NPR's Book of the Day Folgen

Today's episode is all about two books that find parallels across long stretches of time. First, an interview with Barbara Kingsolver and former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro about Kingsolver's novel Unsheltered, which finds striking similarities between an 18th century "utopian" community and 2016 America. Then, NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Daniel Mason about his new novel North Woods, which follows the inhabitants of a plot of land across hundreds of years.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In today's episode, Omekongo Dibinga walks Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes through several myths featured in his new book, Lies About Black People. From how the stereotype of "the welfare queen" came to be through how an enslaved Black man taught Jack Daniel to make whiskey, Dibinga breaks down the different ways Black people have been maligned and unacknowledged for their contributions in American history. He says that as he was writing and researching, he realized it wasn't only white people who needed to relearn that history – and he explains why it's important for Black readers, too.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After climate change has wreaked havoc on the planet – and its flora and fauna – delicious dinners are a memory of the past. But in C Pam Zhang's new novel, Land of Milk and Honey, a struggling chef looking for a job finds herself in an elite corner of the world where eating is about more than survival. In today's episode, Zhang tells NPR's Ailsa Chang how being a picky eater ultimately led her to relish in writing about food, and how desire, privilege and pleasure take on different meanings for her chef protagonist.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy