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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
  • Abby Phillip’s 'A Dream Deferred' chronicles Jesse Jackson’s rise to political esteem

    Abby Phillip’s 'A Dream Deferred' chronicles Jesse Jackson’s rise to political esteem
    Dec 4 2025
    Rev. Jesse Jackson is well-known as an icon of the American Civil Rights Movement, a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., and a steadfast activist — but he has quite a past in electoral politics, too. A Dream Deferred charts Jackson’s rise to political prominence during his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, as the first major Black candidate for U.S. president. In today’s episode, author and CNN anchor Abby Phillip talks with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about her debut biography, and how Jackson himself approached politics and activism with separate mindsets.

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    8 mins
  • 'The Devil Is a Southpaw' is a story within a story — or so its narrator says

    'The Devil Is a Southpaw' is a story within a story — or so its narrator says
    Dec 3 2025
    Are all unreliable narrators self-aware? The answer might depend on the novel, but in Brandon Hobson’s The Devil Is a Southpaw, our primary narrator, Milton (a writer and artist) uses his prose to sew complexity and confusion into the narrative itself. In today’s episode, Hobson speaks with NPR’s Scott Simon about his newest novel, and the journey of crafting a story about two ex-convicts bound together through jealousy and the mutual dream of artistic success.


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    9 mins
  • John Fetterman on his new memoir, his mental health, and disagreements with his party

    John Fetterman on his new memoir, his mental health, and disagreements with his party
    Dec 2 2025
    When Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) won Pennsylvania’s Senate seat in 2022, Democrats saw him as a symbol of a new direction during the Trump era. Three years later, things are very different. His new memoir, Unfettered, discusses his mental health struggles, the stroke he suffered in 2022 and his relationship with the left. In today’s episode, Fetterman speaks with NPR’s Scott Detrow about the book and some of his disagreements with fellow Democrats.


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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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