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NPR's Book of the Day

NPR's Book of the Day

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 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.Copyright 2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • New books by Carl Hiaasen and John Seabrook tell distinctly American stories

    New books by Carl Hiaasen and John Seabrook tell distinctly American stories
    Jun 20 2025
    Carl Hiaasen and John Seabrook are out with new books that draw from their personal experiences in order to tell distinctly American stories. First, many of the scenarios in the novel Fever Beach were inspired by Hiaasen's experience living in Florida. The book satirizes the white nationalist movement, following a ragtag militia that forms when its leader is kicked out of the Proud Boys. In today's episode, Hiaasen speaks with Here & Now's Robin Young about striking a balance between satire and reality. Then, New Jersey's Seabrook Farms was once called the biggest vegetable factory on earth. But the family that ran it – according to John Seabrook – was backstabbing, alcoholic, and ruthless. In The Spinach King, Seabrook tells the true story behind his family's empire. In today's episode, he joins NPR's Ari Shapiro for a conversation about the man behind Seabrook Farms, the violence that underlies large fortunes, and family betrayal.

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    21 mins
  • Evan Osnos' 'The Haves and Have-Yachts' is a book of essays about the new Gilded Age

    Evan Osnos' 'The Haves and Have-Yachts' is a book of essays about the new Gilded Age
    Jun 19 2025
    Following Donald Trump's election in 2016, New Yorker reporter Evan Osnos wanted to understand what the president's wealth and status represented in the minds of his supporters – and in American culture at large. Osnos began reporting on the lives of the ultrawealthy, including the small but growing billionaire class. Now, Osnos has published a collection of essays The Haves and Have-Yachts, which explores the American relationship to immense wealth through anecdotes about superyachts, private concerts with pop stars, and doomsday preppers. In today's episode, Osnos speaks with NPR's Frank Langfitt about widening inequality, status anxieties among oligarchs, and what it feels like to live in a new Gilded Age.

    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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    13 mins
  • Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig reflect on 'The L Word' in memoir 'So Gay For You'

    Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig reflect on 'The L Word' in memoir 'So Gay For You'
    Jun 18 2025
    By the early 2000s, only a handful of queer female characters had ever been featured on television. Then, The L Word entered the scene in 2004, exploring lesbian identity, friendship and sex over six seasons and a 2019 reboot. Now, two of The L Word's stars – Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig – are out with a new memoir So Gay For You. In today's episode, the authors talk with NPR's Juana Summers about the way representation of queer characters has changed since the 2000s, the parts of the show that didn't stand the test of time, and their tips for lifelong friendship.

    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 mins

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brilliant! beautifully written and narrated.
I was transported back to Italy in the exquisite descriptions of villages, pensions and characters.

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