NPR's Book of the Day
NPR
In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.
Categories: Arts
Listen to the last episode:
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, two teenagers form a tight bond at their Quaker high school in Manhattan. That's the premise for Idlewild, the debut novel by James Frankie Thomas. But while the girls share an intense common interest in gay culture and fan fiction, their friendship blows up in unexpected ways — something they must reckon with years later. In today's episode, Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes speaks with Thomas about his take on the prep school novel and discovering some giant truths about himself while trying to understand the lives of his characters.
Previous episodes
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581 - 'Idlewild' follows a queer, teen friendship in early 2000s New YorkSat, 09 Dec 2023
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580 - Novels by Sigrid Nunez and Michael Cunningham tackle the pandemicFri, 08 Dec 2023
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579 - Patricia Evangelista's memoir revisits the aftermath of the Philippines' war on drugsThu, 07 Dec 2023
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578 - Norman Lear's memoir recalls a life and career that shaped American televisionWed, 06 Dec 2023
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577 - In 'The New Naturals,' Gabriel Bump explores grief after the loss of a daughterWed, 06 Dec 2023
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576 - In 'Oath and Honor,' Liz Cheney analyzes Trump's effect on the Republican partyTue, 05 Dec 2023
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575 - Nathan Thrall's book revisits a tragic bus accident in JerusalemMon, 04 Dec 2023
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574 - 'The Queen of Dirt Island' captures the bond between women in an Irish familySat, 02 Dec 2023
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573 - Two National Book Awards finalists take on climate extremesFri, 01 Dec 2023
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572 - How Indian migrant workers escaped human trafficking in MississippiThu, 30 Nov 2023
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571 - Patricia Park's new YA novel captures the complexities of race and adolescenceWed, 29 Nov 2023
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570 - Stephen Buoro's comic novel follows a young Nigerian man's obsession with whitenessTue, 28 Nov 2023
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569 - 'Burn It Down' exposes discrimination and toxicity behind the scenes in HollywoodMon, 27 Nov 2023
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568 - 'Loot' traces the love, war and art that shaped India's colonial historySat, 25 Nov 2023
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567 - Two graphic memoirs explore growing up as a minority in the U.S.Fri, 24 Nov 2023
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566 - In 'Blackouts,' Justin Torres shines a light on silenced LGBTQ historyThu, 23 Nov 2023
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565 - Jonathan Eig's biography of MLK explores the activist's life and faithWed, 22 Nov 2023
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564 - Discover your next great read with NPR's Books We LoveTue, 21 Nov 2023
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563 - In 'The Covenant of Water,' Abraham Verghese traces an Indian family's drowning curseTue, 21 Nov 2023
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562 - Jamie Loftus' 'Raw Dog' investigates the social and culinary history of the hot dogMon, 20 Nov 2023
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561 - Henry Winkler and Arnold Schwarzenegger's memoirs open up about the fear of failingFri, 17 Nov 2023
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560 - Max Brooks teaches kids life lessons through the world of 'Minecraft'Thu, 16 Nov 2023
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559 - Curtis Chin's memoir pays homage to his family's Chinese restaurantWed, 15 Nov 2023
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558 - 'The Liberators' details the lives of Korean-Americans grappling with the warTue, 14 Nov 2023
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557 - Barbra Streisand's memoir looks back on a groundbreaking careerMon, 13 Nov 2023
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556 - In 'Thicker Than Water,' Kerry Washington processes a family secretFri, 10 Nov 2023
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555 - What it's like to write the biographies of Elon Musk and Sam Bankman-FriedThu, 09 Nov 2023
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554 - In 'Let Us Descend,' Jesmyn Ward harnesses the spirituality of an enslaved womanWed, 08 Nov 2023
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553 - In 'A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens,' debt takes on many meaningsTue, 07 Nov 2023
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552 - In 'Differ We Must,' NPR's Steve Inskeep examines Abraham Lincoln's disagreementsMon, 06 Nov 2023
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551 - 'The Coming Wave' and 'Artificial' offer different perspectives on AIFri, 03 Nov 2023
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550 - In 'The List,' an allegation of sexual misconduct wreaks havoc on a relationshipThu, 02 Nov 2023
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549 - 'The House of Doors' is a novel about romance, secrecy and colonialism in MalaysiaWed, 01 Nov 2023
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548 - In 'Sparks,' Ian Johnson highlights China's 'grassroots historians'Tue, 31 Oct 2023
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547 - Jhumpa Lahiri questions Italian identity in 'Roman Stories'Mon, 30 Oct 2023
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546 - Books about Olympic rowers and J. Robert Oppenheimer re-examine American historyFri, 27 Oct 2023
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545 - After three decades, John Grisham follows 'The Firm' with 'The Exchange'Thu, 26 Oct 2023
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544 - 'The Color Purple' is about the bonding of womenWed, 25 Oct 2023
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543 - Isabel Wilkerson argues that 'Caste,' not racism caused The Great MigrationTue, 24 Oct 2023
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542 - 'Killers of the Flower Moon' traces the murders of Osage familiesMon, 23 Oct 2023
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541 - Two poetry collections find beauty in unexpected placesFri, 20 Oct 2023
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540 - 'My People' is a collection of stories – spanning decades – about Black AmericaThu, 19 Oct 2023
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539 - In 'Cursed Bunny,' horror takes unexpected formsWed, 18 Oct 2023
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538 - 'Fatty Fatty Boom Boom' details a lifelong relationship with food and body imageTue, 17 Oct 2023
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537 - 'Demon Copperhead' tackles opioids, poverty and resilience in AppalachiaMon, 16 Oct 2023
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536 - Novels by Barbara Kingsolver and Daniel Mason excavate history for new meaningsFri, 13 Oct 2023
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535 - 'Lies About Black People' analyzes and debunks harmful stereotypesThu, 12 Oct 2023
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534 - 'Land of Milk and Honey' paints a dystopian future for fine diningWed, 11 Oct 2023
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533 - 'The Big Myth' breaks down pro-market, anti-government propaganda in the U.S.Tue, 10 Oct 2023
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532 - Nathan Hill's 'Wellness' examines marriage, parenthood and polyamoryMon, 09 Oct 2023
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