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  • For the authors of ‘Reading Van Gogh,’ ‘Black in Blues,’ art opened a door to meaning

    For the authors of ‘Reading Van Gogh,’ ‘Black in Blues,’ art opened a door to meaning
    2025/08/15
    In today’s episode, the authors of two recently released nonfiction books search for meaning in art. First, Elizabeth Barks Cox’s Reading Van Gogh: An Amateur’s Search for God chronicles her infatuation with the painter’s writings, especially those on spirituality. In today’s episode, Cox joins Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins for a conversation that touches on the artist’s eye for beauty and despair – and why the author says she fell “a little bit in love with him.” Then, Harvard professor Imani Perry’s book Black in Blues tells the story of Black history through the color blue. In today’s episode, Perry speaks with Here & Now’s Scott Tong about the many ways blue appears in African American culture, art and literature.


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    22 分
  • In ‘Human Nature,’ Kate Marvel bridges the gap between climate science and emotions

    In ‘Human Nature,’ Kate Marvel bridges the gap between climate science and emotions
    2025/08/14
    Kate Marvel is a climate scientist who has testified before Congress and served as lead author of the U.S. National Climate Assessment. But in her new book Human Nature, she takes a different approach to climate change, exploring the crisis through nine emotions. In today's episode, the scientist and author speaks with NPR’s Scott Simon about watching the world end through computer models, pushing back against emotional neutrality, and her book’s chapter on pride.

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    9 分
  • Jason Mott’s new novel ‘People Like Us’ is metafiction that was almost memoir

    Jason Mott’s new novel ‘People Like Us’ is metafiction that was almost memoir
    2025/08/13
    In 2021, Jason Mott won the National Book Award for Hell of a Book. Now, he’s out with a new novel called People Like Us, in which two Black writers navigate life in the United States in an era of gun violence. Mott says the book is loosely based on himself – and leans into the audience’s tendency to conflate authors with the stories they write. In today’s episode, Mott talks with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about his personal relationships with American identity, guns, and fiction.


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    9 分
  • ‘Sloppy’ author Rax King says she’s inspired by writers who did their best work sober

    ‘Sloppy’ author Rax King says she’s inspired by writers who did their best work sober
    2025/08/12
    Author Rax King says her new book of essays Sloppy is unified by themes of “addiction and bad habits.” King has been sober from alcohol and cocaine for three years and in these essays, she openly shares her sobriety journey. In today’s episode, King speaks with NPR’s Juana Summers about why the author doesn’t see addiction as a shameful secret, King’s relationship with her dad, and learning to generate creativity without substances.

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    9 分
  • A new mystery novel by Liza Tully pairs a green assistant with a seasoned detective

    A new mystery novel by Liza Tully pairs a green assistant with a seasoned detective
    2025/08/11
    In a new murder mystery, a young woman, Olivia Blunt, is eager to impress her new boss, a no-nonsense detective named Aubrey Merritt. This intergenerational pairing is at the center of The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, the latest novel from Liza Tully, which is the pen name of author Elisabeth Brink. In today’s episode, Tully joins NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe for a conversation that touches on why the author chose to write this duo, how she lays out her clues, and what draws readers to murder mysteries.

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    10 分
  • 2 new books were inspired by dark moments in Japanese and Japanese American history

    2 new books were inspired by dark moments in Japanese and Japanese American history
    2025/08/08
    Authors Tracy Slater and Julia Riew published two very different books last month that were inspired by a similar time in history. First, Together in Manzanar is set during the incarceration of Japanese Americans following Pearl Harbor. The book tells the real-life story of a mother who had to decide whether to go to a concentration camp with her 3-year-old Japanese American son or stay back with her daughter, who was white. In today’s episode, Slater speaks with NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer about this family’s story. Next, The Last Tiger is a fictional book for young readers about the Japanese occupation of Korea. In today’s episode, its co-author Julia Riew talks with NPR’s Scott Simon about writing the book with her brother and how their grandparents shaped the story.


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    17 分
  • ‘The Feather Detective’ is a biography of Roxie Layboune, forensic ornithologist

    ‘The Feather Detective’ is a biography of Roxie Layboune, forensic ornithologist
    2025/08/07
    In 1960, a commercial flight was struck by a flock of birds, resulting in a deadly crash. Evidence was sent to the Smithsonian, where a woman named Roxie Laybourne successfully identified the species of bird involved. That case began her career as the first forensic ornithologist – and Laybourne’s work is the subject of Chris Sweeney’s new book, The Feather Detective. In today’s episode, Sweeney joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about Laybourne’s unique expertise, her influence on aviation safety, and the sexism she faced as a female scientist.


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    9 分
  • In Lisa Smith’s ‘Jamaica Road,’ a young girl searches for belonging in 1980s London

    In Lisa Smith’s ‘Jamaica Road,’ a young girl searches for belonging in 1980s London
    2025/08/06
    Lisa Smith’s debut novel Jamaica Road is a coming of age story and romance set in 1980s London. The story follows Daphne, a young girl born to a Jamaican family, and her best friend Connie over the course of 12 years as they contend with love, hatred and some historical events in British history. In today’s episode, Smith talks with Here & Now’s Deborah Becker about growing up as “the posh Black girl,” writing patois, and a surprising character’s presence in the novel.


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    10 分