Fresh Air
Book Recommendations

Fresh Air

Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy...

Episodes 879
Books 1,286
Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery Cover

Theodore H. Schwartz

Gray Matters

A Biography of Brain Surgery

The segment introduced Dr. Schwartz as the author of a new book titled Gray Matter, which he would discuss in relation to advances in brain surgery.

"

and more powerful computers. We'll talk with brain surgeon Theodore H. Schwartz, author of the new book, Gray Matter.

— Episode: Remembering Freedom Singer Bernice Johns...

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Episode: Remembering Freedom Singer Bernice Johnson Reagon

The segment introduced Dr. Schwartz as the author of a new book titled Gray Matter, which he would discuss in relation to advances in brain surgery.

"

and more powerful computers. We'll talk with brain surgeon Theodore H. Schwartz, author of the new book, Gray Matter.

A Man in Full: A Novel Cover

Tom Wolfe

A Man in Full

A Novel

The book was mentioned while discussing the TV producer's past work, noting that he had adapted Tom Wolfe's novel for television.

"

He knows best the courtroom drama with a new eightpart adaptation of presumed innocent ... Bill Camp who just costarred in Kelly's adaptation of Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full.

— Episode: How Formerly Enslaved People Were Stripp...

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Episode: How Formerly Enslaved People Were Stripped Of Land

The book was mentioned while discussing the TV producer's past work, noting that he had adapted Tom Wolfe's novel for television.

"

He knows best the courtroom drama with a new eightpart adaptation of presumed innocent ... Bill Camp who just costarred in Kelly's adaptation of Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full.

Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning Cover

Elliot Ackerman

Places and Names

On War, Revolution, and Returning

The memoir was described as Ackerman's account of his thoughts during the Battle of Fallujah and his experiences in war.

"

In his memoir, Places and Names, he wrote about what was going on in his mind during the battle when his men took a lot of lives while losing members of their own platoon.

— Episode: A Marine Reflects On War & Finding Purpo...

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Episode: A Marine Reflects On War & Finding Purpose / The B...

The memoir was described as Ackerman's account of his thoughts during the Battle of Fallujah and his experiences in war.

"

In his memoir, Places and Names, he wrote about what was going on in his mind during the battle when his men took a lot of lives while losing members of their own platoon.

Elliott Ackerman is a former Marine ... his latest memoir is titled Places and Names and his latest novel is titled Halcyon.

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction Cover

David Sheff

Beautiful Boy

A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

Rob Reiner said he had read the book Beautiful Boy, noting it was written by David Sheff and his son.

"

I had read this book called Beautiful Boy.

— Episode: Remembering Rob Reiner

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Episode: Remembering Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner said he had read the book Beautiful Boy, noting it was written by David Sheff and his son.

"

I had read this book called Beautiful Boy.

The book is by David Sheff and his son.

On Grief: Love, Loss, Memory (Atlantic Editions) Cover

Jennifer Senior

On Grief

Love, Loss, Memory (Atlantic Editions)

The article about her aunt was later released as a book titled On Grief.

"

The article is now published as a book under the title On Grief.

— Episode: Uncovering The Story Of An Institutional...

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Episode: Uncovering The Story Of An Institutionalized Famil...

The article about her aunt was later released as a book titled On Grief.

"

The article is now published as a book under the title On Grief.

One Life Cover

Megan Rapinoe

One Life

During the interview, the host referred to Rapinoe's memoir, indicating it portrayed her actions as a spontaneous move.

"

It sounds from your memoir like it was a pretty spontaneous, a pretty spontaneous move on your part.

— Episode: Remembering André Watts / USWNT Star Meg...

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Episode: Remembering André Watts / USWNT Star Megan Rapinoe

During the interview, the host referred to Rapinoe's memoir, indicating it portrayed her actions as a spontaneous move.

"

It sounds from your memoir like it was a pretty spontaneous, a pretty spontaneous move on your part.

Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan Cover

Jake Adelstein

Tokyo Vice

An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan

This memoir covered the organized crime beat in Japan and was the subject of the interview when it was released in 2009. The book served as the basis for the current MAX series.

"

And today we're going to listen to my interview with him, recorded when his book, titled Tokyo Vice, was released.

— Episode: 'Tokyo Vice' Journalist On Japan's Crimi...

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Episode: 'Tokyo Vice' Journalist On Japan's Criminal Underw...

This memoir covered the organized crime beat in Japan and was the subject of the interview when it was released in 2009. The book served as the basis for the current MAX series.

"

And today we're going to listen to my interview with him, recorded when his book, titled Tokyo Vice, was released.

Jake Adelstein recorded in 2009 when his memoir Tokyo Vice was released.

We spoke in 2009 when his memoir Tokyo Vice was first released.

My Prison Without Bars Cover

Pete Rose

My Prison Without Bars

Pete Rose published a memoir called My Prison Without Bars in which he admitted his gambling on baseball and pleaded for reinstatement.

"

He wrote a book called My Prison Without Bars.

— Episode: Remembering Gospel Singer Cissy Houston...

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Episode: Remembering Gospel Singer Cissy Houston / MLB Lege...

Pete Rose published a memoir called My Prison Without Bars in which he admitted his gambling on baseball and pleaded for reinstatement.

"

He wrote a book called My Prison Without Bars.

He'd published a book titled My Prison Without Bars, a memoir in which he finally admitted he'd bet on baseball games and pleaded for an end to his exile.

Gulag: A History Cover

Anne Applebaum

Gulag

A History

It was noted as a PulitzerPrizewinning work that chronicles the Soviet forcedlabour system.

"

Anne Applebaum is the author of several books including Gulag, A History, which won the Pulitzer Prize,

— Episode: The Dictator Playbook

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Episode: The Dictator Playbook

It was noted as a PulitzerPrizewinning work that chronicles the Soviet forcedlabour system.

"

Anne Applebaum is the author of several books including Gulag, A History, which won the Pulitzer Prize,

Memorial Days: A Memoir Cover

Geraldine Brooks

Memorial Days

A Memoir

The memoir explored Brooks' grieving process after the sudden death of her husband, offering a candid and lyrical reflection on loss and memory.

"

Coming up, our book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Memorial Days, the new memoir from Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks about the sudden loss of her husband.

— Episode: What Measles Outbreaks Tell Us About Pub...

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Episode: What Measles Outbreaks Tell Us About Public Health...

The memoir explored Brooks' grieving process after the sudden death of her husband, offering a candid and lyrical reflection on loss and memory.

"

Coming up, our book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Memorial Days, the new memoir from Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks about the sudden loss of her husband.

Geraldine Brooks ... Brooks' new memoir, Memorial Days, recalls their long marriage and the aftermath of its sudden end.

Memorial Days is a beautifully modulated cry in the wilderness, an unsentimental contribution to the ever-growing pile of secular literature about grief ...

Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV Cover

Brian Stelter

Top of the Morning

Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV

The book was cited as the inspiration for the Apple TVPlus series The Morning Show.

"

He's a producer on the Apple TV Plus series, The Morning Show, which is inspired by his first book, Top of the Morning.

— Episode: Best Of: What's Next For Fox News? / Sof...

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Episode: Best Of: What's Next For Fox News? / Sofia Coppola

The book was cited as the inspiration for the Apple TVPlus series The Morning Show.

"

He's a producer on the Apple TV Plus series, The Morning Show, which is inspired by his first book, Top of the Morning.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: A Novel Cover

Kiran Desai

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

A Novel

The novel was highlighted as a recent work by Kiran Desai that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, noted for its sprawling 700page narrative about exile, displacement, and complex love stories across multiple continents.

"

Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai which has just been shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

— Episode: Al Pacino & Sidney Lumet: 'Dog Day After...

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Episode: Al Pacino & Sidney Lumet: 'Dog Day Afternoon' At 5...

The novel was highlighted as a recent work by Kiran Desai that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, noted for its sprawling 700page narrative about exile, displacement, and complex love stories across multiple continents.

"

Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai which has just been shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

It took Kiran Desai nearly 20 years to write her new novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny I mean this as a sincere tribute when I say I'm amazed it only took her that long Desai's near 700 page novel is about exile and displacement not only from one's home country family and culture but also from one's own sense of self.

The multistranded plot roams from locales in India and the US Delhi Goa Vermont Brooklyn with side trips to Italy and Mexico this is a novel of ideas as well as at its most elemental a tangled love story.

Sonia is a depressed college student in Vermont ... the novel opens in the late 1990s Sonia is a depressed college student in Vermont who hasn't been back to India in two years.

The loneliness of Sonia and Sonny Desai has come close to achieving that ideal this is a spectacular novel nearly as abundant as life itself to savor ruminate over and yes even reread.

Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run Cover

Peter Ames Carlin

Tonight in Jungleland

The Making of Born to Run

The book was described as the new biography that explores the making of Bruce Springsteen's album Born to Run and was praised by the host for its insight.

"

The making of Born to Run is the subject of the new book, Tonight in Jungleland.

— Episode: Best Of: Making 'Born To Run' / Why We C...

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Episode: Best Of: Making 'Born To Run' / Why We Can't Sleep

The book was described as the new biography that explores the making of Bruce Springsteen's album Born to Run and was praised by the host for its insight.

"

The making of Born to Run is the subject of the new book, Tonight in Jungleland.

Peter Carlin, welcome to Fresh Air. I really enjoyed the book.

My guest is Peter Ames Carlin, author of the new book Tonight in Jungle Land, The Making of Born to Run.

Peter Ames Carlin is the author of the new book Tonight in Jungle Land, The Making of Born to Run.

The Uncool: A Memoir Cover

Cameron Crowe

The Uncool

A Memoir

The memoir was described as covering Crowe's teenage years as a rock journalist and the adventures and misadventures that inspired Almost Famous. It was repeatedly highlighted as the new release being discussed in the interview.

"

His new memoir, The Uncool, is about that period of his life and more, including his adventures and misadventures, writing about musicians like Greg Allman, Chris Christopherson, Jimm...

— Episode: For Cameron Crowe, Being 'Uncool' Is A B...

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Episode: For Cameron Crowe, Being 'Uncool' Is A Badge Of Ho...

The memoir was described as covering Crowe's teenage years as a rock journalist and the adventures and misadventures that inspired Almost Famous. It was repeatedly highlighted as the new release being discussed in the interview.

"

His new memoir, The Uncool, is about that period of his life and more, including his adventures and misadventures, writing about musicians like Greg Allman, Chris Christopherson, Jimmy Page, and David Bowie.

We need to take another break here so let me reintroduce you my guest is Cameron Crowe his new memoir is called Uncool and it follows roughly the same period of time as his movie Almost Famous.

His new memoir The Uncool is based on the same period of his life as his film Almost Famous which he wrote and directed and won an Oscar for best screenplay.

Some Bright Nowhere: Oprah’s Book Club: A Novel Cover

Ann Packer

Some Bright Nowhere

Oprah’s Book Club

This new novel, which should spark lively conversations about end-of-life care, centered on the dilemma of what the living owe the dying when a wife battling cancer makes a final request of her caretaker husband. The book explored the things unsaid and unknown between people, and the collateral damage terminal illness inflicts on even the best relationships.

"

It's by Ann Packer and it's called Some Bright Nowhere.

— Episode: War Photographer Lynsey Addario Still Ha...

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Episode: War Photographer Lynsey Addario Still Has Hope

This new novel, which should spark lively conversations about end-of-life care, centered on the dilemma of what the living owe the dying when a wife battling cancer makes a final request of her caretaker husband. The book explored the things unsaid and unknown between people, and the collateral damage terminal illness inflicts on even the best relationships.

"

It's by Ann Packer and it's called Some Bright Nowhere.

Packer's best-known novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, was published in 2002.

Can I ask you a question? How mad are you?

Some Bright Nowhere is about the things we can't say and don't know about each other, as well as the collateral damage that a terminal disease can inflict on even the best of relationships.

It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War Cover

Lynsey Addario

It's What I Do

A Photographer's Life of Love and War

In her memoir, the photojournalist reflected on the risks of her career, noting that while rationally considering the risks back home was difficult, she felt most alive when behind the viewfinder of her camera taking photographs. A passage from this book detailed the shock and devastation she felt after witnessing a mortar attack in Iraq and realizing the reality of death in war zones.

"

In your memoir, It's What I Do, you write, When I return home and rationally consider the risks, the choices are difficult. But when I'm doing my work, I'm alive. Correct.

— Episode: War Photographer Lynsey Addario Still Ha...

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Episode: War Photographer Lynsey Addario Still Has Hope

In her memoir, the photojournalist reflected on the risks of her career, noting that while rationally considering the risks back home was difficult, she felt most alive when behind the viewfinder of her camera taking photographs. A passage from this book detailed the shock and devastation she felt after witnessing a mortar attack in Iraq and realizing the reality of death in war zones.

"

In your memoir, It's What I Do, you write, When I return home and rationally consider the risks, the choices are difficult. But when I'm doing my work, I'm alive. Correct.

How did one transfer the body of a friend out of a country we all snuck into illegally when there were no functioning embassies, no police, no diplomats, and the only open border accessible from northern Iraq was Iran? It seemed so obvious, but I didn't know that war meant death, that journalists might also get killed in the war.

Dive From Clausen's Pier Cover

Ann Packer

Dive From Clausen's Pier

This was mentioned as Ann Packer's best-known novel, published in 2002, which depicted a young woman who felt obligated to stay with her fianc after he was paralyzed in a diving accident.

"

Packer's best-known novel, The Dive From Clausen's Pier, was published in 2002. It told the story of a young woman who'd been thinking of breaking up with her fianc, but then feels ob...

— Episode: War Photographer Lynsey Addario Still Ha...

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Episode: War Photographer Lynsey Addario Still Has Hope

This was mentioned as Ann Packer's best-known novel, published in 2002, which depicted a young woman who felt obligated to stay with her fianc after he was paralyzed in a diving accident.

"

Packer's best-known novel, The Dive From Clausen's Pier, was published in 2002. It told the story of a young woman who'd been thinking of breaking up with her fianc, but then feels obligated to stay after he's paralyzed in a diving accident.

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection Cover

John Green

Everything Is Tuberculosis

The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

The promotional spot announced the Penguin Random House release, describing it as a story about a young TB patient in Sierra Leone and the systemic injustice surrounding the disease.

"

This message comes from Penguin Random House ... Everything Is Tuberculosis. Best-selling author John Green tells the story of a young TB patient in Sierra Leone and systems of injust...

— Episode: Best Of: A Writer Grapples With A Life-C...

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Episode: Best Of: A Writer Grapples With A Life-Changing Ac...

The promotional spot announced the Penguin Random House release, describing it as a story about a young TB patient in Sierra Leone and the systemic injustice surrounding the disease.

"

This message comes from Penguin Random House ... Everything Is Tuberculosis. Best-selling author John Green tells the story of a young TB patient in Sierra Leone and systems of injustice fueling the world's deadliest infectious disease.

Turtles All the Way Down Cover

John Green

Turtles All the Way Down

The novel was highlighted as his bestselling 2017 YA book that was later adapted into a film and was discussed for its portrayal of OCD.

"

His best-selling 2017 novel, Turtles All the Way Down, has been adapted into a new film.

— Episode: Novelist John Green On The 'Invasive Wee...

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Episode: Novelist John Green On The 'Invasive Weed' Of OCD

The novel was highlighted as his bestselling 2017 YA book that was later adapted into a film and was discussed for its portrayal of OCD.

"

His best-selling 2017 novel, Turtles All the Way Down, has been adapted into a new film.

Terry Gross spoke with John Green in 2017 when Turtles All the Way Down first was published.

John Green read a passage from his new novel which is called Turtles All the Way Down.

John Green speaking to Terry Gross in 2017. His bestselling young adult novel Turtles All the Way Down has been made into a film which premieres May 2nd on the streaming service Max.

He drew on his own experiences with OCD, which he's dealt with since childhood, for Turtles All the Way Down.

Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America; Essays Cover

R. Eric Thomas

Here for It

Or, How to Save Your Soul in America; Essays

Thomas's bestselling memoir was referenced as part of his authorial background, highlighting his success as a humorist and writer.

"

R. Eric Thomas is a television writer, playwright, and author of the bestselling book Here for It, or How to Save Your Soul in America...

— Episode: Best Of: Christopher Nolan / R. Eric Tho...

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Episode: Best Of: Christopher Nolan / R. Eric Thomas

Thomas's bestselling memoir was referenced as part of his authorial background, highlighting his success as a humorist and writer.

"

R. Eric Thomas is a television writer, playwright, and author of the bestselling book Here for It, or How to Save Your Soul in America...

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.