NPR's Book of the Day

Phil McDaragh is a great Irish poet; he was also a lousy husband and father, abandoning his family to pursue his writing. In Anne Enright's new novel, The Wren, The Wren, three generations of women in the McDaragh family contend with the absent patriarch's complicated legacy. Enright spoke with NPR's Scott Simon about writing fiction about a great writer, and how the poet's bad behavior in his personal life impacts the McDaragh women's own passions, years down the road.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Historian Simon Schama, author of 'Foreign Bodies:Pandemics, Vaccines, and the Health of Nations', discusses the history of pandemics, vaccine hesitancy, and the interconnected global crises. He highlights the development of vaccines for diseases such as smallpox and cholera, and the obstacles to accepting scientific knowledge. Schama emphasizes the relevance of understanding mass disease and immunization to today's global health, particularly in relation to COVID-19.

Journalist Mitchell Zuckoff discusses his book chronicling activist Homeira Qaderi's escape from Kabul. Sola Mahfouz and Malaina Kapoor talk about Defiant Dreams, which depicts growing up under Taliban rule. Topics include the evacuation efforts, individual action in the aftermath of the withdrawal, challenges faced by Afghan citizens, and the determination of young Afghan women to educate themselves.

Matthew McConaughey discusses the paradox of living and the idea that actions don't define character in his new children's book. The book explores contradictions in life and the power of avoiding labels. It encourages intergenerational understanding and dialogue, sparking fruitful conversations from a young age.

A graphic novel called 'Roaming' by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki explores the dynamics of friendship and travel. The authors discuss how a person's character can be revealed through the way they travel. The story follows three friends on a trip to New York City during college, where conflicts arise and new friendships are formed. The book is set in 2009, a time when travel experiences were different than they are now.

As The Public's Radio Lynn Arditi says in today's episode, much has been written about the Polish resistance movement during World War II. But in her interview with Judy Rakowsky, author of Jews in the Garden, the two journalists discuss the culture of silence around many of the atrocities of the time period. Rakowsky's book – part memoir, part thriller – recounts how she spent decades using her investigative reporting skills to help Sam, a family member and Holocaust survivor, make sense of what really happened in the Polish village he fled as a teen.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Héctor Tobar, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, examines Latino identity, discussing how whiteness, colorism, and class shape it. Explores misrepresentation of Latino migrants and the vital contributions they make. Highlights the impact of colorism and challenges faced by Latinos in media representation. Explores the journey and blending of Latino identity. Emphasizes the importance of inclusivity, equality, and understanding each other's stories for a stronger society.

Today's episode is an in-length conversation with National Book Award finalist Lauren Groff. She met up with NPR's Andrew Limbong at a library at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where they chatted about Mary Rowlandson, the colonial woman captured and held ransom by Native Americans in the 1600s, and how she influenced Groff's new book, The Vaster Wilds. Groff also talked about how she found a new affinity for historical fiction, and why she always has "a go bag" ready.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Alice Carrière shares her memoir, Everything/Nothing/Someone, where she recounts the difficulties of her upbringing with two creative parents, her battle with dissociative disorder, and her journey of reclaiming her reality through writing and reconciling with her father.

From Walt "Clyde" Frazier to Russell Westbrook, a new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Mitchell S. Jackson chronicles the relationship between style and basketball over decades. Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion features photos and analysis of how the Civil Rights movement, the infamous dress code, and Instagram have all played a role in the evolution of NBA players' modes of expression. In today's episode, Jackson tells NPR's Ayesha Rascoe how race and activism also intersect with the perception of the sport, and why he thinks we're seeing the most exciting tunnel walks yet.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy