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Author Interviews

A spread of desserts found in the new cookbook, Malai

A spread of desserts found in the new cookbook, Malai Morgan Ione Yeager/Malai hide caption

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Morgan Ione Yeager/Malai

Interview highlights

Pooja Bavishi shares frozen treats from her South Asian-inspired cookbook 'Malai'

NPR's Leila Fadel visits Pooja Bavishi, the author of Malai, a South Asian-inspired frozen desserts cookbook, at her D.C. shop where they sample ice cream and make their own treat.

Pooja Bavishi shares frozen treats from her South Asian-inspired cookbook 'Malai'

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Josh Gad

Josh Gad at MaxFun HQ. Daniel Speer hide caption

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Daniel Speer

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Josh Gad

Josh Gad joins us to talk about his new memoir In Gad We Trust: A Tell Some. He also gets into what life was like growing up in South Florida, the one time he refuses to use his Olaf voice and winning three national titles in teen oratory competitions.

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Do what you can. A new kids' book shows how even 'The Littlest Drop' helps
Interior illustrations © 2025 by Brian Pinkney

Picture This

Do what you can. A new kids' book shows how even 'The Littlest Drop' helps

A brave hummingbird does what she can to fight a fire in Sascha Alper's new book. It was one of the last projects illustrator Jerry Pinkney worked on before he died. His son Brian finished it for him.

PICTURE THIS: The Littlest Drop

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Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

Should we rethink what criticism should look like? Amr Bo Shanab/Getty Images hide caption

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Amr Bo Shanab/Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

Andrea Long Chu was once one of Brittany's favorite Sex and the City bloggers, and she's now a Pulitzer-winning critic. Andrea lends her critical eye to everything from the TV show Yellowstone to the work of Sally Rooney to pro-Palestinian protests and free speech. And she does it with wit, style, and fearlessness. Brittany chats with Andrea about her new book, Authority - a collection of some of Andrea's best work, along with two new essays. They discuss why art is a "fossil record" of desire, what kind of authority critics have, and why we might need to rethink what criticism should do for us.

Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

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President Joe Biden debated former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Biden's lackluster performance led to increased calls for him to drop out of the election.

President Joe Biden debated former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Biden's lackluster performance led to increased calls for him to drop out of the election. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Politics

Biden's closest advisers were in 'denial' about his decline, 'Uncharted' author says

Author Chris Whipple says Biden's family and closest advisers operated in a "fog of delusion" regarding his ability to serve another term: "There's no doubt that they were protecting the president."

Biden's closest advisers were in 'denial' about his decline, 'Uncharted' author says

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Sigrid Nunez's 'The Friend' tells a story of friendship and despair

Nunez's 2018 novel won the National Book Award. It's now a film, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, about a woman who inherits a dog after her friend's suicide. Originally broadcast in 2019.

Sigrid Nunez's 'The Friend' tells a story of friendship and despair

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Amanda Knox

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. In 2015, Italy's highest court acquitted her of murder. Lucien Knuteson/Hachette hide caption

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Lucien Knuteson/Hachette

Why Amanda Knox returns to Italy — and how she talks with her daughter about injustice

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she didn't commit. After her exoneration, she reached out to the man who prosecuted her case. Knox's new memoir is Free.

Why Amanda Knox returns to Italy — and how she talks with her daughter about injustice

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It's time to rewrite the "trauma plot."

It's time to rethink how we write our trauma narratives. Shendart/Getty Images hide caption

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Analysis

It's Been a Minute

It's time to rewrite the "trauma plot."

There are a lot of big subjects that our culture has trouble talking about: wealth, death, addiction, religion. But one of the toughest has to be sexual assault and rape. For how common sexual violence is – it affects over half of women and almost one in three men – it can be extremely painful and even stigmatizing to discuss. But in Jamie Hood's new book Trauma Plot, which contextualizes rape in her own life and in our culture, Jamie looks for new ways to speak the "unspeakable." It tells her story in experimental fragments and finds a unique way to discuss one of the most common violences we face. Brittany sits down with Jamie to discuss Trauma Plot, the contours of rape narratives in our culture, and how we can move beyond them to tell stories about sexual violence in new ways.

It's time to rewrite the "trauma plot."

Listen · 21:05
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The 118th body of Congress was elected in 2022 and served from 2023 until 2025.

The 118th body of Congress was elected in 2022 and served from 2023 until 2025. Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty hide caption

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Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty

Politics

'Mad House' exposes Congressional dysfunction, from petty feuds to physical threats

The MAGA-controlled 118th House passed only 27 bills that became law — the lowest number since the Great Depression. Journalists Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater examine the chaos in a new book.

'Mad House' exposes Congressional disfunction, from petty feuds to physical threats

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A young adult book tackles a tough topic: A teen coping with his dad's mental illness

Saadia Faruqi, a popular young adult author, says her new book, The Strongest Heart, is a book she wished she could have read when she was growing up and coping with her father's mental illness. Saadia Faruqi hide caption

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Saadia Faruqi

Goats and Soda

A young adult book tackles a tough topic: A teen coping with his dad's mental illness

Saadia Faruqi, author of the popular Yasmin book series, has written a new book, The Strongest Heart, that mirrors her own life — growing up with a father who likely had undiagnosed schizophrenia.

This Palestinian-American's debut novel may not be political — but her existence is

Author Betty Shamieh next to the cover of her new novel, Too Soon. Lisa Keating hide caption

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Lisa Keating

Code Switch

This Palestinian-American's debut novel may not be political — but her existence is

To be a Palestinian-American writer right now can lead to a lot of expectation to focus on identity and devastation, but in her debut novel, Too Soon, Betty Shamieh shares the story of three generations of Palestinian women trying to find love, purpose and liberation.

This Palestinian-American's debut novel may not be political — but her existence is

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"Gender is a negotiation" whether you realize it or not.

What does it even mean to be trans? Getty Images hide caption

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Perspective

It's Been a Minute

"Gender is a negotiation" whether you realize it or not.

What does it even mean to be trans? That's the first question Torrey Peters asks readers in her new book, Stag Dance, and it's the question that everyone should be asking themselves right now.

"Gender is a negotiation" whether you realize it or not.

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Tina Fey

Tina Fey Mary Ellen Matthews hide caption

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Mary Ellen Matthews

Culture

'SNL' photographer reflects on iconic celebrity portraits

Mary Ellen Matthews has been SNL's photographer for 25 years. In a new book, The Art of the SNL Portrait, she shares her most iconic celebrity photos, like Pete Davidson eating pasta.

THE ART OF THE SNL PORTRAIT - Mary Ellen Matthews

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the themes of her new novel, Dream Count: "I wanted to write about women's lives. And the reality of it is that for many women, the men in their lives in some ways, shape their lives."

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the themes of her new novel, Dream Count: "I wanted to write about women's lives. And the reality of it is that for many women, the men in their lives in some ways, shape their lives." Ulf Andersen/Getty Images hide caption

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Ulf Andersen/Getty Images

Celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: 'I have always longed to be known'

Celebrated Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about her new book, "Dream Count."

Celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: ‘I have always longed to be known’

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Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Linda Holmes, pop culture critic and author of 'Back After This'

Linda Holmes knows what goes into a good romantic comedy. Linda has written about pop culture for more than 20 years and is a huge fan of the genre. She's also written romantic comedy novels herself. Linda joins us on Bullseye to discuss her latest novel Back After This. She breaks down the clichés that make rom-coms great and the tropes that make them stink.

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Hanif Kureishi

Hanif Kureishi says his fall in 2022 didn't rob him of his ability to function or be creative: "In fact, I'm writing more now." Kier Kureishi/Harper Collins hide caption

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Kier Kureishi/Harper Collins

A fall 'Shattered' Hanif Kureishi's life. Dictating his new book gave him purpose

Kureishi began his new memoir just days after a fall left him paralyzed. In it, he describes being completely dependent on others — and the sense of purpose he's gained from writing.

A fall 'Shattered' Hanif Kureishi's life. Dictating his new book gave him purpose

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Jordan Chiles of Team USA reacts after finishing her routine on the uneven bars during the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

Jordan Chiles of Team USA reacts after finishing her routine on the uneven bars during the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. Jamie Squire/Getty Images hide caption

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Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Interview highlights

'I was devastated': Jordan Chiles recounts 2024 Olympics in new memoir

Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles shares her up-and-down journey to the 2024 Paris Games and what happened afterward, in her new memoir, "I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams."

'I was devastated': Jordan Chiles recounts 2024 Olympics in new memoir

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"I have a lot to think about the relationship between mourning, between grieving, and between pain, generally speaking, and bilingualism and living in a different language," says Pulitzer winner Cristina Rivera Garza about Death Takes Me, her newly translated novel.

"I have a lot to think about the relationship between mourning, between grieving, and between pain, generally speaking, and bilingualism and living in a different language," says Pulitzer winner Cristina Rivera Garza about Death Takes Me, her newly translated novel. Penguin Random House. hide caption

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Penguin Random House.

Language as protagonist in Cristina Rivera Garza's newly translated novel

Pulitzer winner Cristina Rivera Garza offers new perspective on gender violence through a murder mystery and poetry.

Language as protagonist in Cristina Rivera Garza’s newly translated novel

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