NPR Books
Daniel Clowes' Opinionated Loner, 'Wilson'
Daniel Clowes' alternative comic, Wilson, is a portrait of a modern egoist. Wilson is an opinionated loner who nags strangers in a series of one-sided conversations. But after his father's death, the middle-aged misanthrope tries to reconnect with his family and live a more meaningful life.
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'Cocaine Nation' A Case For Legalization
In his book, Cocaine Nation, Tom Feiling traces the growth of the cocaine industry worldwide, from Latin American coca fields to America's inner cities. Feiling argues that the so-called war on drugs has been an abject failure -- and that it's time to take decriminalization seriously.
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When Hollywood Had A Song In Its Heart
Authors Philip Furia and Laurie Patterson share the stories behind Hollywood's most beloved songs -- from Casablanca's "As Time Goes By" to the melodies from Mary Poppins -- in their book The Songs of Hollywood.
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Malaria: The 500,000-Year-Old 'Fever' That Won't Die
If public health officials know how to prevent malaria, the mosquito-borne pathogen that kills more than a million people each year, why isn't more being done to eradicate the infectious disease? That's the question journalist Sonia Shah decided to answer in her book, The Fever, which examines why malaria continues to spread around the globe.
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'Hamlet's BlackBerry': To Surf Or Not To Surf?
Welcome to the 21st century, where we're all connected, all the time. Whether or not this is a good thing is the subject of Hamlet's Blackberry, a new book by William Powers that takes a magnifying glass to the "conundrum of connectedness" -- and looks to the past to find ways to deal with information overload.
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At Amazon, E-Book Sales Outpace Hardbacks
This past spring and early summer, Amazon sold 143 e-books for every 100 hardcover books, a gap that is widening quickly. Amazon says consumers love the convenience of e-books; they probably like the price, too.
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Mennonite Memoir: Fun In A 'Little Black Dress'
Wendy MacLeod saw Witness at an impressionable age, and has been fascinated with the Amish ever since. MacLeod hoped that Mennonite in a Little Black Dress would be a little bit sexier, but says that Rhoda Janzen's memoir is still plenty of G-rated fun.
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Paul Greenberg: The Future Of 'Wild Fish'
Almost half of the fish we eat has been raised on farms -- and the genetic modification of fish is increasing. Paul Greenberg writes about changes in the fishing industry -- and what the future holds for our dinner tables -- in his new book, Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food.
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Glitz, Glamour, Murder During A 'Layover In Dubai'
Former foreign correspondent Dan Fesperman returns with his latest exotic thriller, this time set among the indoor ski slopes and desert strip malls of Dubai. Critic Oscar Villalon says the novel is terrific entertainment, but the book really shines in its dissection of the strange conflicts and contradictions of Dubai's culture.
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Sir Thomas Lipton And His Empire Of Tea
In A Full Cup, writer Michael D'Antonio traces Thomas Lipton's rise from the slums of Glasgow, Scotland, to the High Courts of Tea -- and how he never forgot where he came from.
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'Theater Geek' School's Real Life Drama
For 35 years, in bucolic Loch Sheldrake, N.Y., Stagedoor Manor has been the place for pre-teen, tweens and teenaged performers to practice their craft. Host Liane Hansen talks with author Mickey Rapkin about the book, Theater Geek: The Real Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor, the Famous Performing Arts Camp.
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