NPR Books

Writing On The Sly, Nathaniel Rich's Secret Debut

NPR Books - October 5, 2013 - 7:13am

It took over five years for Nathaniel Rich to finish his first novel — maybe because he was writing The Mayor's Tongue secretly, first as a college student, and then while writing film criticism during the day.

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Elmore Leonard, At Home In Detroit

NPR Books - 5 hours 41 min ago

The crime writer has more than 40 books to his name and dozens of films made from that source material. Leonard gives NPR's Noah Adams a tour of his hometown, with stops at some of the places that taught the writer about the language of crime, and at his writing desk at home.

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The 'Great American School System' Flunks Out

NPR Books - 6 hours 6 min ago

Diane Ravitch's Death and Life of the Great American School System is a scathing report card of U.S. education. The former assistant secretary of education hands down a withering critique of the nation's schooling efforts — from charter schools, to No Child Left Behind, to Teach for America.

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How A Few Made Millions Betting Against The Market

NPR Books - 7 hours 6 min ago

Michael Lewis' new book The Big Short chronicles the 2008 financial collapse through the investors who realized what was happening to the U.S. economy while it was happening — and then made a fortune by betting against the markets.

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What We're Reading, March 16 - 22

NPR Books - 14 hours 6 min ago

Linda Wertheimer hails a Dickensian novel of London in the boom days of 2007, before the banking bust. An encore by child detective Flavia de Luce (Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie) is both creepy and laugh-out-loud funny. And So Much for That finds the hilarity in a relentless tale of runaway health care costs.

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The Outsiders Who Foresaw The Subprime Crisis

NPR Books - March 15, 2010 - 1:06pm

Michael Lewis, who wrote the best-seller Liar's Poker, is back with a new book examining those who profited from shorting subprime mortgages. In The Big Short, Lewis profiles extreme characters — outsiders — who are the sane people in an insane world.

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Author Examines 'The History Of White People'

NPR Books - March 15, 2010 - 9:00am

Conversations about race often focus on what it means to be black. But in her new book, The History of White People historian Nell Irvin Painter explores the concept of "whiteness" — and finds that who is "white" has actually changed throughout America's history.

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A Look At Anti-Aging Tactics In 'Eternity Soup'

NPR Books - March 14, 2010 - 11:00am

Who wants to live forever? Apparently, enough people to support an entire industry of pills, creams, tonics and surgeries meant to keep people alive well into three digits. Guy Raz speaks with Greg Critser, author of Eternity Soup: Inside the Quest to End Aging.

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