NPR's Book of the Day

Sen. Ted Cruz's new book 'Going Further' praises Justice Clarence Thomas

Sen. Ted Cruz’s new book isn’t a political memoir but an exploration of the life and career of Justice Clarence Thomas. In Going Further, Cruz praises Thomas as an “indep

Author Jade Chang on the books she's reading to keep summer going

For author Jade Chang, the vibe of summer isn’t encapsulated at the pool or by the beach, but in time itself — “and how time kind of stops.” In today’s episode, she joins

To combat the 'Artificial State,' Jill Lepore says to look to science fiction

Jill Lepore says our liberal democracy has been replaced by corporations and technology. But what can we do about it? In today’s episode, the historian joins Morning Edit

Author Liane Moriarty on her long-awaited sequel to 'Big Little Lies'

After the big success of the 2014 novel Big Little Lies, which included an award-winning HBO adaptation, author Liane Moriarty says everyone kept asking her for a sequel.

New music books take on Paul Simon's 'Graceland' and the history of music and prison

In today’s episode, we chat about two new music histories. First, 1986’s Graceland is considered Paul Simon's signature album. It introduced South African music to a glob

New book evaluates President Biden's legacy as midterm elections approach

As midterm elections approach, former President Joe Biden's legacy still plays a big role in the Democratic Party. Princeton historian Julian Zelizer has edited a new boo

'Astronaut!' is a coming-of-age story set against the fall of the Iron Curtain

It’s 1989 in Romania and the country is living under a totalitarian regime. In the new novel Astronaut!, an 8-year-old girl craves bright colors among otherwise gray surr

'How We Disappear' is a Stanford historian's take on our personal archives

Thomas Mullaney is a historian at Stanford University. After his father died, Mullaney began to think about the archive he left behind: papers, documents, photos, objects

In 'Man Overboard!,' Kathleen Rooney approaches a life-or-death story with humor

While on a cruise, a former college swimmer finds himself in the water, adrift alone, swimming for his life. But he isn’t sure how he got there. In Man Overboard!, 33-yea

Remembering Dolly Parton through her writing for children and adults

Over the past week, Dolly Parton has been remembered for her music, her star power, her advocacy and her philanthropic contributions. But she was also an author. In today

Chang-Rae Lee on whether his new novel 'A Tender Age' is autobiographical

Chang-Rae Lee’s new novel is filled with some of his own memories, like worrying about being picked last for dodgeball and sizing up his fellow Asian American classmates

'New York Times' obituarist Sam Roberts says he writes about life – not death

Sam Roberts says when people find out what he does for work, they tend to shrink away. Roberts is a veteran obituarist for The New York Times. But the writer says he writ

In 'Daytona Teddy Riggs,' a former high school football star enters a downward spiral

Daytona Teddy Riggs is a former high school football star from a wealthy oil and gas family. But in his 20s, he enters a downward spiral as he seeks to become the World’s

Former U.S. Mexico ambassador Ken Salazar on new memoir and "crisis" at the border

Ken Salazar's personal and political life have been defined by the U.S.-Mexico border. The fifth-generation Mexican American has served as a U.S. senator, secretary of th

Journalist Jodi Kantor and happiness expert Arthur Brooks on how to find purpose

Journalist Jodi Kantor and Harvard happiness expert Arthur Brooks are both out with new books about identifying and cultivating meaning in one’s life. Brooks says he want

In 'The Foursome,' conjoined twins marry two sisters — and that's just the beginning

In 1839, conjoined twins and famous showmen Chang and Eng Bunker — native to Thailand, then called Siam — took a break from touring, settled in North Carolina, bought a s

Andy Weir reveals his fun and frantic creative process behind 'Project Hail Mary'

In Project Hail Mary, amateur astronaut Ryland Grace must travel light years from Earth to save humanity from a dying Sun. The stakes are high, to say the least. But auth

'The Correspondent' is an epistolary novel, but can letters tell the whole story?

Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent became a runaway hit for its exploration of a life told through letters. When readers meet Sybil Van Antwerp she’s in her 70s, and she t

'This is Where the Serpent Lives' is a sprawling debut novel set in modern Pakistan

Author Daniyal Mueenuddin hit the ground running with his debut novel, This is Where the Serpent Lives. Set in modern Pakistan, the story spans generations and explores c

'Cloudthief' and 'Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep' are novels that center tech

Today’s episode features two novels with tech at the center. Climate journalist Nathaniel Rich’s Cloudthief is the story of a hacker and a journalist who team up to rob a