Accessibility links
Author Interviews NPR interviews with top authors and the NPR Book Tour, a weekly feature and podcast where leading authors read and discuss their writing. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Author Interviews

After his son's suicide and the Jan. 6 attack, Rep. Jamie Raskin is not giving up

After serving as the lead manager for the ultimately unsuccessful second Trump impeachment, Rep. Jamie Raskin became a member of the House select committee looking into the Jan. 6 attacks. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Andrew Harnik/AP

Politics

After his son's suicide and the Jan. 6 attack, Rep. Jamie Raskin is not giving up

Fresh Air

Raskin's son died just days before the Capitol insurrection. Now Raskin serves on the House select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack. His new memoir is Unthinkable.

After his son's suicide and the Jan. 6 attack, Rep. Jamie Raskin is not giving up

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1070032923/1070271955" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Remembering bell hooks and 'All About Love'
William Morrow

NPR's Book of the Day

Remembering bell hooks and 'All About Love'

Author and social activist bell hooks died a couple of weeks ago, so we at Book Of The Day thought it would be nice to revisit one of our favorite interviews of hers. In 2000, she discussed her book All About Love: New Visions with NPR's Cheryl Corely. They talked about how most people misunderstand love and the many forms it can take and how transformative and powerful real love can be in all spheres of life.

Remembering bell hooks and 'All About Love'

Listen · 11:59
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1069062669/1069199374" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Lower your expectations and succeed with 'Tiny Habits'
Mariner Books

NPR's Book of the Day

Lower your expectations and succeed with 'Tiny Habits'

Every time the new year rolls around, many of us start trying to "better ourselves." Maybe you decide to read more or clean out your entire house only to find yourself falling short. Author BJ Fogg wrote a book about how not to do that called Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Fogg told Life Kit's Maria Godoy that everyone should try and lower their expectations. It's actually much easier to accomplish goals you set for yourself if they are much, much smaller. Say, instead of cleaning out your whole house, start with one room.

Lower your expectations and succeed with 'Tiny Habits'

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1069062407/1069193934" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
NPR's Wisdom From The Top: 'Machiavelli For Women'
Gallery Books

NPR's Book of the Day

NPR's Wisdom From The Top: 'Machiavelli For Women'

Planet Money's Stacey Vanek Smith has reported on business and the economy for over 15 years now. She told NPR's Guy Raz that over that time, she's seen the same barriers blocking advancement for women in the workplace again and again. Recently, she's started to recognize that a lot of tools to move past those barriers can be found in the work of Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli. Vanek Smith lays out these solutions in her new book, Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace.

The story of marriage equality is more complicated — and costly — than you remember

Same-sex marriage supporters wear "Just married" shirts while celebrating the U.S Supreme Court ruling regarding same-sex marriage on June 26, 2015 in San Francisco. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Politics

The story of marriage equality is more complicated — and costly — than you remember

Sasha Issenberg, author of The Engagement, a history of marriage equality, says he doesn't see the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges being overturned anytime soon.

The story of marriage equality is more complicated — and costly — than you remember

Listen · 14:42
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1068894397/1069319590" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Alexi Pappas and Glennon Doyle want you to know it's ok to not be ok
The Dial Press

NPR's Book of the Day

Alexi Pappas and Glennon Doyle want you to know it's ok to not be ok

Both our interviews today deal with the pressures we put on ourselves. First, Olympic runner Alexi Pappas on her memoir, Bravey. On the outside, Pappas was living what looked like a great life; she was breaking Greek Olympic records and her movie got a distribution deal. But, she told NPR's Ari Shapiro, she was still deeply sad. Next, an interview from early in the pandemic when women were disproportionately feeling the burden of our new reality. Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed, told former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro that "every woman on earth needs to lower her expectations for herself."

You won't want to miss the 10 most popular 'Fresh Air' stories of 2021

The top Fresh Air web stories of 2021 reflect the show's status as a place where artists, authors and journalists speak to the moment. Valerie Macon/AFP; Grace Cary; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Valerie Macon/AFP; Grace Cary; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

You won't want to miss the 10 most popular 'Fresh Air' stories of 2021

Fresh Air

From Dr. Anthony Fauci to Sacha Baron Cohen, the year's most popular Fresh Air web pages reflect the show's strength as a place where artists, authors and journalists speak to the moment.

Healing through poetry in 'Light For The World To See'
Mariner Books

NPR's Book of the Day

Healing through poetry in 'Light For The World To See'

Poet and author Kwame Alexander was feeling the weight of being Black in America last summer and didn't know how to make sense of his feelings. So, he made sense of them through his book of poetry, Light For The World To See: A Thousand Words On Race And Hope. It's three poems on three historic events: the murder of George Floyd, Colin Kaepernick's protests, and Barack Obama being elected president. Alexander told NPR's Rachel Martin he wrote this as a call for Black people to remember their humanity.

'Hamnet' gives life to Shakespeare's little-known son
Knopf Doubleda Publishing Group

NPR's Book of the Day

'Hamnet' gives life to Shakespeare's little-known son

William Shakespeare had a son, Hamnet, who likely inspired one of his most famous plays and who died when he was 11 years old. Novelist Maggie O'Farrell was disappointed that more people weren't familiar with him, so she set out to fix that with her book, Hamnet. O'Farrell wanted to reimagine Hamnet's life, his death, and William Shakespeare's family life. But, she told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, she had a much harder time writing this book than she thought she would.

'Dwyane' uses photographs to wrap up an illustrious career
William Morrow

NPR's Book of the Day

'Dwyane' uses photographs to wrap up an illustrious career

Dwyane Wade's new memoir is not a traditional one. He wanted to show the reader a lot of his cherished memories instead of just writing about them. His new photographic memoir, Dwyane, visually wraps up his basketball career with a series of pictures from his time at Marquette to his 16 years with the Miami Heat. Wade talked to Here & Now's Tonya Mosely about when he knew it was time to step away from the game he loves.

In 'All Adults Here,' family is messy
Riverhead Books

NPR's Book of the Day

In 'All Adults Here,' family is messy

Author Emma Straub has written a book about family dynamics and the mess and love that comes with them in All Adults Here. It's no secret that families are complicated. Straub argues a lot of our familial relationships are watching each other grow up and whether or not you allow those you love to grow and change. She told NPR's Scott Simon though that even the bits that aren't perfect are worth loving.

Snuggle up for the holidays with two NPR favorites
ABACUS (LITT)

NPR's Book of the Day

Snuggle up for the holidays with two NPR favorites

It's the holiday season so we at Book Of The Day wanted to bring you two of our holiday favorites. The first is David Sedaris' Santaland Diaries, which first aired on Morning Edition in 1992 and has been an annual NPR tradition ever since. It's a hilarious recounting of his time as a department store elf named Crumpet. The second is some of our staff here at NPR reading the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, which you might know as The Night Before Christmas. Happy holidays "...and to all a good night!"

Snuggle up for the holidays with two NPR favorites

Listen · 10:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064069250/1065342006" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Joan Didion: The NPR interviews

Joan Didion arrives at the opening night of The Year Of Magical Thinking, a play based on her memoir by the same name, at the Booth Theatre on March 29, 2007, in New York City. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Joan Didion: The NPR interviews

NPR's talks with Didion date back to 1977, where the author described what she meant when she wrote "writers are always selling somebody out" in the introduction of Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

'Agatha Of Little Neon' falls out of love with the church
Macmillan

NPR's Book of the Day

'Agatha Of Little Neon' falls out of love with the church

In the novel Agatha Of Little Neon, a young woman, Agatha, is in need of direction after she loses her mother and finds it in the church. When Agatha and her fellow nuns are reassigned to a half-way house, they start to look inward and reevaluate their own lives. Author Claire Luchette told NPR's Scott Simon that this is a book about finding yourself, but also finding out about the darker side of the church: "My goal in writing this book was not to write a loss-of-faith story but almost a falling-out-of-love story."

'Agatha Of Little Neon' falls out of love with the church

Listen · 9:18
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064067821/1065339780" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
A defense - and celebration - of all things 'Tacky'
Penguin Random House

NPR's Book of the Day

A defense - and celebration - of all things 'Tacky'

Do you love what some people would consider 'low-brow culture?' Things like The Cheesecake Factory or the band Creed. Well then do we have the book for you! Author Rax King has written a collection of essays that are kind of like love letters to the things that give her pleasure, including but not limited to The Jersey Shore, in Tacky. She told NPR's Sam Sanders she thinks a lot about who gets to be tacky and the value of art and entertainment that might fall into the category.

A defense - and celebration - of all things 'Tacky'

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064067620/1065338623" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Sex Cult Nun' says discovering self-ownership helped her break free from The Family

Faith Jones is the granddaughter of David Berg, the founder of the Children of God cult. Jones lived as a member of the group until she was 23. Mariusz Jeglinski/HarperCollins hide caption

toggle caption
Mariusz Jeglinski/HarperCollins

'Sex Cult Nun' says discovering self-ownership helped her break free from The Family

Fresh Air

Faith Jones' grandfather founded the Children of God cult. She was taught sex was a service to God and that women should freely "share" their bodies, regardless of whether they wanted to or not.

'Sex Cult Nun' says discovering self-ownership helped her break free from The Family

Listen · 36:51
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1065757559/1066393084" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Keeping yourself afloat in 'Between Two Kingdoms'
Random House

NPR's Book of the Day

Keeping yourself afloat in 'Between Two Kingdoms'

When author Suleika Jaouad was first diagnosed with leukemia, she felt isolated and like she didn't have control over anything. She told Life Kit host Beck Harlan that creative practices, namely journaling, helped her regain a narrative control of her own life. Jaouad details that struggle and her coping mechanisms in her book, Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of Life Interrupted.

Keeping yourself afloat in 'Between Two Kingdoms'

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064067402/1065334021" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Reinventing the epic with 'The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois'
Harper Collins

NPR's Book of the Day

Reinventing the epic with 'The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois'

When you think of an epic, what comes to mind? The Iliad, The Odyssey, maybe Beowulf? Well author Honoree Fanonne Jeffers points out that epics are almost always about white men. She told former Morning Edition host Noel King that she didn't want to tell that story because that story has already been told...many times. So, Jeffers set out to write a different kind of epic about heroic Black women in The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois.

Reinventing the epic with 'The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois'

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064067022/1065326041" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
In 'The Sour Cherry Tree,' a child keeps memories of her late grandfather close
Owlkids Books

Picture This

In 'The Sour Cherry Tree,' a child keeps memories of her late grandfather close

The day after her beloved Baba Bazorg dies, a little girl remembers some of her favorite things about him: his striped slippers, the mints in his pockets and the fig cookies he always shared.

In 'The Sour Cherry Tree,' a child keeps memories of her late grandfather close

Listen · 7:09
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064854014/1065477272" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
NPR's Throughline: The Postal Service
Penguin Random House

NPR's Book of the Day

NPR's Throughline: The Postal Service

The US Postal Service has played a key role in much of American history - from the Declaration of Independence to more recent mail-in voting. It was conceived of by the founders as the way to create a united, informed and effective American democracy. But today, the postal service's future is in danger. Winifred Gallagher spoke to NPR's Rund Abdelfatah about how the postal service created the United States and the case for investing in this pivotal institution.

NPR's Throughline: The Postal Service

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064065709/1064587074" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Danielle Evans and Brit Bennett on the lies we tell ourselves
Penguin Random House/Riverhead Books

NPR's Book of the Day

Danielle Evans and Brit Bennett on the lies we tell ourselves

Today, two takes on stories we tell to make ourselves feel better and the consequences of believing them. First, author Danielle Evans' short story collection, The Office of Historical Corrections. The title story is about a fictional agency that fact checks in real time but, as she told former NPR host Noel King, it's less powerful than you might think. Then, the story of a Black woman's decision to pass as white and the decades-long fallout of that choice, in The Vanishing Half. Author Brit Bennett told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly that the point of the story isn't to moralize.

Danielle Evans and Brit Bennett on the lies we tell ourselves

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1061807144/1064585922" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Browse archive or search npr.org