NPR's Book of the Day
Episodes
'Booth' looks at the family life of President Lincoln's notorious assassin
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Karen Joy Fowler thinks John Wilkes Booth craved attention – and that gotten his fair share of it. So her new novel, Booth, instead focuses ...
A new picture book seeks to answer the question 'what is school for?'
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Writer John Schu and illustrator Veronica Miller Jamison are out with a new picture book that asks the question what exactly is school...for? Test pre...
Authors Peng Shepherd and Anne Tyler show that family is...complicated
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's first interview is with author Peng Shepherd on her new mystery. A father and daughter, both cartographers, haven't spoken in seven years. But...
'The Last Suspicious Holdout' looks at how humans keep on believing
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Ladee Hubbard's new collection of short stories, The Last Suspicious Holdout, all take place in a nameless, majority Black suburb in the 90s an...
'The Beauty of Dusk' and life's calamitous challenges
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Frank Bruni had lots of professional success: he was a White House correspondent, food critic, and opinion columnist. But then in 2017 he s...
Solving systemic racism and buying sensible cardigans with comic Phoebe Robinson
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Comic Phoebe Robinson told NPR's Rachel Martin that she doesn't wake up every day thinking "time to dismantle systemic racism!" But since she has a pl...
We look at Hollywood legend Rita Moreno's career after the Oscars
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The 94th Academy Awards were last night. To celebrate we're taking a trip down memory lane with one of Hollywood's greatest icons, Rita Moreno. Back i...
Karen Dawisha and Marie Yovanovitch provide a deeper look at Russia's war in Ukraine
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's been nearly a month since Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine, so we are taking another look at how we got here. First, an interview from 2014 with t...
A meet-cute followed by real life: 'Party of Two' is about love in the real world
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Romance writer Jasmine Guillory writes beautiful love stories – but that doesn't mean they aren't based in reality. Her novel Party of Two from the ...
'Checkout 19' explores the magic of escaping with a good book
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The nameless narrator in author Claire-Louise Bennett's new novel, Checkout 19, absolutely loves books. Their mere presence puts her at ease. But her ...
'Peach Blossom Spring' interrogates the meaning of home
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Can you belong to more than one home? Author Melissa Fu sets out to answer that question in her debut novel Peach Blossom Spring. The story of the Pea...
Author Azar Nafisi says books can help you really live
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Azar Nafisi has written a love letter to literature and reading in Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times. She ...
Lights, camera, method acting!
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our books today give the reader a peek into showbiz. Sarah Polley was a child actor but that led to her being put into many dangerous situations, whic...
Two mothers clash over integration in 'What's Mine & Yours'
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At the center of author Naima Coster's novel What's Mine & Yours are two struggling mothers. Jade is a Black single mother who is trying to provide a ...
Poet Warsan Shire hopes you can make the voices in your head your friends
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Somali British poet Warsan Shire has had many projects, including running a popular Tumblr page and collaborating with Beyoncé. Now, she is out with ...
Author NoViolet Bulawayo's novel 'Glory' draws inspiration from the Orwellian
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author NoViolet Bulawayo's new novel Glory is quite openly based on Orwell's Animal Farm and the 2017 coup in Zimbabwe that ousted then president Robe...
Former Attorney General William Barr says he was just doing his job
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The former attorney general under former President Trump, William Barr, is out with a new memoir called One Damn Thing After Another. In it, he agrees...
Nikole Hannah Jones and Adam Rubin aim to make children's books more accessible
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our interviews today are both children's books and even though they are about wildly different topics, they both aim to make reading more accessible f...
Author Bernardine Evaristo confides in the reader in new memoir, 'Manifesto'
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Bernardine Evaristo wrote the Booker prize winning novel Girl, Woman, Other. But before she did, like way before, she was incredibly unsure of ...
Author Tessa Hadley writes a juicy tale of the bourgeois in 'Free Love'
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Tess Hadley's new novel opens with an affair, but that's not really what the book is about. Free Love is set in the 1960s just outside of Londo...
We travel to Iceland with its first lady on International Women's Day
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is an Icelandic word, sprakkar, that means outstanding women - and those women are at the heart of the book Secrets Of The Sprakkar: Iceland's E...
The people caught in the middle of war in 'A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena'
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2013 author Anthony Marra wrote a book that is every bit as timely today. A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena takes place in Chechnya, a place ...
Gulbahar Haitiwaji and Desmond Shum get personal about the reach of China's power
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we look at the power of the Chinese government. The first book, How I Survived A Chinese Reeducation Camp, is by Gulbahar Haitiwaji, a Uyghur wo...
'Black Cloud Rising' novelizes the leader of an all-Black brigade in the Civil War
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Novelist David Wright Falade learned about the life of Richard Etheridge in the 90s and has been enthralled by him ever since. Born into slavery in No...
Putin's use of Nazi rhetoric is not new according to historian Timothy Snyder
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russian President Vladimir Putin has framed his recent invasion of Ukraine as a "de-nazification" of the country. This is not a new move by Putin. In ...
A lifetime of secrets unfold in 'Black Cake'
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Charmaine Wilkerson's new novel, Black Cake, is all about identity; who we are and how we fit into this world. Estranged siblings, Benny and By...
'The Splendid and the Vile' dives deep into Winston Churchill's year during the blitz
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Russian invasion into Ukraine is a world-altering event that has people fearful. Historically, few leaders have navigated their country through th...
'The Black Agenda' and 'Solitary' tackle criminal justice reform
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In interviews with the authors of The Black Agenda and Solitary, the issue of criminal justice reform is central. First, writer Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyem...
'Girl, Woman, Other' celebrates Black British women
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bernardine Evaristo didn't think there were enough books being published about Black British women, so she wrote one herself. Girl, Woman, Other looks...
'Anthem' considers the world we are passing down to the next generation
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Noah Hawley is a world builder. He created the TV shows Fargo and Legion, so he is no stranger to getting an audience immersed in his worlds. His new ...
'Moon Witch, Spider King' takes us back into Marlon James' fantastical world
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Marlon James is following up Black Leopard, Red Wolf with a new fantasy novel Moon Witch, Spider King. It tells the same story as Black Leopard...
Writer Arthur Brooks says strivers can end up unhappier later in life
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Social science writer Arthur Brooks has figured out how you, yes you, can be happy later in life. He details it all in his new book, From Strength to ...
Two authors tell stories of the weird and wild in the classical music world
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Both interviews today will transport you into the exciting world of classical music. No, really! The first is with Brendan Slocumb, whose new book, Th...
Author Maeve Higgins humorously reflects on her immigrant experience
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Maeve Higgins starts her new book, Tell Everyone on This Train I Love Them, by saying she hopes the pandemic doesn't impart any lessons. This k...
What does 'The Family Chao' have in common with Dostoyevsky? Murder and more.
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Patriarch Leo Chao is murdered at his restaurant at the beginning of Lan Samantha Chang's new novel The Family Chao. Eventually family secrets and bit...
Author Tara Westover says we need to consider how people have been 'Educated'
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Tara Westover grew up in an extreme survivalist family in Idaho. She and her siblings had no formal education, but she taught herself algebra, ...
Happy Valentine's Day! We get sappy with 'Evvie Drake Starts Over'
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of Valentine's Day, we are revisiting a conversation with our very own romance expert, Linda Holmes. Her novel Evvie Drake Starts Over is abo...
Isabel Wilkerson argues that 'Caste' not racism caused The Great Migration
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As part of Black History Month, Book of the Day brings you an interview with author Isabel Wilkerson. She followed her book about The Great Migration,...
Octavia Butler imagines a world without racism
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During Black History month, Book of the Day is bringing you some interviews from the archives, including this one with author Octavia Butler. Butler w...
Alex Haley nearly lost it all writing 'Roots'
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To recognize Black History Month, Book of the Day is digging into the archives to bring you some important interviews. In 1977, author Alex Haley told...
'The Color Purple' is about the bonding of women
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As part of Black History Month, we are running interviews from our archives. The Color Purple is about the survival of Black women in a male-dominated...
Book banning is seen in historical context in 'Burn This Book'
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the first full week of Black History Month, we dove into our archives to bring you some older interviews by Black authors. The first is an intervi...
Writers Lizzie Damilola Blackburn and Edmund White want to talk about sex
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The first interview today is with debut novelist Lizzie Damilola Blackburn about her book, Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? The protagonist Yinka is cons...
How did humans get here? Historian Yuval Noah Harari is thrilled to tell you
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Yuval Noah Harari wrote a book back in 2015 that looked at the entirety of human history; from hunter-gatherers to space exploration. Sapien...
'South To America' makes the case that southern history shaped our nation
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Imani Perry is a child of the South. In her newest book South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, s...
Enslaved people imagine freedom and beyond in 'Yonder'
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Jabari Asim is out with a new novel called Yonder. The story follows a group of enslaved men and women who are forced to work on a plantation b...
Struggling with burnout? Author Jonathan Malesic might be able to help
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After getting his Ph.D., writer Jonathan Malesic struck out in this search for an academic job, so he took a position as a parking attendant across t...
Tap dancing Twizzlers, cockroach warriors, and fairy tales! Oh my!
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two collections of short stories, both alike in playfulness in our fair podcast. The first is with Gwen Kirby whose debut collection of short stories ...
Former California prosecutor details how she helped take down sex trafficking site
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Maggy Krell is a former California prosecutor who was on the team that took down the infamous sex trafficking site Blackpage back in 2018. Now, she's ...
Country star Merle Haggard is larger than life in 'The Hag'
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Marc Eliot has written a new biography of country music icon, Merle Haggard. The Hag details Haggard's quite extraordinary life; from breaking ...
Hanya Yanagihara grapples with pandemics in 'To Paradise'
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author of the wildly popular and, at times, controversial A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara, is out with a new novel. To Paradise is an epic – in thre...
What motivates you? For Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn, it's failure.
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The 2022 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, so to prepare we are bringing you a conversation with skier Lindsey Vonn. Her new memoir, Rise, ...
Ghosts and the sea take lead roles in Violet Kupersmith and Edwidge Dantica's novels
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The first interview today, Build Your House Around My Body, is by debut novelist Violet Kupersmith and it's about a young Vietnamese woman who disappe...
'Twilight of Democracy' chronicles the rise of authoritarianism
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today marks one year since Joe Biden was sworn in as president. It's no secret that politics have become — well...messy in the U.S. — so we though...
'The Engagement' looks at the complicated history of marriage equality
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and author Sasha Issenberg has written a book about the history of marriage equality in America. The Engagement details how messy and compl...
In 'Of Women And Salt,' women weave the future out of scraps
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"We are force." This line is originally from a Victor Hugo letter to Cuban independence fighters, but it's also found throughout Gabriela Garcia's nov...
'The Three Mothers' who paved the way for three extraordinary men
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This Martin Luther King Jr. day we focus on the woman who raised Dr. King, his mother, Alberta. His mother and those of two of his contemporaries take...
Looking for some pandemic-era writing? We have spooky and we have sweet.
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our first interview today is about a novel that, believe it or not, was actually written before the coronavirus pandemic even started. The End of Octo...
Anger and grief after Hurricane Maria in 'Velorio'
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author Xavier Navarro Aquino's new novel, Velorio, takes place in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This is not a tale of strength and ...
Get the most out of that noggin with 'Supercharge Your Brain'
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author James Goodwin has written about brain trauma, which, as you can guess, is something you want to avoid at all costs. His new book, Supercharge Y...
Language is power in 'Beasts of a Little Land'
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Juhea Kim's debut novel, Beasts of a Little Land, is about Korea's decades-long fight for independence and the lives it impacted. Kim wanted the novel...
The Late Archbishop Desmond Tutu never lost his faith in humanity
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away at the age of 90 at the end of 2021. We look back at his legacy by revisiting his 2010 book Made For Goodness. Eve...
Tricia Elam Walker, Ekua Holmes, and Clint Smith take us across the country
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's interviews are about transporting you to different places. The first is with cousins Tricia Elam Walker and Ekua Holmes who wrote a children's...
Actress Sharon Gless on life's ups and downs in 'Apparently There Were Complaints'
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Actress Sharon Gless, who starred in the 80s cop procedural, Cagney and Lacey, is out with a new memoir: Apparently There Were Complaints. The book lo...
President Trump's final acts of 'Betrayal'
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Almost a year ago today, supporters of President Trump attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election. ABC White House correspondent Jona...
Remembering bell hooks and 'All About Love'
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author and social activist bell hooks died a couple of weeks ago, so we at Book Of The Day thought it would be nice to revisit one of our favorite int...
Lower your expectations and succeed with 'Tiny Habits'
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every time the new year rolls around, many of us start trying to "better ourselves." Maybe you decide to read more or clean out your entire house only...
NPR's Wisdom From The Top: 'Machiavelli For Women'
02 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Planet Money's Stacey Vanek Smith has reported on business and the economy for over 15 years now. She told NPR's Guy Raz that over that time, she's se...
Alexi Pappas and Glennon Doyle want you to know it's ok to not be ok
31 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Both our interviews today deal with the pressures we put on ourselves. First, Olympic runner Alexi Pappas on her memoir, Bravey. On the outside, Pappa...
Healing through poetry in 'Light For The World To See'
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Poet and author Kwame Alexander was feeling the weight of being Black in America last summer and didn't know how to make sense of his feelings. So, he...
'Hamnet' gives life to Shakespeare's little-known son
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
William Shakespeare had a son, Hamnet, who likely inspired one of his most famous plays and who died when he was 11 years old. Novelist Maggie O'Farre...
'Dwyane' uses photographs to wrap up an illustrious career
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dwyane Wade's new memoir is not a traditional one. He wanted to show the reader a lot of his cherished memories instead of just writing about them. Hi...
In 'All Adults Here,' family is messy
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author Emma Straub has written a book about family dynamics and the mess and love that comes with them in All Adults Here. It's no secret that familie...
Snuggle up for the holidays with two NPR favorites
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's the holiday season so we at Book Of The Day wanted to bring you two of our holiday favorites. The first is David Sedaris' Santaland Diaries, whic...
'Agatha Of Little Neon' falls out of love with the church
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the novel Agatha Of Little Neon, a young woman, Agatha, is in need of direction after she loses her mother and finds it in the church. When Agatha ...
A defense - and celebration - of all things 'Tacky'
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you love what some people would consider 'low-brow culture?' Things like The Cheesecake Factory or the band Creed. Well then do we have the book fo...
Keeping yourself afloat in 'Between Two Kingdoms'
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When author Suleika Jaouad was first diagnosed with leukemia, she felt isolated and like she didn't have control over anything. She told Life Kit host...
Reinventing the epic with 'The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois'
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When you think of an epic, what comes to mind? The Iliad, The Odyssey, maybe Beowulf? Well author Honoree Fanonne Jeffers points out that epics are al...
NPR's Throughline: The Postal Service
18 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The US Postal Service has played a key role in much of American history - from the Declaration of Independence to more recent mail-in voting. It was c...
Danielle Evans and Brit Bennett on the lies we tell ourselves
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, two takes on stories we tell to make ourselves feel better and the consequences of believing them. First, author Danielle Evans' short story co...
'Empire of Pain' explores the family behind Purdue Pharma
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the most recent public institution to announce that they are taking the Sackler name off of seven of their spaces du...
'Wish You Were Here' ... Stranded with me in the Galapagos Islands
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wanted to get stranded on a beautiful island? Maybe at the end of a vacation when you think you never want to leave. Well, that's what h...
Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan on the highs and lows of success
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Legendary rapper and integral member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon, is out with a new memoir called From Staircase to Stage. Born Corey Woods in Staten...
A tech giant does its best Big Brother impersonation in 'The Every'
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author Dave Eggars has written a new book, The Every, satirizing technology and it's ever-expanding hold on us. While publishing and distributing the ...
'Design To Live' is a testament to the human spirit
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From creating vertical gardens to breeding pigeons, the people living in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan manage to "carve out a life worth living." A...
'A Snake Falls To Earth' tackles real life issues in a fantastical world
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author Darcie Little Badger has her protagonists, Nina and a cottonmouth snake named Oli, tackle big, real world problems in her new Young Adult novel...
Robert Jones Jr. and Laird Hunt talk tragedies and overlooked histories
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Not all history is learned - or taught - in school. In today's first interview, Robert Jones Jr. tells NPR's Scott Simon that he wanted to be 'a witne...
Surviving high school in 'Huda F Are You?'
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author Huda Fahmy brings us a fictionalized look back on her teenage years in her new graphic novel. The cleverly titled Huda F Are You? is about a gi...
Chancellor Angela Merkel's last dance
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is stepping down after 16 years. Author and former NPR correspondent Kati Marton has written a new biography of Merkel...
Louise Erdrich and Kevin Brockmeier are not writing campfire ghost stories
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are all different kinds of ghost stories and types of ghosts. Maybe the ghost is a malicious spirit out for revenge, or a marshmallow man parade...
NPR's Short Wave: 'An Outsider's Guide to Humans'
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Camilla Pang talks with NPR's Short Wave host Emily Kwong about her award-winning memoir, An Outsider's Guide to Humans: What Science Taught Me About ...
'All That She Carried' weaves together generations of Black women
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
All That She Carried is the history of a single bag. Historian and author Tiya Miles used what few historical records she could find to tell the stori...
'Chouette' is part owl part human baby. Fine. But how to raise her?
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Oshetsky's new novel Chouette is... pretty strange, but also kind of wonderful? Oshetsky says the story is a parable about motherhood, in which...
'Black Food' is more than just recipes, it's the stories behind them
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cookbook author and chef Bryant Terry edited and curated the new book, Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes From Across The African Diaspora. His goa...
Celebrating NPR's Petra Mayer with three literary things she loved
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our beloved friend and colleague Petra Mayer died suddenly a few weeks ago. This episode is for her. First, a conversation with NPR's Scott Simon and ...
Tommy Orange is here to hold the door open for future Indigenous writers
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This Thanksgiving, we're bringing you an author whose narrative likely runs counter to what you learned in school. Tommy Orange's novel, There There, ...
'Calvin' shows how transgender kids can express who they really are
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Authors JR and Vanessa Ford read the one book they could find about transgender kids to their child but skipped over the word 'transgender.' When they...
'The Island of Missing Trees' uses, well, trees to chronicle generational trauma
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author Elif Shafak struggled at first with how to write her new book, The Island of Missing Trees. The story she wanted to tell is about a family from...
'Out of Office' considers 'why' companies want to bring back remote employees
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The working world looks a lot different today than it did nearly two years ago, when the coronavirus pandemic sent many office staff to work from home...
Murder! Space! James Bond! Chris Hadfield and Anthony Horowitz talk thrillers
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This Friday, we're featuring two thrillers. First, astronaut Chris Hadfield talked with former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro about his novel The Apollo...