Podcast Error: Episodes
From dismembered toes to leathery tongues, Peter Manseau explores the centuries-old obsession with relics, the body parts of long-dead saints and spiritual leaders.
Emily Fox Gordon skewers the foibles of academic life in <em>It Will Come to Me,</em> a comic novel set on the campus of a large Southern university. The book is the first work of fiction from the acclaimed memoirist.
In John Wray's new novel, <em>Lowboy,</em> a schizophrenic teenager goes off his meds and disappears into the New York subway system. His mission: to save the world by losing his virginity.
A recent issue of the literary magazine <em>Granta</em> included moving stories from two new writers: Daniyal Mueenuddin, author of the book <em>In Other Rooms, Other Wonders;</em> and Justin Torres. The writers read from their works.
In <em>Sowing Crisis,</em> Middle East scholar Rashid Khalidi examines how Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union continue to undermine stability in the Middle East.
Once a popular superhero, Captain Freedom's fame is in decline. In G. Xavier Robillard's satire of our celebrity-obsessed pop culture, Freedom does what any self-respecting superhero would do: hires a life coach and starts searching for his roots.
Physician Abraham Verghese's debut novel, <em>Cutting for Stone,</em> is a big, sprawling story of an Ethiopian surgeon, his family and his craft. The author is best known for his memoir <em>My Own Country.</em>
Physician Abraham Verghese's debut novel, <em>Cutting for Stone,</em> is a big, sprawling story of an Ethiopian surgeon, his family and his craft. The author is best known for his memoir <em>My Own Country.</em>
Writer T.C. Boyle explores the scandalous and passionate turns in the life of architect Frank Lloyd Wright through the perspective of his wives and mistresses.
Drawing on recently discovered letters and photographs, historian Ronald C. White offers a new, highly praised biography of America's 16th president.
When former DNC Chair Robert Strauss said, "There's just so damn much money in it," Robert Kaiser knew he had a title for his book on the multibillion-dollar world of political lobbying.
Set against the backdrop of a changing Iran, the author's <em>Things I've Been Silent About</em> shares the personal story of her family.
In <em>American Lion</em>, Jon Meacham delivers a portrait of the war-grizzled seventh president, a fierce populist who reshaped the executive branch.
When the Chilean-born, Mexican-reared Bolano died in 2003, he was virtually unknown in the English-speaking world. Six years later, critics are calling him one of the greatest modern writers. Editor Lorin Stein discusses his last novel, <em>2666.</em>
Steven Johnson recounts the story of the 18th century radical thinker Joseph Priestley, scientist, theologian and one of America's lesser known Founding Fathers.
In <em>A People's History of Sports in the United States,</em> Dave Zirin offers a witty alternative history of America as seen through the games its people played.
In <em>Sea of Poppies</em>, a British trading ship carrying an eclectic group of passengers sets sail on the eve of the First Opium War. The novel, the sixth from Amitav Ghosh, was shortlisted for the 2008 Booker Prize.
In a new memoir, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams chronicles his life and offers insights into his acclaimed –- and often controversial — operas and orchestral works.
The McCourt family gained fame through the books of brothers Frank and Malachy. In <em>A Long Stone's Throw</em>, the youngest brother, Alphie, shares a colorful account of his own life in Ireland and America.
In <em>Payback,</em> a timely collection of essays, novelist Margaret Atwood examines the ancient and central role that debt has played in our culture, literature and societies.