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Author Interviews

The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

In 'Hustling Hitler,' A Jewish Vaudevillian Scams The Third Reich

It seems everyone has one: the eccentric relative much gossiped about. For Walter Shapiro, it's his great-uncle, Freeman Bernstein. The vaudeville manager, boxing promoter, card shark and stock swindler managed to scam the Third Reich. Shapiro writes about this in his new book, Hustling Hitler.

In 'Hustling Hitler,' A Jewish Vaudevillian Scams The Third Reich

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'The Innocent Have Nothing To Fear' Echoes Real-Life Republican Race

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Stuart Stevens, a former strategist for Mitt Romney, whose new novel, The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear, tells the story of a neck-and-neck Republican primary campaign that ends up at a brokered convention.

'The Innocent Have Nothing To Fear' Echoes Real-Life Republican Race

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'Nobody Is Immune': Bracing For Zika's First Summer In The U.S.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which have been known to carry the Zika virus, buzz in a laboratory in Cucuta, Colombia. Ricardo Mazalan/AP hide caption

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Ricardo Mazalan/AP

Shots - Health News

'Nobody Is Immune': Bracing For Zika's First Summer In The U.S.

Fresh Air

Author Donald. G. McNeil Jr. predicts that 2016 will be the worst year for Zika transmission in the U.S. "After this year, a fair number of people will be immune, and ... immunity will grow," he says.

'Nobody Is Immune': Bracing For Zika's First Summer In The U.S.

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Then and Now

Theater

Broadway Chanteuse Barbara Cook: 'My First Memories Are Of Singing'

Fresh Air

After starring in Broadway shows like The Music Man and Candide, Cook struggled with addiction, then staged a successful second career as a cabaret singer. Her new memoir is Then and Now.

Broadway Chanteuse Barbara Cook: 'My First Memories Are Of Singing'

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The Mandibles

'The Mandibles' Is Financial Dystopia With A Bite

Lionel Shriver's newest novel is a work of speculative fiction: A national debt crisis leads to a systematic civil breakdown, bringing a once-prosperous family

'The Mandibles' Is Financial Dystopia With A Bite

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The Case For 1971 As Rock's Greatest Year

David Hepworth's new book, Never A Dull Moment, is out now from Henry Holt & Co. Courtesy of the author hide caption

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Courtesy of the author

The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

The Case For 1971 As Rock's Greatest Year

That year, music journalist David Hepworth argues, offered an explosion of talent from David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Al Green, John Lennon and more. He discusses his new book, Never a Dull Moment.

The Case For 1971 As Rock's Greatest Year

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New England Bound

History

Forgotten History: How The New England Colonists Embraced The Slave Trade

Fresh Air

American slavery predates the founding of the United States. Wendy Warren, author of New England Bound, says the early colonists imported African slaves and enslaved and exported Native Americans.

Forgotten History: How The New England Colonists Embraced The Slave Trade

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Fish Have Feelings, Too: The Inner Lives Of Our 'Underwater Cousins'
Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The Salt

Fish Have Feelings, Too: The Inner Lives Of Our 'Underwater Cousins'

Fresh Air

Jonathan Balcombe, author of What A Fish Knows, says that fish have a conscious awareness — or "sentience" — that allows them to experience pain, recognize individual humans and have memory.

Fish Have Feelings, Too: The Inner Lives Of Our 'Underwater Cousins'

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'An Abbreviated Life' Memoir Captures Lasting Impact Of Childhood Emotional Abuse

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks to Ariel Leve about her new memoir, An Abbreviated Life. It tells the story of her growing up in a difficult dysfunctional family.

'An Abbreviated Life' Memoir Captures Lasting Impact Of Childhood Emotional Abuse

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Silence On The Sidelines: An MLB Insider's 'Manifesto' On Youth Sports

Fresh Air

Baseball's Mike Matheny talks about his playing career, managing in the big leagues and the pressures of youth sports. Matheny is the author of The Matheny Manifesto. Originally broadcast May 5, 2015.

Silence On The Sidelines: An MLB Insider's 'Manifesto' On Youth Sports

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The Girls

Book News & Features

In 'The Girls,' A Teen's Need To Be Noticed Draws Her Into A Manson-Like Cult

Emma Cline's debut novel was inspired by the infamous Manson family murders. But Cline says it wasn't the cult that fascinated her — it was the young girls who were so taken by it.

In 'The Girls,' A Teen's Need To Be Noticed Draws Her Into A Manson-Like Cult

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Sweetbitter

Former Restaurant Worker Serves Up Industry-Inspired Fiction In 'Sweetbitter'

Stephanie Danler drew on her own experiences to write her novel about a young woman working at an upscale restaurant in New York. "It's so physically punishing," she says of her work as a server.

Former Restaurant Worker Serves Up Industry-Inspired Fiction In 'Sweetbitter'

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