653 episodes

In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.

NPR's Book of the Day NPR's Book of the Day

    • Arts
    • 4.3 • 390 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    '2054' is a political thriller about civil war, misinformation and AI

    '2054' is a political thriller about civil war, misinformation and AI

    2034, the first novel by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis, chronicled a nuclear conflict between China and the U.S. Now, their sequel 2054 takes a look at the country two decades later. The President is suddenly assassinated giving a speech, which sparks a flood of conspiracy theories, digitally-altered images and horrifying technological discoveries. In today's episode, the authors speak with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the relationship between technology and American institutions, and how destruction is sometimes an inevitable part of progress.

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    • 9 min
    In 'Collision of Power' and 'Outtakes,' journalists look back on their careers

    In 'Collision of Power' and 'Outtakes,' journalists look back on their careers

    Today's episode features two retired journalists who've written memoirs reflecting on some of the highs and lows of a career in the industry. First, former Washington Post editor Marty Baron speaks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about Collision of Power, covering the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and the state of media in today's electoral cycle. Then, former NPR producer Peter Breslow joins NPR's Ayesha Rascoe to discuss Outtakes, taking a three-month work trip camping across China and up Mount Everest and finding hope in a music school in Afghanistan.

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    • 19 min
    In 'The Extinction of Irena Rey,' translators search for a missing author

    In 'The Extinction of Irena Rey,' translators search for a missing author

    Eight translators from eight countries travel to a Polish forest to begin adapting famed author Irena Rey's newest book into their respective languages. But when Irena Rey disappears, a competitive, ego-fueled search unravels in the surrounding woods and within each person. In today's episode, author Jennifer Croft speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about her new novel, The Extinction of Irena Rey, and how her own experience as an International Booker Prize-winning translator sparked an interest in the drive and desires of the people tasked with "shapeshifting" a text into their own tongue.

    To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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    • 9 min
    'The Last Ships from Hamburg' recalls the plight of Jewish refugees before WWI

    'The Last Ships from Hamburg' recalls the plight of Jewish refugees before WWI

    Before World War I, approximately 2 million Jewish people fled Russia and Eastern Europe for the United States. The Last Ships from Hamburg, a new book by Steven Ujifusa, recounts this time in history with a special focus on three businessmen who facilitated mass emigration: Jacob Schiff, Albert Ballin and J.P. Morgan. In today's episode, Ujifusa speaks with Here & Now's Scott Tong about how anti-immigrant rhetoric in the U.S. looks very similar today to how it did then, and why beyond historical record, this is a deeply personal story for him to write.

    To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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    • 10 min
    Maurice Vellekoop's graphic memoir recounts his coming out to his religious family

    Maurice Vellekoop's graphic memoir recounts his coming out to his religious family

    Maurice Vellekoop's new graphic memoir, I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together, is named after the song Carol Burnett would close out her show with in the '60s and '70s. But it's also a reflection of some of the author-illustrator's most cherished childhood memories, going shopping in downtown Toronto with his mom. In today's episode, Vellekoop tells NPR's Ayesha Rascoe how that relationship changed as he came to terms with his sexuality — something his religious mother did not accept — and how his father ended up surprising him later in life.

    To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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    • 9 min
    In 'Anita de Monte Laughs Last,' Xochitl Gonzalez explores marriage, art and success

    In 'Anita de Monte Laughs Last,' Xochitl Gonzalez explores marriage, art and success

    Raquel Toro, the protagonist of Xochitl Gonzalez's new novel, is working on her thesis about a minimalist sculptor when she discovers his all-but-forgotten wife, artist Anita de Monte, died after falling 33 stories from their apartment more than a decade prior. Based on the story of Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is an odyssey into ego, power and marriage in the art world. In today's episode, Gonzalez tells NPR's Scott Simon how fiction allowed her to expand on Mendieta's legacy, and why she didn't want to discredit the husband's own career along the way.

    To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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    • 8 min

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5
390 Ratings

390 Ratings

😉💙🙃 ,

4 November 2023

Russia and Ukraine have been at war with each other for over a year and half, and finally a podcast has been launched regarding the ‘rules of war.’ Wow! I’m shocked, I find this too little to late. 🙃

1009926144189363uu ,

Sierra Square, Delta Square

Every day it’s books about some oppressed person railing against their oppressor. And if a book covers something the preening, smug host doesn’t personally enjoy, he’ll make sure to tell you about it. Wish a more diverse book show existed that posted as consistently. Since most books are basically the same concept, if you DO like these titles you’re in for a treat, however. But your likes have better be super narrow and constricted to cosmetically diverse oppression wars.

teelgee ,

Andrew?

Is Andrew Linbong coming back? I miss him.

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