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Author Interviews NPR interviews with top authors and the NPR Book Tour, a weekly feature and podcast where leading authors read and discuss their writing. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Author Interviews

Unraveling A Father's Secrets And 'Sorrows'

Siri Hustvedt's new novel, The Sorrows of an American, begins one winter day when two adult children uncover a mysterious letter among their late father's papers. Hustvedt tells Jacki Lyden that the book draws from her own father's unpublished memoir.

Unraveling A Father's Secrets And 'Sorrows'

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Election 2008

Biographer: Don't Underestimate Gov. Palin

Born in a small Idaho town, Sarah Palin grew up in an active and outdoorsy family, Kaylene Johnson, author of Palin's biography, "Sarah: How A Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down," tells Liane Hansen. Palin is an evangelical who is also known as "fiercely competitive."

Biographer: Don't Underestimate Gov. Palin

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Books

Novelist Found Inspiration In New Jersey

Jacqueline Carey talks about her new novel, It's a Crime. The novelist found inspiration in affluent New Jersey suburbs, just outside of Manhattan, and in the white-collar crimes of corporate CEOs.

Novelist Found Inspiration In New Jersey

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Books

Tracing The Roots Of 'Irish Madness'

For five generations, Patrick Tracey's family has been plagued by what he calls "a perfect storm of schizophrenia." In his new book, Stalking Irish Madness, he traces his family lineage — and the roots of the disease — all the way back to Ireland.

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Library Of America Honors Overshadowed Writer

During 40 years as fiction editor of The New Yorker magazine, William Maxwell worked with luminaries like Vladimir Nabokov and John Cheever. His own writings were often overshadowed by his job — but now they've been reissued by the Library of America to mark the centennial of his birth. NPR's Jacki Lyden finds out more about the man and his words.

Library Of America Honors Overshadowed Writer

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A Nation Divided In 'Nixonland'

Fresh Air

Rick Perlstein's book, Nixonland, combines an evocative trip through the 1960s and early 1970s with an assessment of the impact of Richard Nixon's political career. Perstein argues that many of the deep political divisions in modern American politics were defined by that period, and exploited effectively by Nixon.

A Nation Divided In 'Nixonland'

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200 Years Of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's Strategy To Turn Rivals Into Allies

Fresh Air

After he won the presidency, Abraham Lincoln brought three of his rivals for the Republican nomination into his cabinet. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Team of Rivals, recounts the life and work of our 16th president — and the principal characters of his administration.

Lincoln's Strategy To Turn Rivals Into Allies

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The 'Religionization' Of The Oval Office

Fresh Air

Scholar Randall Balmer explores the interplay between religion and American politics in his book, God in the White House. Balmer is a professor of religious history at Barnard College, and the editor-at-large for Christianity Today.

The 'Religionization' Of The Oval Office

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Books

American Discontent Or 'Why We Hate Us'

In his new book Why We Hate Us, Dick Meyer argues that for the most part Americans are dissatisfied with their own society. But he offers a solution: "a return to some traditions that predate the '60s."

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Review

Three Books...

Europe On The Cheap? Voila: A Grand Literary Tour

A dollar won't buy you much in Europe these days. But three books set on the continent offer a full immersion in "la dolce vita" — at minimal cost.

Europe On The Cheap? Voila: A Grand Literary Tour

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Books

An Age Of American Self-Loathing

NPR's Dick Meyer contends that, despite living in a time of relative peace and prosperity, Americans are "morally and existentially tired." In his new book, Why We Hate Us, Meyer diagnoses the problem.

Dick Meyer Reads From 'Why We Hate Us'

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Walter Dean Myers, A 'Bad Boy' Makes Good

Growing up, the only authors Walter Dean Myers read in school were white and British. But when he discovered Langston Hughes and Richard Wright, he realized that he, too, could be a writer. Now, Myers works to encourage the next generation.

Walter Dean Myers, A 'Bad Boy' Makes Good

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