NPR's Book of the Day

R.F. Kuang talks about writing Yellowface and the intricacies of friendship and cultural appropriation. Joe Ide discusses writing his IQ series from the perspective of a Black protagonist, influenced by his upbringing in South Central LA.

Queer Career explores the history of LGBTQ workers in the U.S., covering topics such as the Lavender Scare, abuse and exploitation faced by outed workers, and the resilience and community found through jobs. Chapters delve into the impact on career ambitions, vulnerability and discrimination, and the experiences in 1960s New York. The book highlights the relevance of understanding this history amidst present-day challenges to LGBTQ rights.

Author Kent Matsumoto and his wife co-write the novel 'Of White Ashes,' a fictionalized love story based on the experiences of his Japanese-American parents during WWII. They discuss honoring family, the legacy of internment camps, crafting a love story amidst painful history, and their own collaboration as co-authors.

Russell Moore, Former Christianity Today editor-in-chief, discusses his new book 'Losing Our Religion' exploring the politicization of evangelical Christianity. He shares his personal challenges, including criticism of Donald Trump and addressing white nationalism. Moore advocates for a different approach, emphasizing the teachings of Jesus and a small, local focus. The podcast delves into the influence of politics, disconnection, and C.S. Lewis. It also touches on personal exile and the need to rethink the church for desired changes in the evangelical community.

Elizabeth "Bunny" Glenn likes reading Cosmopolitan and watching soap operas – but the teenager is blithely aware of how power and wealth operate around her. She's the daughter of a diplomat in Azerbaijan tasked with ensuring oil pipeline access in Lydia Kiesling's new novel, Mobility. In today's episode, the author speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about how her protagonist feigns oblivion to pave her own career in the fossil fuel industry, and how her complicity in climate change makes her a complex character to write. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Today's episode features interviews with two authors of short story collections. First, NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Steven Millhauser about Disruptions, and why he likes to write stories that start off in the normal world and slowly become more and more unsettling until he feels he's pushed the limits as far as he can. Then, NPR's Juana Summers asks Jamel Brinkley about Witness, and how he incorporated gentrification in New York, masculinity and Blackness into his larger themes of obsession. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Pidgeon Pagonis grew up thinking they'd survived cancer as a child, and the disease was the reason their body didn't develop quite like the other girls at school. It wasn't until college that they realized they were actually born intersex, and all the surgeries, secrets and confusion came into focus. In their new memoir, Nobody Needs to Know, Pagonis reckons with how they came to understand and accept the truth about their body. They tell NPR's Leila Fadel about that journey and about how they're thinking about community and activism now that their story is out in the world. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

There are lots of secrets that 105-year-old Hak Jeonga has carried with her throughout her life. But even after she dies, there's still one big one – generational curse included – that she must resolve. Jimin Han's new novel, The Apology, follows the family from South Korea to Chicago to right some of the wrongs that have happened over time. Han tells NPR's Eyder Peralta how she was influenced by her own family's experience of longing and separation following the Korean War, and why Korean shamanism influenced this story of immortality. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

James McBride, author of a murder mystery novel set in a neighborhood where Jewish immigrants and African-Americans live side by side, discusses the inspiration behind his book, the lives of immigrant communities in the '30s, protection of a special needs boy, and the historical role of Armenians in theater.

Journalist Mikhail Zygar discusses his new book 'War and Punishment' which debunks historical myths in Russia, exposing their role in the invasion of Ukraine. The speaker explores the moral obligation to take blame for Russian crimes, discusses the rise of fascism, and the impending end of Putin's regime.