NPR's Book of the Day

Author Emma Straub has written a book about family dynamics and the mess and love that comes with them in All Adults Here. It's no secret that families are complicated. Straub argues a lot of our familial relationships are watching each other grow up and whether or not you allow those you love to grow and change. She told NPR's Scott Simon though that even the bits that aren't perfect are worth loving.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Two collections of short stories, both alike in playfulness in our fair podcast. The first is with Gwen Kirby whose debut collection of short stories is called, hilariously, Shit Cassandra Saw. It ranges from radioactive cockroaches to tapdancing Twizzlers. Kirby told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly that writing this book was a cathartic experience. The second interview is with Helen Oyeyemi about her collection of short stories, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours. The stories are fairy tales, though not traditional ones. Oyeyemi told NPR's Steve Inskeep that she likes fairy tales because they endure.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A non-fiction science book about animal sexuality could read like a dry textbook, but Eliot Schrefer wanted his book to be accessible. Queer Ducks uses interviews with scientists, illustrations, and stories to help teenagers learn more about sexuality in the animal kingdom. In an interview with Sacha Pfeiffer, Schrefer said he didn't want his book to argue for human behavior based on that of animals, but rather to make the point that humans are not alone in their LGBTQ identities. And, according to Schrefer, there is a lot of simplicity and radical acceptance to be found in nature.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Frye Gaillard and Cynthia Tucker are old enough to remember Jim Crow in the South. But they recognize the part of the country they grew up in for both its flaws and its significant role in the history of the country. In their new book, The Southernization of America, Tucker and Gaillard make an argument about how the South shapes the nation's political and cultural landscape – for good and bad. In an interview with Debbie Elliott on Weekend Edition Saturday, they discuss the South's problematic contradictions and pushback now by some against learning about them.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As a little boy grieving his mother, Séamas O'Reilly couldn't entirely grasp the monumental task it was for his father to have to raise 11 children all on his own. In his new memoir, Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?, he uses humor to get through all the sad, tragic parts of his childhood and to help celebrate the joy and love of his unusually large family. In an interview with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday, O'Reilly spoke about how his memoir is ultimately a tribute to his father who, despite the circumstances, was always a source of delight.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Junteenth was celebrated across the country this weekend and is observed nationally Monday. In a new, Juneteenth-inspired cookbook, Nicole A. Taylor puts a summery spin on traditional African American food: making cocktails with sweet potatoes, fresh salads with collard greens and tons of ice cream. Although many people argue against commemorating the holiday with barbecues and other celebrations, Taylor spoke to Here and Now's Scott Tong about the juxtaposition of sorrow and sadness and how Black Americans have always had to make space for both.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Father's Day is this Sunday, giving us a good opportunity to reflect not only the art of fatherhood but also on the struggles that come after dads leave us. First, Helen McDonald talks to Robin Young on Here and Now about grieving her father's death by training a hawk – and finding her path again after grief. Then, Keggie Carew discusses her memoir Dadland, which talks about her relationship with her father, his fascinating stories from his time as a spy, and his struggle with dementia. In a way, these two nostalgic interviews are an invitation to give fathers their due, especially when they're still around.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You've probably seen it: Reese Witherspoon playing ambitious, throat-cutting Tracy Flick in the 1999 movie Election. It's the film adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel of the same name. Now, Perrotta has written a sequel called Tracy Flick Can't Win. In it, we meet Tracy Flick in middle age and just a tad bit away from accomplishing her high school dreams of becoming president of the United States. In an interview with All Things Considered, Perrotta told Sascha Pfiffer that he wanted to revisit this character's story to reflect on ambition, success, and the softening that happens in middle age.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Keri Blakinger says there are no rules behind bars. In 2010, she was arrested on a drug charge and spent two years in prison. And although that statement might sound counterintuitive, Blakinger says that inside the prison, no one is watching when it matters. In her memoir Corrections in Ink, she writes about her path from high-achieving teenager to incarcerated woman to reporter and writer. In an interview with Ailsa Chang on All Things Considered, she says reporting on the prison system has been meaningful because she gets to amplify the stories of those who are just where she used to be.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Inspired by a true story from Oakland, California, Leila Mottley's first novel follows a young Black girl who is sexually abused by a group of police officers. Kiara is a 17-year-old girl who comes from a fractured, poor family, and the novel follows her story as she attempts to survive and thrive navigating so much with so little protection. In an interview with Ayesha Roscoe on Weekend Edition Sunday, Mottley talked about the rich internal world she created for her main character, adding nuance to the storylines of poor characters, and the media coverage of the case that inspired her book.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy