Authors

Books

'Songs For The Butcher's Daughter'

January 10, 2009 · Host Scott Simon talks with Peter Manseau about his first novel, Songs for the Butcher's Daughter, in which a young man befriends the last living Yiddish poet. ()  

Remembrances

Richard John Neuhaus, Author And Theologian

January 9, 2009 · The Catholic theologian, who helped create an influential coalition of conservative Catholics and Protestants, died Jan. 8 at the age of 72. ()  

World

Russia's 'Great Gamble': Lessons From Afghanistan

January 8, 2009 · The common view of the Soviet war in Afghanistan was that it was a Soviet territorial grab. But the truth was much more confused, says Gregory Feifer, NPR's Moscow correspondent. He is the author of The Great Gamble, a new history of that conflict. ()  

Middle East

Israeli Novelist's View Of Gaza Conflict

January 7, 2009 · The many Israelis who have been watching the conflict in Gaza include Amos Oz. The Israeli novelist is known as a dove. He co-founded a group called "Peace Now" in 1978. Yet, he tells Steve Inskeep that he initially supported Israel's air strikes on Gaza. ()  

Politics

Chuck Todd Examines 'How Barack Obama Won'

January 8, 2009 · NBC's newly appointed chief White House correspondent talks with Dave Davies about his new book, How Barack Obama Won: A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election. ()  

Book Tour By Neda Ulaby

'Sea of Poppies': An Epic Tale Of Opium And Empire

January 7, 2009 · In Sea of Poppies, a British trading ship carrying an eclectic group of passengers sets sail on the eve of the First Opium War. The novel, the sixth from Amitav Ghosh, was shortlisted for the 2008 Booker Prize. ()  

Politics

Philippe Sands Considers A Legacy Of 'Torture'

January 7, 2009 · In his 2008 book, Torture Team, British lawyer Philippe Sands accuses the Bush administration of condoning harsh interrogation techniques. ()  

Books

Child's Autism Helps Author Write Mnemonic Book

January 6, 2009 · British journalist Christopher Stevens talks about his new book, Thirty Days Has September: Cool Way to Remember Stuff. Stevens says the book is aimed primarily at children and was based on his experience teaching his autistic son. ()  

Books

Novel Regards Slave Trade In Reverse

January 5, 2009 · In British writer Bernardine Evaristo's new novel, Blonde Roots, African slave traders raid Europe. Evaristo wields language and messes with history and geography with the gusto of someone having a great time with a great subject. ()  

Books We Like By Jessa Crispin

A Childhood Tragedy, Seen From The 'Periphery'

January 5, 2009 · Fate is the protagonist in Patricia Ferguson's masterful Peripheral Vision, which examines the effects one unhappy accident has on a constellation of characters. ()  

'Invention Of Air' Explains Discovery Of Oxygen

January 2, 2009 · How are the discovery of oxygen, the founding of the Unitarian Church and ecosystem science linked? Author Steven Johnson tells the story of scientist and theologian Joseph Priestley, a protege of Benjamin Franklin and friend of Thomas Jefferson, in The Invention of Air. ()  

Civil Rights Poets Wrote Prologue For Change

January 4, 2009 · Langston Hughes and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper are prominent African-American poets who wrote about civil rights and whose work still resonates today. Host Liane Hansen speaks with poet E. Ethelbert Miller about Harper's and Hughes' work and what it means in this time of change in America. ()  

Books

What We Don't Know About Sherman's March

January 4, 2009 · Author Noah Andre Trudeau's book, Southern Storm, is about Sherman's March and what actually happened during this famous Civil War event. ()