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

Recently mentioned

Latest Recommendations

The Alchemist - Gift Edition cover

The Alchemist - Gift Edition

Paulo Coelho

Mentioned 3 months ago

Malala Yousafzai

Malala mentioned reading The Alchemist as one of the few books she had access to as a teenager, expressing pride in having read it.

I read The Alchemist, and like one or two other books like that, and I was so proud of myself.

Buy on Amazon
I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here: Finding My Voice, Finding My People, Finding My Way cover

I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here

Jonathan Conyers

Mentioned 3 months ago

Malala Yousafzai

The memoir was highlighted as the source that revealed how the bullet altered Malala's life and continued her journey, and it was repeatedly referenced as her recent book throughout the interview.

It's when I read her recent memoir, Finding My Way, that I learned how the bullet changed the course of her life, thrusting her into a new culture and changing her in ways that didn't quite fit her public image as an inspirational hero.

Buy on Amazon
Defiance: A Memoir of Awakening, Rebellion, and Survival in Syria cover

Defiance

Loubna Mrie

Mentioned 5 months ago

A daughter's rebellion against a regime and her father

This memoir detailed the author's awakening, rebellion against the Syrian regime, and her survival in the country. The interviewer found the toxic family dynamics within the book to be familiar, while also noting how thoroughly the author documented the country falling apart.

Lubna Murai's new book is called Defiance, a memoir of awakening, rebellion, and survival in Syria.

Buy on Amazon
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth cover

Here We Are

Oliver Jeffers

Mentioned 5 months ago

A daughter's rebellion against a regime and her father

This was mentioned as the migrant memoir written by the guest interviewer, Aarti Shahani, which was about fighting ICE to protect her father.

You may have also heard her interviews on her podcast, Art of Power, or read her migrant memoir, which is about fighting ice to protect her father. It's called Here We Are.

Buy on Amazon
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together cover

The Sum of Us

Heather McGhee

Mentioned 5 months ago

Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone

Heather McGhee's book examines why many Americans believe progress for one group signifies loss for another, tracing how the country has chosen to destroy public goods rather than share them. The author argued that racism hurts everyone, including white Americans, by costing the country significant GDP, and presented the book as both a diagnosis and a way out.

Her book, 'The Sum of Us,' examines a question at the heart of American life: Why do so many Americans believe that progress for one group means loss for another?

Buy on Amazon
Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World cover

Torn Apart

Dorothy Roberts

Mentioned 5 months ago

Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone

This was one of Dorothy Roberts' landmark books that helped reshape how the policing of reproduction, parenting, and race in America was understood.

Her landmark books, Killing the Black Body and Torn Apart, helped reshape how we understand the policing of reproduction, parenting, and race in America.

Buy on Amazon
The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family cover

The Mixed Marriage Project

Dorothy Roberts

Mentioned 5 months ago

Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone

This is Dorothy Roberts' memoir which she wrote after discovering boxes of her late father's research interviews with interracial couples dating back to the 1930s. The discovery challenged her lifelong assumption that her father's research was inspired by his marriage to her Black Jamaican mother. She realized her father's interest in interracial marriage predated his relationship with her mother, leading her to write a book exploring her family and identity instead of just finishing his sociological work.

The memoir is called 'The Mixed Marriage Project.'

Buy on Amazon
Black Power: The politics of liberation in America, cover

Black Power

Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture)

Mentioned 5 months ago

Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone

Dorothy Roberts read this book in the seventh grade, which caused her to begin developing a different perspective than her father regarding structural racism and the power of interracial love to transcend it.

And I do believe that beginning at that young age, I recognized the power of structural racism and could not accept his view that interracial love by itself would be strong enough to transcend it or overcome it or dismantle it. And so from that time on, we began to have debates about it.

Buy on Amazon
Wuthering Heights cover

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë

Mentioned 5 months ago

‘Sinners’ Songwriter Raphael Saadiq

The novel was highlighted as a classic that has been adapted many times for the screen, with the latest film version starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

Emily Bronte's 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights, has been adapted for the screen numerous times. The latest version stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Bronte's ill-fated lovers, Catherine and Heathcliff, and opens in theaters this week.

Buy on Amazon
American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology cover

American Struggle

Jon Meacham

Mentioned 5 months ago

‘Sinners’ Songwriter Raphael Saadiq

The book was noted as a new collection of important speeches, letters, and other texts spanning from colonial times to today.

His new book, American Struggle, is a collection of important speeches, letters, and other texts from colonial times to today.

Buy on Amazon
Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-First Century cover

Fatal Invention

Dorothy Roberts

Mentioned 5 months ago

Love, Race & the ‘Mixed Marriage Project’

The host referenced it as Roberts's 2011 book that argues race is a political construct.

You know, your 2011 book, Fatal Invention, I want to talk about it just for a moment in the context of this work, because you argued that race is a political category, something Europeans invented to oppress other groups.

Buy on Amazon
Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage cover

Fear and Fury

Heather Ann Thompson

Mentioned 5 months ago

Best Of: Fighting for free press in Russia / ‘Fear and Fury’

This book revisited the 1984 New York City subway shooting involving Bernhard Goetz and four Black teenagers. The historian argued the case marked a political turning point where white racial fear was sanctioned by law and leveraged by elites. The book explored fear as a powerful force in American life, capable of shaping policy and excusing violence.

We are watching someone tell us exactly who they are, exactly what they did, and it will not matter. Up will become down, down will become up. And that also felt very, very familiar to where we are today.

Buy on Amazon

Most Recommended

Sometimes I Never Suffered: Poems Cover

Shane McCrae

Sometimes I Never Suffered

Poems

The poetry collection was listed among McCrae's 13 books, illustrating his prolific output.

"

He is the author of 13 poetry collections, including Mule, Blood, and The Language of My Captor, and Sometimes I Never Suffered.

— Episode: A Memoir Of Kidnapping

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Memoir Of Kidnapping

The poetry collection was listed among McCrae's 13 books, illustrating his prolific output.

"

He is the author of 13 poetry collections, including Mule, Blood, and The Language of My Captor, and Sometimes I Never Suffered.

Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Memoir of a Kidnapping Cover

Shane McCrae

Pulling the Chariot of the Sun

A Memoir of a Kidnapping

The upcoming episode was previewed, describing McRae's new memoir as an unflinching test of a child's memory and family history. It highlighted the memoir's thematic focus.

"

Tomorrow on Fresh Air, our guest will be poet and author Shane McRae. His new memoir, Pulling the Chariot of the Sun, is an unflinching test of a child's memory, how he came to unders...

— Episode: Reflecting On The End Of Sight

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Reflecting On The End Of Sight

The upcoming episode was previewed, describing McRae's new memoir as an unflinching test of a child's memory and family history. It highlighted the memoir's thematic focus.

"

Tomorrow on Fresh Air, our guest will be poet and author Shane McRae. His new memoir, Pulling the Chariot of the Sun, is an unflinching test of a child's memory, how he came to understand that his maternal grandparents, who were white supremacists, kidnapped him from his father, who was black.

A Pocketful of Happiness: A Memoir Cover

Richard E. Grant

A Pocketful of Happiness

A Memoir

Richard E. Grant released a memoir that compiled his diary entries from the final days with his late wife, Joan Washington, weaving personal reflections with stories of their shared life. The book was described as an intimate love letter and a chronicle of grief and gratitude.

"

He's written a book about their lives together called A Pocket Full of Happiness.

— Episode: Best Of: Actor Richard E. Grant / Comic...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Actor Richard E. Grant / Comic Leanne Mor...

Richard E. Grant released a memoir that compiled his diary entries from the final days with his late wife, Joan Washington, weaving personal reflections with stories of their shared life. The book was described as an intimate love letter and a chronicle of grief and gratitude.

"

He's written a book about their lives together called A Pocket Full of Happiness.

A Pocket Full of Happiness is a collection of Grant's diaries during his last days with Joan, interwoven with stories about the life they built together.

He's written a new memoir called A Pocket Full of Happiness. It's a collection of diary entries during his last days with his wife of 35 years, Joan Washington, who died in 2021 of lung cancer.

Richard E. Grant is an awardwinning actor and author of A Pocketful of Happiness.

Such Kindness: A Novel Cover

Andre Dubus III

Such Kindness

A Novel

The host described it as a new novel that centers on chronic pain and how one carries on despite it.

"

The chronic pain can last for the rest of your life. So how do you carry on? That's the central question in the new novel Such Kindness.

— Episode: Congress's New Rebel Faction

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Congress's New Rebel Faction

The host described it as a new novel that centers on chronic pain and how one carries on despite it.

"

The chronic pain can last for the rest of your life. So how do you carry on? That's the central question in the new novel Such Kindness.

My guest will be the author Andre Debusse III.

A Pocketful of Happiness: A Memoir Cover

Richard E. Grant

A Pocketful of Happiness

A Memoir

The memoir was described as chronicling the actor's 35year marriage to his late dialectcoach wife, Joan Washington.

"

Tomorrow on Fresh Air, award-winning actor Richard E. Grant joins us to talk about his new memoir, A Pocket Full of Happiness, which chronicles his 35year marriage to the late acclaimed dialect coach...

— Episode: Comic Leanne Morgan

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Comic Leanne Morgan

The memoir was described as chronicling the actor's 35year marriage to his late dialectcoach wife, Joan Washington.

"

Tomorrow on Fresh Air, award-winning actor Richard E. Grant joins us to talk about his new memoir, A Pocket Full of Happiness, which chronicles his 35year marriage to the late acclaimed dialect coach to the stars, Joan Washington.

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Cover

S. A. Cosby

All the Sinners Bleed

A Novel

All the Sinners Bleed was introduced as Cosby's new novel about the first Black sheriff in a Virginia county confronting a serial killer, with a reading excerpt included.

"

In the novel All the Sinners Bleed by our next guest, S.A. Cosby, Sheriff Titus Crown is tracking down a serial killer, terrorizing his jurisdiction, Charron County, a fictional count...

— Episode: Best Of: Writers Colson Whitehead / S.A....

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Writers Colson Whitehead / S.A. Cosby

All the Sinners Bleed was introduced as Cosby's new novel about the first Black sheriff in a Virginia county confronting a serial killer, with a reading excerpt included.

"

In the novel All the Sinners Bleed by our next guest, S.A. Cosby, Sheriff Titus Crown is tracking down a serial killer, terrorizing his jurisdiction, Charron County, a fictional county in southeast Virginia.

That's S.A. Cosby reading from his new book, All the Sinners Bleed.

His newest novel is called All the Sinners Bleed. The action takes place in a fictional county in southeast Virginia called Charron County, which is a lot like the county Cosby grew up in, Matthews.

Razorblade Tears: A Novel Cover

S. A. Cosby

Razorblade Tears

A Novel

Razorblade Tears was mentioned as one of Cosby's bestselling crime novels.

"

Cosby has written several crime novels including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

— Episode: Best Of: Writers Colson Whitehead / S.A....

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Writers Colson Whitehead / S.A. Cosby

Razorblade Tears was mentioned as one of Cosby's bestselling crime novels.

"

Cosby has written several crime novels including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

Blacktop Wasteland: A Novel Cover

S. A. Cosby

Blacktop Wasteland

A Novel

Blacktop Wasteland was listed alongside Razorblade Tears as another of Cosby's crime novels.

"

Cosby has written several crime novels including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

— Episode: Best Of: Writers Colson Whitehead / S.A....

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Writers Colson Whitehead / S.A. Cosby

Blacktop Wasteland was listed alongside Razorblade Tears as another of Cosby's crime novels.

"

Cosby has written several crime novels including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

All That Moves Us: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience Cover

Jay Wellons

All That Moves Us

A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience

The memoir recounted the neurosurgeon's experiences operating on children, describing specific cases and the emotional impact of his work.

"

He reflects on his experiences in his memoir titled, All That Moves Us, a Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience. It's now out in paperback.

— Episode: Pediatric Neurosurgeon Tells Stories Fro...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Pediatric Neurosurgeon Tells Stories From The O.R.

The memoir recounted the neurosurgeon's experiences operating on children, describing specific cases and the emotional impact of his work.

"

He reflects on his experiences in his memoir titled, All That Moves Us, a Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience. It's now out in paperback.

Wellen's memoir, All That Moves Us, a pediatric neurosurgeon, his patients, and their stories of grace and resilience is now out in paperback.

The book, All That Moves Us, a pediatric neurosurgeon, his patients, and their stories of grace and resilience is now out in paperback.

His memoir, All That Moves Us A Pediatric Neurosurgeon His Patients and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience is now out in paperback.

Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights (PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY) Cover

Samuel G. Freedman

Into the Bright Sunshine

Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights (PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY)

The book examined Hubert Humphrey's early political career and his fight for civil rights, arguing that his later failures had eclipsed these achievements.

"

Samuel Friedman's new book is Into the Bright Sunshine, Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights.

— Episode: Hubert Humphrey's Fight For Civil Rights

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Hubert Humphrey's Fight For Civil Rights

The book examined Hubert Humphrey's early political career and his fight for civil rights, arguing that his later failures had eclipsed these achievements.

"

Samuel Friedman's new book is Into the Bright Sunshine, Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights.

He has a new book about the early career of Hubert Humphrey, who was Lyndon Johnson's vice president in the 1960s and lost a close election for president to Richard Nixon.

We are speaking with veteran journalist and author Samuel G. Friedman. His new book is Into the Bright Sunshine, Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights.

Samuel Friedman's new book is Into the Bright Sunshine, Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights.

Talking God Cover

Tony Hillerman

Talking God

The novels featuring Navajo detectives Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee were highlighted as the source material for the television series Dark Winds.

"

The TV series Dark Winds is a cop show about the Navajo tribal police based on the best-selling novels by Tony Hillerman.

— Episode: Hubert Humphrey's Fight For Civil Rights

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Hubert Humphrey's Fight For Civil Rights

The novels featuring Navajo detectives Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee were highlighted as the source material for the television series Dark Winds.

"

The TV series Dark Winds is a cop show about the Navajo tribal police based on the best-selling novels by Tony Hillerman.

Back in 1970, a journalist named Tony Hillerman launched a series of crime novels featuring two Navajo cops who worked for the tribal police on a reservation in New Mexico.

Yet as it stands, the Joe Leaphorne and Jim Chee novels, as they're known, are very enjoyable books as well as valuable intellectual property.

The Good Life Method: Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning Cover

Meghan Sullivan

The Good Life Method

Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning

The episode noted that Tony Bennett had published a new memoir titled The Good Life, in which he wrote about his recordings with Bill Evans.

"

He has a new memoir which is called The Good Life. In your memoir you write a little bit about doing your two records with Bill Evans and you loved working with him and God these records are extraordi...

— Episode: Remembering Tony Bennett

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Remembering Tony Bennett

The episode noted that Tony Bennett had published a new memoir titled The Good Life, in which he wrote about his recordings with Bill Evans.

"

He has a new memoir which is called The Good Life. In your memoir you write a little bit about doing your two records with Bill Evans and you loved working with him and God these records are extraordinary.

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Cover

S. A. Cosby

All the Sinners Bleed

A Novel

The author discussed his new novel about a Black sheriff confronting a serial killer in a fictional Virginia county, describing its themes of policing, race, and Southern history.

"

Our guest today is crime writer S.A. Cosby. He spoke with our producer, Sam Brigger, about his new novel, All the Sinners Bleed.

— Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

The author discussed his new novel about a Black sheriff confronting a serial killer in a fictional Virginia county, describing its themes of policing, race, and Southern history.

"

Our guest today is crime writer S.A. Cosby. He spoke with our producer, Sam Brigger, about his new novel, All the Sinners Bleed.

He wrote about a funeral home that serves black clientele and another that serves white ones, showing how funeral homes were the last places in America where segregation was openly tolerated.

Razorblade Tears: A Novel Cover

S. A. Cosby

Razorblade Tears

A Novel

Cosby mentioned this bestseller as one of his previous crime novels, highlighting his successful writing career before the new release.

"

S.A. Cosby has written several crime novels, including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

— Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

Cosby mentioned this bestseller as one of his previous crime novels, highlighting his successful writing career before the new release.

"

S.A. Cosby has written several crime novels, including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

Blacktop Wasteland: A Novel Cover

S. A. Cosby

Blacktop Wasteland

A Novel

The author listed Blacktop Wasteland alongside Razorblade Tears as another of his earlier published crime novels.

"

S.A. Cosby has written several crime novels, including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

— Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

The author listed Blacktop Wasteland alongside Razorblade Tears as another of his earlier published crime novels.

"

S.A. Cosby has written several crime novels, including the bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland.

Dressing Barbie: A Celebration of the Clothes That Made America’s Favorite Doll and the Incredible Woman Behind Them Cover

Carol Spencer

Dressing Barbie

A Celebration of the Clothes That Made America’s Favorite Doll and the Incredible Woman Behind Them

The host referenced the book Dressing Barbie by Carol Spencer while discussing the evolution of Barbie's fashion and cultural impact.

"

A wonderful book, Dressing Barbie by Carol Spencer, who was one of the doll's early fashion designers.

— Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Crime Writer S.A. Cosby

The host referenced the book Dressing Barbie by Carol Spencer while discussing the evolution of Barbie's fashion and cultural impact.

"

A wonderful book, Dressing Barbie by Carol Spencer, who was one of the doll's early fashion designers.

Still Laughing Cover

Helen C. Escott

Still Laughing

The TV critic described it as a memoir by the creator of Rowan and Martin's LaughIn, published July 11 by an unnamed press.

"

George Schlatter's book, which was published July 11th by the unnamed press, is called Still Laughing, A Life in Comedy.

— Episode: Colson Whitehead On 'Crook Manifesto'

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Colson Whitehead On 'Crook Manifesto'

The TV critic described it as a memoir by the creator of Rowan and Martin's LaughIn, published July 11 by an unnamed press.

"

George Schlatter's book, which was published July 11th by the unnamed press, is called Still Laughing, A Life in Comedy.

Kovacsland: A Biography of Ernie Kovacs Cover

Diana Rico

Kovacsland

A Biography of Ernie Kovacs

It was highlighted as a lavishly designed coffeetable book about early TV pioneer Ernie Kovacs, published by Fantagraphics Books.

"

Ernie and Kovacs Land, just published by Fantagraphics Books, is the more important and innovative book here.

— Episode: Colson Whitehead On 'Crook Manifesto'

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Colson Whitehead On 'Crook Manifesto'

It was highlighted as a lavishly designed coffeetable book about early TV pioneer Ernie Kovacs, published by Fantagraphics Books.

"

Ernie and Kovacs Land, just published by Fantagraphics Books, is the more important and innovative book here.

When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era Cover

Donovan X. Ramsey

When Crack Was King

A People's History of a Misunderstood Era

It was presented as a new people's history of the crack era, examining the drug's impact on Black communities.

"

His new book is When Crack Was King, a people's history of a misunderstood era.

— Episode: Best Of: Timothy Olyphant / Understandin...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Timothy Olyphant / Understanding The Crac...

It was presented as a new people's history of the crack era, examining the drug's impact on Black communities.

"

His new book is When Crack Was King, a people's history of a misunderstood era.

His new book is called When Crack Was King, a People's History of a Misunderstood Era.

So you start off this book writing about a woman named Michelle, who was a crack addict who lived down the street from you growing up in Columbus, Ohio.

Ramsey is the author of the new book, When Crack Was King, A People's History of a Misunderstood Era.

I'm Dave Davies. Let's get back to Tanya Mosley's interview with Donovan X. Ramsey, author of the new book, When Crack Was King, A People's History of a Misunderstood Era.

The Pleasures of Cocaine Cover

Adam Gottlieb

The Pleasures of Cocaine

It was mentioned as a published book that could be bought on eBay and Amazon, containing a recipe for freebase cocaine.

"

And it became so popular that there was a book that was published that you can actually find on eBay and Amazon called The Pleasures of Cocaine.

— Episode: Best Of: Timothy Olyphant / Understandin...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Timothy Olyphant / Understanding The Crac...

It was mentioned as a published book that could be bought on eBay and Amazon, containing a recipe for freebase cocaine.

"

And it became so popular that there was a book that was published that you can actually find on eBay and Amazon called The Pleasures of Cocaine.

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