belong.
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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