NPR's Book of the Day
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NPR's Book of the Day
In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them –...
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'We the Women' and 'Rise, Girl, Rise' are stories about revolutionary women
To mark Women’s History Month, today’s episode features new books focused on women who have paved the way for gender equality. First, journalist Norah...
'One of Us' is a British political drama based on the Boris Johnson era
In today’s episode, Elizabeth Day describes the protagonist in her new novel One of Us as the “quintessential outsider.” Martin Gilmour came from a di...
To understand consciousness, Michael Pollan looked at plants, AI and himself
While researching a previous book, a mushroom trip in Michael Pollan’s garden left him curious about the boundaries of consciousness. His latest proje...
In 'Bad Asians,' a friend group threatens its reputation with a viral video
Lillian Li says Bad Asians was drawn from her upbringing in a hypercompetitive Chinese-American community. In the novel, four 20-somethings, who grew...
In new memoir, Gavin Newsom reflects on his political rise
As California’s governor – and a topic of discussion among some as a possible 2028 presidential candidate – Gavin Newsom is an exceedingly public figu...
'The Irish Goodbye' and 'Frog' are micro-memoirs and essays about everyday life
In today’s episode, two authors tackle everyday experience through short-form writing. First, The Irish Goodbye is a collection of micro-memoirs by th...
'An American Marriage' author Tayari Jones is out with a new novel 'Kin'
Tayari Jones, author of the 2018 novel An American Marriage, says her next book was supposed to be about gentrification in the American South. But whi...
Andrew Krivak’s novel 'Mule Boy' takes readers inside a Pennsylvania coal mine
Author Andrew Krivak grew up hearing stories about his grandfather, who died in a coal mine collapse in the early 1900s. These stories inspired Mule B...
Jason Zengerle says Tucker Carlson is more 'movement leader' than media persona
Journalist Jason Zengerle spent years observing right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson. His new book Hated by All the Right People asks: Does Car...
Author was struck by story of mixed-race orphans behind 'Keeper of Lost Children'
Keeper of Lost Children is the latest work of historical fiction by Sadeqa Johnson. The novel is told from three vantage points and follows the story...
A psychoanalyst and a priest share insights in 'Love's Labor' and 'Work in Progress'
New books by a psychoanalyst and a priest have something in common: They draw on the experience of holding other people’s stories. Stephen Grosz says...
Reshona Landfair, formerly 'Jane Doe,' recounts abuse by R. Kelly in new memoir
Reshona Landfair met R. Kelly when she was a pre-teen in 1996. Starstruck, Landfair says she fell victim to his grooming tactics, followed by years of...
'The Renovation' is a novel with a surrealist take on prison structures big and small
There are many ways that a home renovation project can become a nightmare for all involved. But in The Renovation, narrator Dilara’s remodeling woes a...
'Fly, Wild Swans' weaves Jung Chang’s family history with the history of China
Jung Chang’s memoir Wild Swans, published in 1991, told the story of three generations of women in her family as they survived upheaval in 20th-centur...
'Clutch' follows a college friend group trying to maintain their bond in midlife
The new novel Clutch follows five women who have known each other since college as they navigate the challenges of midlife. Author Emily Nemens recent...
Brush up on American history with 'Common Sense' and 'We the People'
In preparation for the U.S. Semiquincentennial this summer, we’re featuring two key texts in American history. First, Professor Nora Slonimsky joins N...
In 'Eradication,' a grieving man sets off to a remote island to save the world
Adi is a man grieving the death of his young son and the end of his marriage. Following these losses, he comes across a strange job listing, which bri...
Gisèle Pelicot’s 'A Hymn to Life' is both a memoir and an act of ultimate defiance
Content warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual abuse.
In 2024, Gisèle Pelicot waived her right to anonymity as the v...
'Crux' is a novel about rock climbing, but risk exists far beyond the mountain’s edge
Rock climbing is a great sport for thrill-seekers. In Gabriel Tallent’s Crux, main characters Dan and Tamma fit the bill perfectly. At just 17 years o...
After 100 years of Mount Rushmore, its biographer says the landmark is incomplete
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the first drilling at Mount Rushmore, the iconic American landmark in South Dakota. But Matthew Davis, author...
'Football' and 'Everybody Loses' examine changes to America’s most popular sport
The Super Bowl is over, but the NFL season is set to ramp up again in just a few months. Today’s episode features two nonfiction books that delve int...
A new book focuses on a queer, Black, WWII-era translator who risked safety for love
About a decade ago, professor and historian Ethelene Whitmire was presenting research on the experiences of African Americans living in Denmark. At th...
George Saunders' 'Vigil' is a ghostly novel about an oil tycoon in his final hours
In his latest novel, George Saunders continues to explore his interest in death and the afterlife. Vigil tells the story of an oil tycoon and climate...
Gov. Josh Shapiro emphasizes civic engagement in new memoir 'Where We Keep the Light'
Gov. Josh Shapiro has plenty of dark experiences that he could recount in his new memoir, Where We Keep the Light. In his first term as Pennsylvania’s...
In 'Room 706,' a woman confronts her extramarital affair during a hostage crisis
Kate loves her husband and their family, but she’s also involved in a long-standing affair with a married lover. Ellie Levenson opens her novel Room 7...
Two new books take on lesser-known chapters of WWII and Cold War-era Black history
Two new books focus on lesser-known chapters of Black history. First, Kings & Pawns tells the story of Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson, who were pitt...
A woman takes over her dead sister’s dating profile in 'Dandelion is Dead'
Dating apps are full of small lies, but Rosie Storey’s debut novel imagines a relationship built on a much bigger one. What if you take over the profi...
'How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder' is a dark new novel about sisterhood
In today’s interview, author Nina McConigley tells NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe that she wanted to write a sister book. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is...
In Sara Levine’s novel 'The Hitch,' a corgi’s soul enters a little boy’s body
When Rose’s 6-year-old nephew arrives for a week-long visit, she has a lot of expectations for how their time together will go. Instead, the boy’s sou...
Angela Tomaski’s debut novel takes readers on a tour of an English manor in decline
In Angela Tomaski’s debut novel, an old English manor has just been sold and is on the brink of conversion into a hotel. The Infamous Gilberts tells t...
Romance authors Emily Henry, Beverly Jenkins, and others on the state of their genre
To wrap up our pre-Valentine’s Day week of reads, we revisit two roundtable discussions with contemporary romance authors. First, Here & Now’s Celeste...
A meet-cute followed by real life: 'Party of Two' is about love in the real world
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 s...
Looking back at 'Normal People,' before Sally Rooney’s rise to fame
In 2019, Sally Rooney was promoting Normal People, the novel that would become her breakout hit. The book inspired a popular Hulu adaptation and posit...
'Emergency Contact' explores love in the age of modern technology
Content warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual assault.
It’s not breaking news that technology has seeped into moder...
Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan on 'Remain,' their supernatural romance novel
Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan are authors known worldwide for their contributions to the genres of romance and horror. But in 2025, they brou...
New books argue that far-off goals and humor can help shift daily routines
January is the month for people to take stock of their habits and routines – and two new books offer unconventional approaches to shaking up our lives...
Iranian pop star Googoosh on her new memoir and life in pre-revolution Iran
The Iranian government has exerted forceful control over its citizens since the Islamic Republic seized power nearly 50 years ago. The pop star Googoo...
Sarah Harman’s debut novel is a lighthearted take on the 'missing kid' mystery genre
Is there anything you wouldn’t do for your favorite person? That question is at the center of Sarah Harman’s debut novel All the Other Mothers Hate Me...
'Firestorm' tells journalistic – and personal – story of the LA wildfires
Jacob Soboroff was one of the reporters on the front lines of last year’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. For him, the story was also deeply per...
'This is Where the Serpent Lives' is a sprawling debut novel set in modern Pakistan
Author Daniyal Mueenuddin has hit the ground running with his debut novel, This is Where the Serpent Lives. Set in modern Pakistan, the story spans ge...