In a fever dream of a retelling, America's new reigning king of satire has turned a loved classic, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, upside down, placing Huck's enslaved companion Jim at the center.
Avid Bookshop has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Gwinnett County jail’s mail policy as unconstitutional. WUGA’s Mary Ryan Howarth has more.
When Shohini Ghose was studying physics as a kid, she heard certain names repeated over and over. "Einstein, Newton, Schrodinger ... they're all men." Shohini wanted to change that — so she decided to write a book about some of the women scientists missing from her grade school physics textbooks. It's called Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe. This episode, she talks to Short Wave host Regina G. Barber about uncovering the women physicists she admires — and how their stories have led her to reflect on her own.
The 2024 presidential election will be a rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden; and with that rematch comes political fanfare, some public apathy and déjà vu. To take a look at the public perception of this repeat race, host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben and NPR White House Correspondent Franco Ordoñez.
Then, Brittany is joined by Vinson Cunningham to discuss his debut novel, Great Expectations. It's a period piece that follows the story of a young man working on an election campaign that echoes that of Obama's 2008 run. Ultimately, it's a novel about belief - both religious and political. Brittany and Vinson discuss American politics as a sort of religion - and why belief in politics has changed so much in the last decade.
To end the show, Brittany shares her thoughts about "Kate Gate" and the mysterious case of royal photoshopping.
One more thing: we are working on a special series for IBAM about the gender divide and we want to talk to YOU. We're looking for people aged 18-24 for a roundtable interview on everything from dating, money, politics, and your future hopes. If you're interested in joining us, email our producers: ibam@npr.org
Author Susan Lieu transforms her acclaimed 2019 one-woman show — 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother -- into a memoir of her family after the death of her mother due to botched plastic surgery.
Prolific writer Percival Everett often skewers different corners of American society. His latest novel James is written from the point of view of the character Jim, from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.
Gina Chung's collection is a fantastic medley of short stories that dance between literary fiction, fable, Korean folklore, and science fiction — and one that's full of emotional intelligence.
Authors say that the proliferation of AI-generated books can lead customers into buying the wrong book on Amazon and that these books can harm authors' sales numbers and reputations.
Kate Manne tried to shrink her body for years before embracing her size as part of a "natural, normal human variation." She says the fight against fat phobia must start in the doctor's office.
Adelle Waldman's novel is a workplace ensemble set in a Costco-like store. But, because Help Wanted is a group portrait, it tends to visit, rather than settle in with, its working class characters.
When Dutt was a kid, her family pretended to be rich so no one would suspect their caste identity. In her memoir, she talks of her struggles — and her decision to publicly declare she is a Dalit.
The late author often wrote about the loneliness and isolation of the working class. His new short story collection puts a sharper focus on the politics of small town life.
Jennifer Croft's novel, centered on a group of translators working on a book, is surprising at every turn, moving from profound observations about nature, art, and communication — to surreal events.