NPR's Book of the Day

The 2022 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, so to prepare we are bringing you a conversation with skier Lindsey Vonn. Her new memoir, Rise, looks at her road to becoming a ski champion and Olympic medalist. Spoiler alert: it was not all sunshine and roses. Vonn told NPR's A Martinez that she's lucky she is wired in a way that makes negativity a driving force because she has seen the pressure and stress of being an Olympic athlete derail other people's careers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Today, two children's books that touch on a little bit of everything: from pets and illustrations to managing complicated emotions. First, Ian Falconer talks about his new book Two Dogs, a story inspired by his sister's dachshunds. In an interview with Ailsa Chang on All Things Considered, Falconer spoke about the deeper message – or lack thereof – of his work. Then, we hear from Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC about his new book, Darryl's Dream, inspired by his personal story. In an interview with Here and Now's Peter O'Dowd, McDaniels spoke about using books to teach kids about adult feelings.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The workplace can be a tricky - even fraught - place to navigate for anyone, but for those who come from marginalized backgrounds, it can be even tougher. How can you most effectively advocate for yourself? How can you make sure your work is being seen? Alan Henry's new book, Seen, Heard, and Paid, is an invitation to do just that. In an interview with Ana Sale on It's Been a Minute, the journalist and Wired editor gives practical advice for feeling empowered at work, taking control of your own schedule, and ultimately making work work for you, too.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The quest to find the headwaters of the Nile River was the mid-19th century's equivalent to the space race. In her new nonfiction book, River of God, Candice Millard follows the story of two bitter rivals on an adventure into uncharted places to claim that prize for England. In an interview with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday, Millard spoke about the complicated legacy of the Nile's exploration and the arrogance behind "discovering" a land that has been populated for millions of years. And don't say we didn't warn you about the part where a beetle gets in someone's ear...Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Today, the Great Dismal Swamp is a National Wildlife Refuge stretching between Virginia and North Carolina. But from the late 1600s to the Civil War, indigenous peoples and slaves sought refuge from persecution in the sprawling forested wetland. In her novel for young adults, titled Freewater, author Amina Luqman-Dawson imagines a world inside the swamp's colonies, filled with freedom, love, and change. In an interview with Here and Now's Celeste Headlee, Luqman-Dawson talks about her decision to stay away from writing a non-fiction book and the power of historical fiction for teens and kids.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's been 28 years since Apartheid ended in South Africa, but the country's people are still wrestling with the aftermath of segregationist policies. In her book, The Inheritors, journalist Eve Fairbanks shows – through the stories of three people – how decades of institutionalized racism etched themselves into the country's psyche. In an interview with Ayesha Rascoe on Weekend Edition Saturday, Fairbanks said she wanted to help people understand South Africa and its history in a more complex and nuanced way.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This episode features baseball diaries with Scott Simon. First up, CC Sabathia details his personal struggles with alcoholism and fame in his memoir Til The End. And then, a conversation with Ron Shelton about the story and legacy of the classic film Bull Durham in his new memoir, The Church of Baseball.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Doreen Cunningham felt worn down by financial limitations as a single parent trying to, as she says, make life work. She tells Scott Simon that society's unfair treatment toward single-parent households led her to escape to follow the gray whale migration with her 2-year-old son, which she documents in her memoir Soundings.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Displacement, identity and the aftermath of warfare are themes running through today's episode on 'The Haunting of Hajji Hotak.' Author Jamil Jan Kochai talks with Ari Shapiro about why he used elements of science fiction like video games and magical realism to tell a largely autobiographical story of his family's life in Afghanistan before and after the Soviet invasion.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The setting for today's book could be an "alternate version of right now," according to author Davey Davis. They spoke with Anna Sale in an interview for It's Been a Minute about how their book 'X' looks into a dystopian reality where sex workers, immigrants and trans people are exported out of the U.S. And the book tells the story of what life is like for those in hiding.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy