NPR's Book of the Day Folgen

In Abdulrazak Gurnah's Afterlives, the characters centered in the novel offer different perspectives of ordinary people under German colonization in East Africa. In an interview with NPR's Scott Simon, the author goes into detail about how the "power and attraction of the victor" can lead to the conquered joining the conqueror and the impact it has on one's identity.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Today's episode is rooted in how the expectations of immigrant fathers affect their children. First, Khashayar J. Khabushani speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about his novel I Will Greet the Sun Again, which follows a young Iranian-American boy trying to make sense of his identity and sexuality under a strict, sometimes violent, dad's care. Then, Prachi Gupta tells NPR's Leila Fadel about her memoir, They Called Us Exceptional, and how the intersection of racism and patriarchy contributed to her brother's tragic death.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ben Purkert's novel, The Men Can't Be Saved, follows a junior copywriter with a viral tagline for adult diapers. Is it a modern take on Mad Men? Or its very antithesis? Purkert tells NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer how his own days in the advertising industry – at the same time the TV drama starring Jon Hamm had just premiered – shaped his understanding of ego, drive and manhood in the workplace....and how maybe making partner at a firm is more about finding connection than a fancy title, though his protagonist would never admit it out loud.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy