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
The Talented Mr Ripley (Vintage Quarterbound Classics) Cover

Patricia Highsmith

The Talented Mr Ripley (Vintage Quarterbound Classics)

The podcast noted that the Netflix series Ripley was based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, the first of several books about the con man Tom Ripley.

"

Ripley is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first of several books about Tom Ripley

— Episode: Andrew Scott Doesn't See Ripley As A Mon...

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Episode: Andrew Scott Doesn't See Ripley As A Monster

The podcast noted that the Netflix series Ripley was based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, the first of several books about the con man Tom Ripley.

"

Ripley is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first of several books about Tom Ripley

Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church Cover

Philip Shenon

Jesus Wept

Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church

The episode referenced Sheenan's book "Jesus Wept" while discussing the Catholic Church and its recent history.

"

Sheenan's book is Jesus Wept

— Episode: Andrew Scott Doesn't See Ripley As A Mon...

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Episode: Andrew Scott Doesn't See Ripley As A Monster

The episode referenced Sheenan's book "Jesus Wept" while discussing the Catholic Church and its recent history.

"

Sheenan's book is Jesus Wept

Talk to Me: Find the Right Words to Inspire, Encourage and Get Things Done Cover

Kim Bearden

Talk to Me

Find the Right Words to Inspire, Encourage and Get Things Done

Rich Benjamin discussed his new memoir, noting it was titled Talk to Me and explored his family's history and resilience. The program highlighted the book as his latest publication.

"

His new memoir is called Talk to Me, Lessons from a Family Forged by History.

— Episode: A Family Forged By Haiti's Coup

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Episode: A Family Forged By Haiti's Coup

Rich Benjamin discussed his new memoir, noting it was titled Talk to Me and explored his family's history and resilience. The program highlighted the book as his latest publication.

"

His new memoir is called Talk to Me, Lessons from a Family Forged by History.

my guest is Rich Benjamin. He's the author of the new book, Talk to Me.

Rich Benjamin's new memoir is called Talk to Me, Lessons from a Family Forged by History.

Gulag: A History Cover

Anne Applebaum

Gulag

A History

The host cited Gulag, A History, noting that it had won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction.

"

Her other books include Twilight of Democracy, Red Famine, Stalin's War on Ukraine, and Gulag, A History, which won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction.

— Episode: How Regime Change Happens In America

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Episode: How Regime Change Happens In America

The host cited Gulag, A History, noting that it had won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction.

"

Her other books include Twilight of Democracy, Red Famine, Stalin's War on Ukraine, and Gulag, A History, which won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction.

Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide Cover

Tony Horwitz

Spying on the South

An Odyssey Across the American Divide

The book was highlighted as Horwitz's final work, released just days before his death, underscoring its poignant timing.

"

Horwitz, who was a fit 60-year-old, died ... a few days after his book, Spying on the South, was published.

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

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

The book was highlighted as Horwitz's final work, released just days before his death, underscoring its poignant timing.

"

Horwitz, who was a fit 60-year-old, died ... a few days after his book, Spying on the South, was published.

Like his 1998 bestseller, Confederates in the Attic, Spying on the South presciently explored the great divide in America between red states and blue.

Horse: A Novel Cover

Geraldine Brooks

Horse

A Novel

The novel, published in 2022, was mentioned as Brooks' recent literary output before she turned to memoir writing.

"

She was able to finish her stalled novel-in-progress, Horse, which was published in 2022.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

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

The novel, published in 2022, was mentioned as Brooks' recent literary output before she turned to memoir writing.

"

She was able to finish her stalled novel-in-progress, Horse, which was published in 2022.

Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power Cover

Timothy W. Ryback

Takeover

Hitler's Final Rise to Power

The host noted that Savage's 2007 book Takeover examined the BushCheney administration's efforts to expand presidential power.

"

His 2007 book, Takeover, The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy, is about the Bush-Cheney administration's efforts to expand the president's po...

— Episode: Are Trump's Executive Orders Legal?

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Episode: Are Trump's Executive Orders Legal?

The host noted that Savage's 2007 book Takeover examined the BushCheney administration's efforts to expand presidential power.

"

His 2007 book, Takeover, The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy, is about the Bush-Cheney administration's efforts to expand the president's power.

I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!: Daily Affirmations By Stuart Smalley Cover

Al Franken

I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!

Daily Affirmations By Stuart Smalley

Al Franken wrote a book of Stuart Smalley's daily affirmations that was titled "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me".

"

Franken even wrote a book of Stuart's daily affirmations and released an audio tape of his guided visualizations. Both of those works were titled, I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, Pe...

— Episode: 'SNL' Turns 50: Aykroyd, Franken, Zweibe...

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Episode: 'SNL' Turns 50: Aykroyd, Franken, Zweibel & Lovitz

Al Franken wrote a book of Stuart Smalley's daily affirmations that was titled "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me".

"

Franken even wrote a book of Stuart's daily affirmations and released an audio tape of his guided visualizations. Both of those works were titled, I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me.

Soft Core: A Novel Cover

Brittany Newell

Soft Core

A Novel

The novel was introduced as a new work that took readers into SanFrancisco's underworld of dive bars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons, and was later praised as a fun, engaging read.

"

writer and dominatrix Brittany Newell joins us to talk about her new novel Softcore, which explores the underworld of San Francisco's dive bars, strip clubs, and BDSM Dungeons.

— Episode: Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Domina...

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Episode: Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Dominatrix's Dun...

The novel was introduced as a new work that took readers into SanFrancisco's underworld of dive bars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons, and was later praised as a fun, engaging read.

"

writer and dominatrix Brittany Newell joins us to talk about her new novel Softcore, which explores the underworld of San Francisco's dive bars, strip clubs, and BDSM Dungeons.

Her newest novel, Softcore, takes the reader into San Francisco's underworld of dive bars, strip clubs, and BDSM dungeons, where tech bros, executives, and outcasts live out their fantasies.

I really enjoyed your book. It was such a good read.

Brittany Newell, thank you so much for this book. It was such a fun read and this was such a delightful conversation.

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir Cover

Kay Sohini

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City

A Graphic Memoir

The graphic memoir was highlighted as a vivid, multicoloured account that affirms NewYork's enduring power and the author's personal journey from a suburban upbringing to the city's literary scene.

"

Kay Sohini ... a graphic memoir called This Beautiful, Ridiculous City, affirms the enduring power of New York and the power of literature to give people the courage to cross all mann...

— Episode: Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Domina...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Dominatrix's Dun...

The graphic memoir was highlighted as a vivid, multicoloured account that affirms NewYork's enduring power and the author's personal journey from a suburban upbringing to the city's literary scene.

"

Kay Sohini ... a graphic memoir called This Beautiful, Ridiculous City, affirms the enduring power of New York and the power of literature to give people the courage to cross all manner of borders.

She reviewed This Beautiful, Ridiculous City by Kay Sahini and A Town Without Time by Gay Talese.

Ula y Hop - Ula y Hop hacen un amigo (Spanish Edition) Cover

Eric Lilliput

Ula y Hop - Ula y Hop hacen un amigo (Spanish Edition)

The debut novel, published when Newell was 21 in 2017, was mentioned as having been described as the 'millennialLolita.'

"

wrote her debut novel, Ula, in 2017 when she was 21 years old. It's been described as the millennial Lolita.

— Episode: Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Domina...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Dominatrix's Dun...

The debut novel, published when Newell was 21 in 2017, was mentioned as having been described as the 'millennialLolita.'

"

wrote her debut novel, Ula, in 2017 when she was 21 years old. It's been described as the millennial Lolita.

FAITHFULL: 30 Days of Prayer to Sustain Peace for Christian Leaders Under Pressure Cover

Tim Shurr

FAITHFULL

30 Days of Prayer to Sustain Peace for Christian Leaders Under Pressure

The autobiography was published in 1994 and Faithfull discussed how she realized she had no personal story of her own while in rehab, prompting her to write the memoir.

"

Terry Gross first spoke with Marianne FAITHFULL in 1994 upon the publication of FAITHFULL, an Autobiography.

— Episode: Remembering British Singer Marianne Fait...

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Episode: Remembering British Singer Marianne Faithfull

The autobiography was published in 1994 and Faithfull discussed how she realized she had no personal story of her own while in rehab, prompting her to write the memoir.

"

Terry Gross first spoke with Marianne FAITHFULL in 1994 upon the publication of FAITHFULL, an Autobiography.

I think that's one of the saddest things in the book, that bit, where I'm in Hazelden, and they asked me to tell my story, and I actually rang Ellen Smith, my publicist, and said to her, please send me up and down with the Rolling Stones because they want my story.

He really helped; he was a really great teacher... he taught me autobiography that it was absolutely essential to put dialogue in or it got very boring.

He helped me write my autobiography and that was a course specially really for me on the writing of autobiography.

He was a professor at Bedford College in London; he taught me autobiography that it was absolutely essential to put dialogue in or it got very boring.

Venus in Furs (Mint Editions (Reading Pleasure)) Cover

Leopold Sacher-Masoch

Venus in Furs (Mint Editions (Reading Pleasure))

The memoir's uncle was said to have written the novel 'Venus in Furs', which was mentioned while discussing family history.

"

my great great uncle was Baron Leopold von Sacha Masoch who gave his name to masochism and wrote a book called Venus in Furs.

— Episode: Remembering British Singer Marianne Fait...

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Episode: Remembering British Singer Marianne Faithfull

The memoir's uncle was said to have written the novel 'Venus in Furs', which was mentioned while discussing family history.

"

my great great uncle was Baron Leopold von Sacha Masoch who gave his name to masochism and wrote a book called Venus in Furs.

Soft Core: A Novel Cover

Brittany Newell

Soft Core

A Novel

The host introduced the novel as a story set in SanFrancisco's divebars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons, and later praised it as a good read. The author and host also discussed how much of it was fiction versus drawn from real life and quoted a passage from the book.

"

Her newest novel, Softcore, takes the reader into San Francisco's underworld of dive bars, strip clubs, and BDSM dungeons, where tech bros, executives, and outcasts live out their fantasies.

— Episode: A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon

The host introduced the novel as a story set in SanFrancisco's divebars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons, and later praised it as a good read. The author and host also discussed how much of it was fiction versus drawn from real life and quoted a passage from the book.

"

Her newest novel, Softcore, takes the reader into San Francisco's underworld of dive bars, strip clubs, and BDSM dungeons, where tech bros, executives, and outcasts live out their fantasies.

I really enjoyed your book. It was such a good read.

And I want to know, first off, how much of Softcore is fiction and how much of it is based on real life?

Did I feel simpatico with the clients whose names and birthdays I can still recite to this day, Pledge of Allegiance style? Tim, 101075, Pascal, 6969. The oldest client I can remember was born in 1939. All I know, in fact, is this. Men are dying to be let in on the secret pleasures of girlhood. They feel cheated out of ease and glamour. Friend kisses and hushed gossip. Heterosexuality is defined by a longing for wholeness. Terror undergirds desire.

Brittany Newell's new book is titled Softcore.

Ula y Hop - Ula y Hop hacen un amigo (Spanish Edition) Cover

Eric Lilliput

Ula y Hop - Ula y Hop hacen un amigo (Spanish Edition)

The host noted that Newell's debut novel ULA was written when she was 21 and described it as the "millennial Lolita." The book was mentioned again when the host summarized the author's publishing history.

"

She wrote her debut novel, ULA, in 2017 when she was 21 years old. It's been described as the millennial Lolita.

— Episode: A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon

The host noted that Newell's debut novel ULA was written when she was 21 and described it as the "millennial Lolita." The book was mentioned again when the host summarized the author's publishing history.

"

She wrote her debut novel, ULA, in 2017 when she was 21 years old. It's been described as the millennial Lolita.

She wrote her debut novel, ULA, described as the millennial Lolita in 2017 when she was 21 years old.

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir Cover

Kay Sohini

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City

A Graphic Memoir

Maureen Corrigan highlighted the graphic memoir as a debut book that affirms the power of NewYork and uses vivid comicstyle images to tell a multidimensional city story.

"

Her debut book, a graphic memoir called This Beautiful, Ridiculous City, affirms the enduring power of New York and the power of literature to give people the courage to cross all man...

— Episode: A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon

Maureen Corrigan highlighted the graphic memoir as a debut book that affirms the power of NewYork and uses vivid comicstyle images to tell a multidimensional city story.

"

Her debut book, a graphic memoir called This Beautiful, Ridiculous City, affirms the enduring power of New York and the power of literature to give people the courage to cross all manner of borders.

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City engages with a good slice of the essential New York City literary canon.

She reviewed This Beautiful Ridiculous City by Kay Sohini and A Town Without Time, Gay Talese's New York.

The Forever War Cover

Joe Haldeman

The Forever War

The book was highlighted as a bestseller that won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, underscoring its critical acclaim.

"

Filkins is a staff writer for The New Yorker. He has been reporting on Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East for decades and is the author of the bestseller, The Forever War.

— Episode: Trump's Plan For Gaza / The U.S. Militar...

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Episode: Trump's Plan For Gaza / The U.S. Military's Recrui...

The book was highlighted as a bestseller that won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, underscoring its critical acclaim.

"

Filkins is a staff writer for The New Yorker. He has been reporting on Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East for decades and is the author of the bestseller, The Forever War.

He's the author of the bestseller The Forever War, which won a National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction.

Soft Core: A Novel Cover

Brittany Newell

Soft Core

A Novel

The new novel was described as an exploration of San Francisco's dive bars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons, focusing on tech bros, executives, and outcasts.

"

Her new novel, Softcore, explores the underworld of San Francisco's dive bars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons where tech bros, executives and outcasts live out their fantasies.

— Episode: Trump's Plan For Gaza / The U.S. Militar...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Trump's Plan For Gaza / The U.S. Military's Recrui...

The new novel was described as an exploration of San Francisco's dive bars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons, focusing on tech bros, executives, and outcasts.

"

Her new novel, Softcore, explores the underworld of San Francisco's dive bars, strip clubs and BDSM dungeons where tech bros, executives and outcasts live out their fantasies.

The Kids' Book of Paper Love: Write. Craft. Play. Share. (Flow) Cover

Irene Smit

The Kids' Book of Paper Love

Write. Craft. Play. Share. (Flow)

She wrote the book Paper Love about her grandfather who fled Austria after the Nazi invasion and the girlfriend he left behind, detailing her years of research to uncover the story.

"

Several years before Orly's diagnosis, Wildman wrote the book Paper Love about her grandfather who fled Austria after the Nazi invasion and his girlfriend who he left behind. No one in the family knew...

— Episode: Parenting A Child With Terminal Cancer

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Parenting A Child With Terminal Cancer

She wrote the book Paper Love about her grandfather who fled Austria after the Nazi invasion and the girlfriend he left behind, detailing her years of research to uncover the story.

"

Several years before Orly's diagnosis, Wildman wrote the book Paper Love about her grandfather who fled Austria after the Nazi invasion and his girlfriend who he left behind. No one in the family knew what happened to her, but the book describes how Wildman spent years tracking down the story.

Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People – The National Book Award Winner's Cultural Meditation on Race, Blues, and Identity Cover

Imani Perry

Black in Blues

How a Color Tells the Story of My People – The National Book Award Winner's Cultural Meditation on Race, Blues, and Identity

The host described the book as exploring the significance of the color blue in Black life, from the indigo trade to the birth of blues music, and later highlighted it as a thoughtful study of how a color tells the story of her people.

"

Her new book, Black and Blues, explores the significance of blue in black life, from the indigo trade to the birth of blues music.

— Episode: Best Of: 50 Years Of SNL Musical Guests...

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Episode: Best Of: 50 Years Of SNL Musical Guests / Black Hi...

The host described the book as exploring the significance of the color blue in Black life, from the indigo trade to the birth of blues music, and later highlighted it as a thoughtful study of how a color tells the story of her people.

"

Her new book, Black and Blues, explores the significance of blue in black life, from the indigo trade to the birth of blues music.

my guest today, scholar Imani Perry, does that with her new book, Black and Blues, How a Color Tells the Story of My People.

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