Books

The Shape of the Ruins, by Juan Gabriel Vasquez

Books
Arts

'The Shape Of The Ruins' Is Baggy, Discursive, But True At Its Core

7:00am September 25, 2018

by Lily Meyer

Juan Gabriel Vásquez's new novel is packed with history, alternate history and conspiracies — though ultimately it's about neither history nor politics, but how they combine to shape one man.

The ASPCA has a number of tips for how to keep pets safe during a storm. On the top of the list: Don't leave them behind.

PHOTOS: As Florence Floodwaters Rose, Rescuers Helped Hundreds Of Animals In Danger

9:49am September 24, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

Some evacuees are unwilling or unable to bring their pets with them, leaving them in a dangerous position. Rescuers have been tracking down scared animals in danger and bringing them to safety.

This did not really happen. Cows' heads did not emerge from the bodies of people newly inoculated against smallpox. But fear of the vaccine was so widespread that it prompted British satirist James Gillray to create this spoof in 1802.

New Book: Vaccines Have Always Had Haters

2:55pm September 23, 2018

by Susan Brink

That's one of the themes in the new book 'Between Hope and Fear: A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity.'

Books

'Luckiest Girl Alive' Author On Kavanaugh Nomination, MeToo Era

7:53am September 23, 2018

NPR's Renee Montagne asks Jessica Knoll, author of Luckiest Girl Alive, about her experience with sexual assault and her thoughts on the accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

cover detail from Transcription by Kate Atkinson

Books
Arts

Secrets Of A Teenage WWII Spy In 'Transcription'

7:53am September 23, 2018

by Renee Montagne

The young protagonist of Kate Atkinson's latest historical novel finds herself working for British intelligence during the war — and suddenly confronting that experience years later.

'Night Moves' Captures Fleeting Moments In Chicago — And Life

7:01am September 23, 2018

by Mariya Karimjee

Jessica Hopper's memoir oscillates between charting a story of gentrification, a young woman's love affair with Chicago, and the types of friendships that represent the texture of a city.

Books
Arts

'Unclaimed Baggage' Is The Quintessential Southern Novel For Teens

7:00am September 23, 2018

by Alethea Kontis

Jen Doll's new novel follows a group of misfit kids working at Alabama's legendary Unclaimed Baggage store, a place where all kinds of lost things (and people, and one purple leopard suitcase) end up.

The Personality Brokers: The Strange History of Myers-Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing by Merve Emre.

How The Myers-Briggs Personality Test Began In A Mother's Living Room Lab

5:26pm September 22, 2018

by Melissa Block

"The language of type can be immensely clarifying," says author Merve Emre. In The Personality Brokers she describes how a mother-daughter duo started a multi-million dollar "people sorting" industry.

Books

Ashley Toliver's 'Spectra' Is Her First Major Book Of Poems

7:54am September 22, 2018

NPR's Scott Simon talks to Ashley Toliver about her collection of poems entitled Spectra. It examines the writer's experiences with relationships, giving birth and living with cancer.

Imani Perry, author of Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry

Books
Arts

Lorraine Hansberry: Radiant, Radical — And More Than 'Raisin'

6:28am September 22, 2018

by Karen Grigsby Bates

A new biography of the African-American playwright shows that she was so much more than her most famous work: A Raisin in the Sun.

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