As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. Tessa Hulls? grandmother, Sun Yi, was a dissident journalist in Shanghai who faced intense political persecution during the Chinese Communist Revolution. In today?s episode, Hulls tells Here & Now?s Scott Tong that her grandmother?s trauma often cast a shadow over their family ? one she decided to finally face in her new graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts. It?s a reexamining of Hulls? matriarchal lineage, of Chinese history and of generational love and healing.

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As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. Megha Majumdar?s novel A Guardian and a Thief, a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award, takes place in a near-future Kolkata struck by climate change. There, one family?s possibility of escape is put in jeopardy when their passports are stolen. In this conversation with Here & Now, Majumdar tells Jane Clayson that hope isn?t always noble in situations of crisis.


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As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. Karen Russell?s novel The Antidote is set during the Dust Bowl ? a period when poor farming practices and drought led to a wave of severe and damaging dust storms. In this bleak setting, we?re introduced to a cast of characters, including a woman who stores other people?s memories and a photographer tasked with documenting the crisis. In today?s episode, Russell speaks with NPR?s Scott Simon about the inspiration behind The Antitode?s core characters, including the work of photographer Gordon Parks and an image that came to Russell as she finished her first novel.


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As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. First up: Raja teaches philosophy to high schoolers and shares an apartment with his 82-year-old mother, Zalfa. Rabih Alameddine explores their relationship ? and other forms of intimacy ? in his new novel The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother). In today?s episode, the author joins NPR?s Scott Simon for a conversation about Raja?s self-deprecation, Zalfa?s relationship with another older woman, and Alameddine?s mother?s memory loss.

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If you?re feeling burnt out from your annual holiday cookie-baking marathon, don?t fear. There?s hope on the other side? in the form of cake. In today?s episode, Here and Now's Robin Young speaks with two authors and bakers about their newest cookbooks focused on cake. First, she joins Dorie Greenspan to discuss Dorie?s Anytime Cakes, a beginner-friendly collection of comforting cake recipes. Then, Young talks with The Great British Baking Show?s Paul Hollywood about Celebrate, his volume of cakes meant to inspire joyful, low-stakes baking with the whole family.

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Dictionaries were once bestsellers, but between the internet and artificial intelligence, its role in our culture has changed. Stefan Fatsis is out with a new book called Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) The Modern Dictionary, which documents this shift. In today?s episode, he speaks with NPR?s Don Gonyea about embedding with the publisher of Merriam Webster, the history of lexicography, and what he anticipates for the dictionary?s future.


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In 2017, Wicked author Gregory Maguire set out to tell the backstory of another classic fairytale. His novel Hiddensee focuses on Herr Drosselmeyer, the powerful toymaker in The Nutcracker. In today?s episode, we revisit a conversation between Maguire and then-NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro. Maguire tells Garcia-Navarro about his interest in writing a Nutcracker prequel, giving people ?consolation? through literature, and his personal collection of nutcrackers.

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Jeff Kinney?s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has sold more than 300 million books since the first installment was published in 2007. The star of the series is the famous line drawing, Greg Heffley, a frequently frowning, middle-school-aged antihero. Now, Kinney is out with Partypooper, the 20th book in the series. In today?s episode, Here & Now?s Robin Young travels to An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Massachusetts, the bookstore Kinney owns with his wife. There, Young and Kinney discuss the inspiration behind Greg, whom Kinney says is a ?funhouse? version of himself.


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Mahmood Mamdani ? a professor of government at Columbia University and the father of Zohran Mamdani, NYC?s next mayor ? has spent decades researching colonialism and its effects on the African continent. His work is both political and personal, influenced by his own experience in Uganda as an exiled citizen deemed nonindigenous by colonial structures. In today?s episode, Mamdani talks to NPR?s Leila Fadel about his newest book, Slow Poison, an account of colonial legacy in Uganda, the rise of the country?s modern autocrats, and the politics of belonging that surround it all.


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As the film adaptation of Waiting to Exhale celebrates its 30th anniversary, B.A. Parker and Andrew Limbong, along with It?s Been a Minute host, Brittany Luse, revisit its source material about four friends, Savannah, Gloria, Robin, and Bernadine, as they make their way through the 30s, in love and in life. Later on, special guest, Tia Williams, speaks to Andrew about how Terry McMillan paved the way for her career path as a romance novelist. 


Brittany?s Recommendation: ?Things I Should Have Told My Daughter: Lies, Lessons & Love Affairs? by Pearl Cleage

Parker?s Recommendation: ?The Wilderness? by Angela Flournoy

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Where I?m Coming From? by Barbara Brandon-Croft 


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Two new memoirs zoom in on important moments in music history. First, Paul McCartney?s new book Wings reflects on the life of his post-Beatles band, which he formed in London in 1971. In today?s episode, McCartney speaks with NPR?s A Martínez about establishing a distinct identity in The Beatles? shadow. Then, Rob Miller founded Bloodshot Records in the 1990s when a new sound ? ?insurgent country? or ?alt-country? ? was just emerging. Miller joined NPR?s Scott Simon for a conversation about his memoir The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low, which tells the story behind the label.


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33 Place Brugmann opens with a list of the residents of a Brussels apartment building. The year is 1939 and Germany?s invasion of Belgium is on the horizon. Alice Austen?s debut novel winds together the fates of these residents under Nazi occupation. In today?s episode, Austen joins NPR?s Scott Simon for a conversation that touches on the backstory of the building?s address, how she balanced the novel?s many narrative voices, and the questions that consumed her as she wrote the book.


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In William Boyd?s newest novel The Predicament, lead character and travel writer Gabriel Dax becomes a secret spy, scouring the globe on British orders during the Cold War. He?s looking for an escape from espionage, but when he starts to receive envelopes of cash from the KGB, can he resist? In today?s episode, author William Boyd talks with NPR?s Scott Simon about the second book in the Gabriel Dax trilogy, and how his own conspiracies about President Kennedy?s assassination influenced his novel-writing process.

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Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn has spent more than three decades in Congress. But he?s not the first Black congressman to represent South Carolina; there were eight others before him. His new book, The First Eight, dives into the political careers of figures like Robert Smalls and George Washington Murray. In today?s episode, Clyburn speaks with NPR?s Michel Martin about one major takeaway from the project ? and his thoughts on reelection .


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Becoming the queen of England wasn?t in the plan for Lexi Villiers, the heroine of The Heir Apparent. But when tragedy strikes Lexi?s family and she discovers that she?s next in line for the throne, she finds herself forced to choose between her own modernity and the crown?s antiquity. Is the best option to just leave the monarchy entirely? In today?s episode, author and journalist Rebecca Armitage talks with NPR?s Miles Parks about her debut novel, and the process of turning her real reporting on the British crown into a fictionalized narrative.

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Anthony Bourdain published his memoir Kitchen Confidential in 2000 as a little-known chef. In the 25 years since its publication, his writing ? and subsequent work in TV and entertainment ? has shaped the way we talk about restaurants and food. In today?s Books We?ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker are joined by Eric Deggans, critic-at-large at NPR. They discuss Bourdain?s documentation of a particular time in the restaurant industry, the book?s impact on dining culture, and Bourdain?s personal legacy. Then, special guest Samin Nosrat shares her perspective on what?s changed in the culinary world in the years since.


Eric?s Recommendation: ?Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets? by David Simon

Parker?s Recommendation: ?Land of Milk and Honey? by C Pam Zhang

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Meet Me in the Bathroom? by Lizzy Goodman


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Two new books delve into the best and worst corners of the internet. First, Jacob Geller creates YouTube essays about art, literature, film, video games and more. He?s compiled those essays in print form in a new book called How a Game Lives. In today?s episode, Geller speaks with Here & Now?s Scott Tong about how video games help him explore life?s big questions. Then, Nick Clegg was president of global affairs at Meta, a position he left earlier this year. In today?s episode, Clegg talks with NPR?s Steve Inskeep about his new book How to Save the Internet.


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NPR?s Scott Detrow and poet Kate Baer share a favorite bookstore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They recently met there to discuss Baer?s new poetry collection How About Now, which wrestles with the realities of middle age. In today?s episode, Baer tells Detrow about navigating honesty and privacy in her work, what it?s like to share shelf space with poets like Ada Limón and Sharon Olds, and writing moments that made her hear ?the angels sing.?


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Even if you?re scared of cruise ships, don?t turn away from Quan Barry?s The Unveiling. When film scout and photographer Striker boards an Antarctic cruise in search of locations for a new biopic, things start to go wrong ? lots of things. But there?s much to learn from Barry?s quirky cast of characters, with a tech billionaire and a blended queer family among them. In today?s episode, Barry talks with NPR?s Ayesha Rascoe about the power of discovery on and off the ship, and the process of crafting a novel without a single chapter break.

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Deborah Willis is one of the foremost authorities on Black photography. The MacArthur ?genius award? winner has dedicated her career to cataloging and showcasing Black photographers and photos of Black people. And her seminal work ? Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present ? has been reissued after 25 years. In today?s episode, Michel Martin visits Willis at New York University to talk about the expanded edition of the book and the gallery show inspired by it. 


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Marisa Kashino used to report on the real estate industry in Washington, D.C. That experience inspired her debut novel, Best Offer Wins, which follows an ambitious woman who goes to extreme lengths to secure her dream home. In today?s episode, Kashino joins NPR?s Miles Parks for a conversation that touches on the changing nature of home ownership in the United States, particularly for millennials.


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Frank Herbert?s 1965 epic Dune was once the domain of sci-fi diehards. But in recent years, the book has crossed over into the mainstream. In today?s Books We?ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker are joined by Throughline?s Ramtin Arablouei, who makes a personal case for the story?s appeal ? despite its density. Then, special guest, author Pierce Brown, shares whether he thinks Dune has reached Star Wars levels of cultural saturation.


Ramtin?s Recommendation: ?Rendezvous with Rama? by Arthur C. Clarke

Parker?s Recommendation: ?The Left Hand of Darkness? by Ursula K. Le Guin

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Saga? by Brian K. Vaughn


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In two new novels, marriages are tested by unusual circumstances. First, in Ann Packer?s Some Bright Nowhere, a woman dying of cancer makes a big ask of her husband. In today?s episode, Packer speaks with NPR?s Mary Louise Kelly about the uncertainty of illness and what writers do between books. Then, Craig Thomas, the co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, is out with a novel. In today?s episode, he tells NPR?s Sacha Pfeiffer about That?s Not How It Happened, in which a feel-good movie threatens to destroy the family who inspired it.


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Rev. Jesse Jackson is well-known as an icon of the American Civil Rights Movement, a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., and a steadfast activist ? but he has quite a past in electoral politics, too. A Dream Deferred charts Jackson?s rise to political prominence during his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, as the first major Black candidate for U.S. president. In today?s episode, author and CNN anchor Abby Phillip talks with NPR?s Ayesha Rascoe about her debut biography, and how Jackson himself approached politics and activism with separate mindsets.

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Are all unreliable narrators self-aware? The answer might depend on the novel, but in Brandon Hobson?s The Devil Is a Southpaw, our primary narrator, Milton (a writer and artist) uses his prose to sew complexity and confusion into the narrative itself. In today?s episode, Hobson speaks with NPR?s Scott Simon about his newest novel, and the journey of crafting a story about two ex-convicts bound together through jealousy and the mutual dream of artistic success.


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When Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) won Pennsylvania?s Senate seat in 2022, Democrats saw him as a symbol of a new direction during the Trump era. Three years later, things are very different. His new memoir, Unfettered, discusses his mental health struggles, the stroke he suffered in 2022 and his relationship with the left. In today?s episode, Fetterman speaks with NPR?s Scott Detrow about the book and some of his disagreements with fellow Democrats.


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Modern life can make it tempting to return to simpler times, like a 16th-century Spanish convent. In the new book Convent Wisdom, academics Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita look to the writings of Renaissance-era nuns for insights to apply to modern dilemmas. In today?s episode, the co-authors speak with NPR?s Ayesha Rascoe about the backstory behind the project and what makes these nuns of the past relevant today.


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Janie Crawford ? back in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida ? recounts a journey of self-discovery, structured around three marriages. Their Eyes Were Watching God is Zora Neale Hurston?s most celebrated work and a classic text of the Harlem Renaissance. In today?s Books We?ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker, joined by R. Eric Thomas, discuss what makes this novel a coming-of-age story, despite its focus on a woman in her late 30s. And special guest Tayari Jones shares her take on Hurston?s relationship to folklore.


Eric?s Recommendation: ?Getting Mother's Body? by Suzan-Lori Parks

Parker?s Recommendation: ?Like Water for Chocolate? by Laura Esquivel

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Tom Lake? by Ann Patchett


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NPR?s annual Books We Love guide is back for its 13th year, sharing over 380 hand-selected reads by NPR staff and critics. In today?s post-Thanksgiving episode, host Andrew Limbong joins Morning Edition and All Things Considered to chat about all things Books We Love. First, he shares some top non-fiction picks with NPR?s Michel Martin; among them Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson?s biography of American fashion designer Claire McCardell, who you might want to credit for those handy pockets on womenswear. Then, he talks fiction with NPR?s Scott Detrow, recommending titles such as Nnedi Okorafor?s Death of the Author.

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Some cookbooks don?t just provide recipes; they tell stories?and Nite Yun?s My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook is a perfect example. Yun discovered the rich history of her Cambodian-American heritage in the kitchen, and her debut cookbook tells these stories through her family?s most beloved recipes. In today?s episode, Yun talks with NPR?s Leila Fadel about her book?s unique creation process and the power of food to bring together families across generations and continents.


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E. Lockhart understands the struggle of being a teenager. Her first novel We Were Liars was a standout YA hit of 2014, celebrated (and at times, criticized) amongst teens in particular for its twisty and devastating coming-of-age narrative set on a fictional island near Martha?s Vineyard. Lockhart returns to the East Coast for We Fell Apart, her third book in the series, crafting another summer tale of mystery and self-discovery. In today?s episode, Lockhart joins NPR?s Juana Summers to discuss her newest novel, and what we could all learn from teenagers ? and perhaps their reading habits too.

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In 2013, two young Hindu cousins killed a Muslim man in a rural part of Uttar Pradesh, India. What followed was a series of alternating violence in the region between Hindus and Muslims. Renowned comic journalist Joe Sacco's new book, The Once And Future Riot, investigates that conflict and the stories people tell themselves about what happened. In today?s episode, Sacco speaks with NPR?s Andrew Limbong about illustrating violence and the ?she-said, he-said? nature of this story.


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Justinian Huang?s new novel Lucky Seed is about a single, gay son pressured by his Taiwanese-American family to produce a male heir. In an interview with NPR?s All Things Considered, Huang tells NPR?s Ailsa Chang that his own family asked him to have a baby boy ? or else they would risk punishment in the afterlife. In today?s episode, Huang speaks with Chang about being the ?chosen one? in his family, the concept of ?hungry ghosts,? and how writing the book changed Huang?s relationship with his mother.


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Amy and Nick Dunn have the perfect life and are the perfect couple until they reach a breaking point, revealing their true selves. The book that spawned dozens of imitators but few peers, Gillian Flynn?s Gone Girl is this week?s read on the latest Books We?ve Loved. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker are joined by Greta Johnsen to divulge how this suspense thriller continuously brings fans back to this story. Special guest, Andrea Bartz, shares how being from the Midwest, like Flynn, is your best tool to write a mystery.

Greta?s Recommendation: ?Fates and Furies? by Lauren Groff

Parker?s Recommendation: ?My Sister, the Serial Killer? by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Liars? by Sarah Manguso

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Two new books examine how sex fits into suburban and small-town life, respectively. First, Erin Somers explores marriage and desire in her novel The Ten Year Affair. In today?s episode, she speaks with NPR?s Andrew Limbong about combining a multiverse plot with domestic fiction. Then, Robyn Royle knits a dozen short stories together in Sex of the Midwest, in which the residents of a small town receive an email inviting them to participate in a sex survey. In today?s episode, Royle tells NPR?s Scott Simon about the many misconceptions surrounding small-town life.


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Tareq Baconi is a Palestinian scholar best known for Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. But in his new memoir Fire in Every Direction, the academic turns to more personal subjects, reflecting on three generations of displacement in his family. In an interview with NPR?s Morning Edition, Baconi speaks with NPR?s Leila Fadel about how silence ? around queerness, politics, and shame ? has shaped his family?s story.


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Gucci Mane?s new memoir Episodes covers a range of difficult topics: depression, mania, anxiety, drug abuse. There are even pages of the book that are blacked out to reflect the rapper?s gaps in memory. Writer Kathy Iandoli worked with Gucci on the project ? and she?s become the go-to writer for rappers looking to tell their stories. In today?s episode, Iandoli speaks with NPR?s Andrew Limbong about her collaboration with Gucci and her take on what draws musical artists to write books in the first place.


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You may have heard of a bog ? those wet, mucky environments found mostly in the northern temperate pockets of Canada or Europe ? but did you know that bogs can preserve human bodies for thousands of years? Anna North?s Bog Queen, part-history and part-mystery, explores the abiotic relationship between humans and what may be their greatest protector: the moss. In today?s episode, North sits down with NPR?s Scott Simon to discuss her newest novel, and the importance of caring for that which cares for us.


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Best-selling author Margaret Atwood says she originally rejected the idea of writing a memoir. But she warmed up to the idea after she began to think of a memoir as a recollection of ?stupid things you did, near-death events, catastrophes, and surprising highlights and jokes.? Now, at age 85, Atwood is out with Book of Lives. In today?s episode, she joins NPR?s Sacha Pfeiffer for a conversation that touches on the difference between memoir and biography, Canadian identity, and writing from the perspective of an ?Inner Advice Columnist.?


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James Baldwin?s recent centennial birthday allowed us to discuss one of his most celebrated novels, Giovanni?s Room. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker are joined by NPR?s Pop Culture Happy Hour?s Glen Weldon, examining the story of three lovers, chasing connection, love, and acceptance in 1950s Paris. Special guest Garth Greenwell also drops by to share how Giovanni?s Room made an impact on his work. 


Glen?s Recommendation: ?Florenzer? by Phil Melanson

Parker?s Recommendation: ?The Stranger? by Albert Camus

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?The Sun Also Rises? by Ernest Hemingway

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Two new biographies focus on legendary musical acts: the rock band The Cars and rapper Tupac Shakur. First, in the late 1970s, a Boston radio DJ played The Cars? demo tape ? and the band went on to inform rock music for decades. In today?s episode, author Bill Janovitz speaks with Here & Now?s Robin Young about his new book The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told. Then, Tupac was one of the most influential rappers of all time, but his life was cut short at age 25. In today?s episode, author Jeff Pearlman tells Here & Now?s Scott Tong about his new biography of the music artist Only God Can Judge Me.


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In The Widow, his 52nd novel and counting, author John Grisham returns to one of his cherished topics: lawyers. But not the type of lawyer one would hire if they?d like to keep their money safe. Simon Latch is a small town lawyer sick of equally small cases, until he finds himself in charge of drafting a will for an enormously wealthy widow. Will Simon keep her wealth an untouched secret, or attempt to turn a profit for himself? In today?s episode, Grisham talks to NPR?s Sacha Pfeiffer about this legal thriller-turned-murder mystery, and the age-old lie that every lawyer tells at least once.


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Megha Majumdar?s new novel takes place in a near-future Kolkata struck by climate change. There, one family?s possibility of escape is jeopardized when their passports are stolen. A Guardian and a Thief, a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award, weaves together their plot with the story of their burglar. In a conversation with Here & Now, Majumdar tells Jane Clayson that hope isn?t always noble in situations of crisis.


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Tochi Onyebuchi remembers when the internet was fun. The science fiction and fantasy author says he initially existed online as a ?skinless, raceless entity? until he experienced a shift around 2012. His new memoir Racebook traces this shift to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and subsequent acquittal of the man who killed him. In today?s episode, Onyebuchi speaks with NPR?s Juana Summers about online forums, early Twitter, and the other communities that made the early internet so satisfying.


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It?s been more than 30 years since Philip Pullman began the His Dark Materials series ? and now, that story is coming to a close. Pullman?s latest book The Rose Field follows the series? heroine Lyra Belacqua as she chases the same mystery she began unraveling as a child. In today?s episode, Pullman joins NPR?s Scott Detrow for a conversation that touches on organized religion, reimagining Lyra as an adult, and a central concept in the series ? Dust.

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The stories of mothers and daughters trying to connect with each other, across time, space and generations ? this is the centerpiece of Amy Tan?s The Joy Luck Club. This week, Andrew Limboong and B. A. Parker are joined by NPR?s The Indicator?s Wailin Wong to discuss how the desperation to bridge the divide between parent and child continues to be present in stories of immigrant families today. We are also joined by Jessamine Chan to discuss parenting in this present moment.


Wailin?s Recommendation: ?The Fox Wife? by Yangsze Choo

Parker?s Recommendation: ?Beloved? by Toni Morrison

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Afterparties: Stories? by Anthony Veasna So


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Today?s episode features two new crime thrillers written by big names. First, Harlan Coben says he stopped in his tracks when Reese Witherspoon asked to collaborate on a novel. In today?s episode, the co-authors speak with NPR?s Mary Louise Kelly about their collaboration on Gone Before Goodbye. Then, I Love Dick author Chris Kraus took an autofiction approach to her crime novel The Four Spent the Day Together. In an interview with NPR?s Elissa Nadworny, Kraus describes the protagonist as ?me at the moment of the story.?


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After Harper Lee?s death in 2016, previously unpublished writing was discovered in her New York City apartment. The Land of Sweet Forever includes eight new short stories from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Lee wrote them a decade prior to To Kill a Mockingbird and some of the stories include early versions of Atticus and Scout, the characters who made her famous. In today?s episode, Here & Now?s Peter O?Dowd interviews The New Yorker?s Casey Cep, who edited the collection.


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Salman Rushdie lived for decades under a death sentence and survived a knife attack three years ago. His latest book The Eleventh Hour is his first work of fiction since that near-death experience. These short stories and novellas center around the end of life, what might come after, and the idea of personal legacy. In today?s episode, Rushdie joins Here & Now?s Scott Tong for a conversation that touches on mortality, changes to the author?s writing process, and his first ghost story.


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As a newborn, Ed Archie NoiseCat was found in an incinerator at a Catholic-run Indian boarding school. In a new book We Survived the Night, his son, Julian Brave NoiseCat, writes about this trauma in the broader context of Native history in the United States and Canada. The book blends memoir and reporting, exploring a culture of silence around Native stories. In today?s episode, Julian Brave NoiseCat speaks with NPR?s Michel Martin about his efforts to understand both his father?s story and Native identity.


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