The Alchemist - Gift Edition
Paulo Coelho
Mentioned 3 months ago
Malala Yousafzai
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
Recently mentioned
Latest Recommendations
I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here
Jonathan Conyers
Mentioned 3 months ago
Malala Yousafzai
Defiance
Loubna Mrie
Mentioned 5 months ago
A daughter's rebellion against a regime and her father
Here We Are
Oliver Jeffers
Mentioned 5 months ago
A daughter's rebellion against a regime and her father
The Sum of Us
Heather McGhee
Mentioned 5 months ago
Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone
Torn Apart
Dorothy Roberts
Mentioned 5 months ago
Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone
The Mixed Marriage Project
Dorothy Roberts
Mentioned 5 months ago
Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone
Black Power
Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture)
Mentioned 5 months ago
Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
Mentioned 5 months ago
‘Sinners’ Songwriter Raphael Saadiq
American Struggle
Jon Meacham
Mentioned 5 months ago
‘Sinners’ Songwriter Raphael Saadiq
Fatal Invention
Dorothy Roberts
Mentioned 5 months ago
Love, Race & the ‘Mixed Marriage Project’
Fear and Fury
Heather Ann Thompson
Mentioned 5 months ago
Best Of: Fighting for free press in Russia / ‘Fear and Fury’
Most Recommended
Gertrude Stein
An Afterlife
Maureen Corrigan highlighted Francesca Wade's lively and unconventional biography of Gertrude Stein, noting its focus on Stein's posthumous recognition.
"
Francesca Wade's lively, unconventional biography called Gertrude Stein, An Afterlife, doesn't end at Stein's death in 1946, but also tells the story of the obsessive admirers who hel...
— Episode: Best Of: Michael Shannon / ‘Pluribus’ St...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Best Of: Michael Shannon / ‘Pluribus’ Star Rhea Se...
Maureen Corrigan highlighted Francesca Wade's lively and unconventional biography of Gertrude Stein, noting its focus on Stein's posthumous recognition.
"
Francesca Wade's lively, unconventional biography called Gertrude Stein, An Afterlife, doesn't end at Stein's death in 1946, but also tells the story of the obsessive admirers who helped Stein achieve serious posthumous recognition.
Last Seen
The Enduring Search by Formerly Enslaved People to Find Their Lost Families
Maureen Corrigan noted Judith Geisberg's book Last Seen, which closely reads historic newspaper ads placed by formerly enslaved people, providing deep insight into the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
"
Geisberg's arresting book, also called Last Seen, closely reads ten of those ads, giving readers a deeper sense of the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
— Episode: Best Of: Michael Shannon / ‘Pluribus’ St...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Best Of: Michael Shannon / ‘Pluribus’ Star Rhea Se...
Maureen Corrigan noted Judith Geisberg's book Last Seen, which closely reads historic newspaper ads placed by formerly enslaved people, providing deep insight into the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
"
Geisberg's arresting book, also called Last Seen, closely reads ten of those ads, giving readers a deeper sense of the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
A Marriage at Sea
A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
Maureen Corrigan presented A Marriage at Sea as a partextreme adventure, part meditation on marriage, recounting the 1972 ordeal of a couple adrift after a whale damaged their sloop.
"
My final best book pick is A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst, which is part extreme adventure tale, part meditation on marriage. In 1972, Morris and Marilyn Bailey spent four month...
— Episode: Best Of: Michael Shannon / ‘Pluribus’ St...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Best Of: Michael Shannon / ‘Pluribus’ Star Rhea Se...
Maureen Corrigan presented A Marriage at Sea as a partextreme adventure, part meditation on marriage, recounting the 1972 ordeal of a couple adrift after a whale damaged their sloop.
"
My final best book pick is A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst, which is part extreme adventure tale, part meditation on marriage. In 1972, Morris and Marilyn Bailey spent four months adrift in the middle of the Pacific after a whale knocked a hole in their wooden sloop.
Masters of the Game
A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players
Phil Jackson and Sam Smith introduced their new book Masters of the Game, describing it as a history project that captures unforgettable players.
"
Their new book together is called Masters of the Game, which is less of a rankings book than it is a preservation project, an attempt to capture what made certain players unforgettabl...
— Episode: A Courtside Look At NBA Legends, From Jo...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: A Courtside Look At NBA Legends, From Jordan To Ko...
Phil Jackson and Sam Smith introduced their new book Masters of the Game, describing it as a history project that captures unforgettable players.
"
Their new book together is called Masters of the Game, which is less of a rankings book than it is a preservation project, an attempt to capture what made certain players unforgettable, the kind of greatness Phil saw up close and Sam chronicled for years.
Their new book, Masters of the Game, is a reflection on 75 defining players and NBA history.
Placeless
Homelessness in the New Gilded Age
The host introduced Marquis' new book as a sweeping look at how policy, economics and social erosion shaped modern homelessness, focusing on New York City as a microcosm of the broader American crisis.
"
In his new book, Placeless, Homelessness in the New Gilded Age, he argues the surge in people living on the streets didn't happen overnight.
— Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
The host introduced Marquis' new book as a sweeping look at how policy, economics and social erosion shaped modern homelessness, focusing on New York City as a microcosm of the broader American crisis.
"
In his new book, Placeless, Homelessness in the New Gilded Age, he argues the surge in people living on the streets didn't happen overnight.
My guest today is Patrick Marquis, author of Placeless, Homelessness and the New Gilded Age.
The Antidote
Corrigan highlighted the novel as Karen Russell's longawaited second book, describing it as an epic story of immigration, land grabs and weather catastrophes set in Nebraska.
"
My picks for this year's best books tilt a bit to non-fiction but the novels that made the cut redress the imbalance by their sweep and intensity Karen Russell's long-awaited second novel The...
— Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
Corrigan highlighted the novel as Karen Russell's longawaited second book, describing it as an epic story of immigration, land grabs and weather catastrophes set in Nebraska.
"
My picks for this year's best books tilt a bit to non-fiction but the novels that made the cut redress the imbalance by their sweep and intensity Karen Russell's long-awaited second novel The Antidote is my pick for novel of the year an epic story of immigration land grabs and aspiration The Antidote is set in Nebraska and framed by two actual weather catastrophes.
Last Seen
The Enduring Search by Formerly Enslaved People to Find Their Lost Families
Corrigan highlighted Geisberg's arresting book, also called Last Seen, which reads ads placed by formerly enslaved people and offers a deeper sense of the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
"
Judith Geisberg's arresting book also called Last Seen closely reads 10 of those ads giving readers a deeper sense of the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
— Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
Corrigan highlighted Geisberg's arresting book, also called Last Seen, which reads ads placed by formerly enslaved people and offers a deeper sense of the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
"
Judith Geisberg's arresting book also called Last Seen closely reads 10 of those ads giving readers a deeper sense of the lived experience of slavery and its aftermath.
A Marriage at Sea
A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
Corrigan described Elmhurst's account of a 1972 couple adrift after a whale knocked a hole in their sloop, emphasizing their mental resilience and smallscale coping strategies.
"
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst tells how in 1972 Morris and Marilyn Bailey spent four months adrift in the middle of the Pacific after a whale knocked a hole in their wooden slo...
— Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Homelessness In The New Gilded Age
Corrigan described Elmhurst's account of a 1972 couple adrift after a whale knocked a hole in their sloop, emphasizing their mental resilience and smallscale coping strategies.
"
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst tells how in 1972 Morris and Marilyn Bailey spent four months adrift in the middle of the Pacific after a whale knocked a hole in their wooden sloop, holding themselves together mentally by focusing on small things like the card games that Marilyn devised.
Cruel Shoes
A shortstory collection by SteveMartin that was sent to Apatow after he threatened the comedian, which he recalled as a pivotal moment.
"
I got a book of Cruel Shoes, this amazing short story collection he had written.
— Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabil...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabilia
A shortstory collection by SteveMartin that was sent to Apatow after he threatened the comedian, which he recalled as a pivotal moment.
"
I got a book of Cruel Shoes, this amazing short story collection he had written.
Home of the Stars
A reference book that listed the addresses of movie studios and celebrity homes, which Apatow used to write letters to famous performers.
"
I have a book that had the address of all the movie studios and TV networks. And so I would write Carol Burnett... I got an autograph from Andy Kaufman... I kept writing Paul Lind again. He sent me an...
— Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabil...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabilia
A reference book that listed the addresses of movie studios and celebrity homes, which Apatow used to write letters to famous performers.
"
I have a book that had the address of all the movie studios and TV networks. And so I would write Carol Burnett... I got an autograph from Andy Kaufman... I kept writing Paul Lind again. He sent me another one.
The Marx Bros. Scrapbook
A scrapbookstyle book about the Marx Brothers that Apatow cited as an early inspiration for his own collection.
"
I was always a fan of these books like the Marx Brothers scrapbook, and there was a Saturday Night Live scrapbook that came out in the 70s.
— Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabil...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabilia
A scrapbookstyle book about the Marx Brothers that Apatow cited as an early inspiration for his own collection.
"
I was always a fan of these books like the Marx Brothers scrapbook, and there was a Saturday Night Live scrapbook that came out in the 70s.
Saturday Night Live
A 1970s scrapbook about SaturdayNightLive that Apatow mentioned alongside the Marx Brothers book as a model for his own memorabilia project.
"
I was always a fan of these books like the Marx Brothers scrapbook, and there was a Saturday Night Live scrapbook that came out in the 70s.
— Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabil...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Judd Apatow Unpacks His Comedy Memorabilia
A 1970s scrapbook about SaturdayNightLive that Apatow mentioned alongside the Marx Brothers book as a model for his own memorabilia project.
"
I was always a fan of these books like the Marx Brothers scrapbook, and there was a Saturday Night Live scrapbook that came out in the 70s.
Every Night at Five
The book recounted Stamberg's early years on All Things Considered and her decade on air.
"
Terry first spoke to Susan Stamberg in 1982 about her book Every Night at Five, about All Things Considered and her decade on the air.
— Episode: Remembering NPR 'Founding Mother' Susan...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Remembering NPR 'Founding Mother' Susan Stamberg
The book recounted Stamberg's early years on All Things Considered and her decade on air.
"
Terry first spoke to Susan Stamberg in 1982 about her book Every Night at Five, about All Things Considered and her decade on the air.
Talk
The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves
Talk compiled excerpts from twenty years of Stamberg's interviews and reflections on her career.
"
After the publication of her book, Talk, which featured excerpts of 20 years of interviews and reflections on her work.
— Episode: Remembering NPR 'Founding Mother' Susan...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Remembering NPR 'Founding Mother' Susan Stamberg
Talk compiled excerpts from twenty years of Stamberg's interviews and reflections on her career.
"
After the publication of her book, Talk, which featured excerpts of 20 years of interviews and reflections on her work.
A Book of Common Prayer
Didion's final novel was mentioned as part of her book tour that the interviewee prepared for.
"
She was touring with the novel, her last novel, A Book of Common Prayer.
— Episode: Remembering NPR 'Founding Mother' Susan...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Remembering NPR 'Founding Mother' Susan Stamberg
Didion's final novel was mentioned as part of her book tour that the interviewee prepared for.
"
She was touring with the novel, her last novel, A Book of Common Prayer.
Fairyland
A Memoir of My Father
The memoir was highlighted as the source material for the newly released film and the host expressed gratitude that Alicia Abbott had written it.
"
The newly released movie Fairyland, produced by Sofia Coppola and directed by Andrew Durham, stars Scoot McNary as a gay single father raising his daughter in San Francisco in the 197...
— Episode: A Girl Grows Up In The Epicenter Of Gay...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: A Girl Grows Up In The Epicenter Of Gay Liberation
The memoir was highlighted as the source material for the newly released film and the host expressed gratitude that Alicia Abbott had written it.
"
The newly released movie Fairyland, produced by Sofia Coppola and directed by Andrew Durham, stars Scoot McNary as a gay single father raising his daughter in San Francisco in the 1970s. It's based on a memoir of the same name by Alicia Abbott, who wrote about growing up in the early years of the gay rights movement in the capital of gay America, San Francisco.
Alicia Abbott, welcome to Fresh Air. I'm so glad you wrote this book because I feel like we, or at least I've read a lot more about what it's like to be a gay parent than what it's like to be a child of a gay parent.
A lot of your memoir is based on your father's journals and on letters he wrote and my impression reading your book was that he had meant he had intended those journals to be read it by you at some point so that you would understand more of who your father was.
After Midnight
Thirteen Tales for the Dark Hours
The collection gathered thirteen of du Maurier's short stories, introduced by Stephen King, and was highlighted for its eerie, varied horror.
"
In time for the season of Ghosts and Goblins, our book critic Maureen Corrigan has settled in with some stories by a writer who has bewitched generations. Here's a review of After Midnight
— Episode: A Story Of Indigenous Survival & Resurge...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: A Story Of Indigenous Survival & Resurgence
The collection gathered thirteen of du Maurier's short stories, introduced by Stephen King, and was highlighted for its eerie, varied horror.
"
In time for the season of Ghosts and Goblins, our book critic Maureen Corrigan has settled in with some stories by a writer who has bewitched generations. Here's a review of After Midnight by Daphne du Maurier.
A new collection called After Midnight gathers together 13 of her stories, appropriately introduced by long-reigning master of horror Stephen King.
Paper Girl
A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America
The memoir was presented as a deeply reported look at Macy's fractured hometown, her family and the double meaning of her childhood paper route. It was highlighted several times as her newest book about home and family in a fractured America.
"
Macy's new book is Paper Girl, a memoir of home and family in a fractured America.
— Episode: 'Dopesick' Writer Returns To Her 'Fractu...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: 'Dopesick' Writer Returns To Her 'Fractured' Homet...
The memoir was presented as a deeply reported look at Macy's fractured hometown, her family and the double meaning of her childhood paper route. It was highlighted several times as her newest book about home and family in a fractured America.
"
Macy's new book is Paper Girl, a memoir of home and family in a fractured America.
The book is called Paper Girl, which has a double meaning. I mean, you delivered papers as a kid to your neighbors, and you then spent many, many years working for a daily newspaper.
We are speaking with Beth Macy. Her new book is Paper Girl, a memoir of home and family in a fractured America.
Beth Macy's new book is Paper Girl, a memoir of home and family in a fractured America.
The Platinum Age of Television
From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific
Bianculli's most recent book was introduced as a comprehensive history of television from classic sitcoms to modern series.
"
His most recent book is The Platinum Age of Television, From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific.
— Episode: 'Dopesick' Writer Returns To Her 'Fractu...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: 'Dopesick' Writer Returns To Her 'Fractured' Homet...
Bianculli's most recent book was introduced as a comprehensive history of television from classic sitcoms to modern series.
"
His most recent book is The Platinum Age of Television, From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific.
Startlement
New and Selected Poems
Startlement, a new collection of poems spanning nearly two decades, was highlighted as her latest book and its title was explained as a collective noun for poems.
"
Her new collection, Startlement, New and Selected Poems, spans nearly 20 years of writing, bringing together poems from six earlier books alongside new works that grapple with living...
— Episode: Poet Ada Limón On Writing In Uncertain T...
Listen on Audible
7-day free trial
Episode: Poet Ada Limón On Writing In Uncertain Times
Startlement, a new collection of poems spanning nearly two decades, was highlighted as her latest book and its title was explained as a collective noun for poems.
"
Her new collection, Startlement, New and Selected Poems, spans nearly 20 years of writing, bringing together poems from six earlier books alongside new works that grapple with living in this moment, the climate crisis, the erosion of privacy, and the exhaustion of being constantly on display.
I kept thinking maybe a Startlement was the collective noun for poems, a Startlement of poems, like a murder of crows, like a murmuration of starlings.
That's Ada Limon reading Startlement.
Her new collection is called Startlement.
author of the new poetry collection Startlement
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.