Arts & Life

Author Interviews

'Mirror Test' Reflects On The Consequences Of The Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan

Fresh Air

While serving as a State Department adviser in Iraq and Afghanistan, J. Kael Weston instigated a military mission that resulted the death of 31 service members. His memoir revisits the tragedy of war.

'Mirror Test' Reflects On The Consequences Of The Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan
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Patricia Gallagher (from left), who first proposed the tasting; wine merchant Steven Spurrier; and influential French wine editor Odette Kahn. After the results were announced, Kahn is said to have demanded her scorecard back. "She wanted to make sure that the world didn't know what her scores were," says George Taber, the only journalist present that day.

Patricia Gallagher (from left), who first proposed the tasting; wine merchant Steven Spurrier; and influential French wine editor Odette Kahn. After the results were announced, Kahn is said to have demanded her scorecard back. "She wanted to make sure that the world didn't know what her scores were," says George Taber, the only journalist present that day. Courtesy of Bella Spurrier hide caption

toggle caption Courtesy of Bella Spurrier

The Salt

The Judgment Of Paris: The Blind Taste Test That Decanted The Wine World

Forty years ago, the top names in French food and wine judged a blind tasting pitting the finest French wines against unknown California bottles. The results revolutionized the wine industry.

The Judgment Of Paris: The Blind Taste Test That Decanted The Wine World
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Author Interviews

In An Alternate 19th Century London, Sins Are Marked With 'Smoke'

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Dan Vyleta about his novel, Smoke. It's set in an alternate 19th century London, where the morally corrupt are marked by a smoke that pours from their bodies.

In An Alternate 19th Century London, Sins Are Marked With 'Smoke'
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Trending phrases are caught in generational misunderstanding.
Roy Scott/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Commentary

Irked By The Way Millennials Speak? 'I Feel Like' It's Time To Loosen Up

Fresh Air

While some of his colleagues have criticized the current trend of starting sentences with the phrase, "I feel like," linguist Geoff Nunberg says it's just a case of generational misunderstanding.

Irked By The Way Millennials Speak? 'I Feel Like' It's Time To Loosen Up
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In the fourth season of the IFC show Maron, Marc Maron's character becomes addicted to opioids and loses his house, cats and podcast.

In the fourth season of the IFC show Maron, Marc Maron's character becomes addicted to opioids and loses his house, cats and podcast. Tyler Golden/IFC hide caption

toggle caption Tyler Golden/IFC

Television

Marc Maron On Sobriety And Managing His 'Uncomfortable' Comfort Zone

Fresh Air

The comic recently played out his own fictional relapse on his IFC show, Maron. He says relapse is "a very real fear of mine. I'm glad it happened in fiction and not in real life."

Marc Maron On Sobriety And Managing His 'Uncomfortable' Comfort Zone
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Dr. Abraham Nussbaum argues for medicine to reconnect with its past: Caring for patients should be a calling, not a job, he says.

Dr. Abraham Nussbaum argues for medicine to reconnect with its past: Caring for patients should be a calling, not a job, he says. PhotoAlto/Michele Constantini/Getty Images hide caption

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Shots - Health News

Doctor Yearns For Return To Time When Physicians Were 'Artisans'

Kaiser Health News

Dr. Abraham Nussbaum, author of a book examining the drive toward standardized quality measures and checklists, says he fears medicine is becoming just another job and not the calling it should be.

The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race by Anthony Christian Ocampo
Emily Bogle/NPR

Code Switch

Filipino Americans: Blending Cultures, Redefining Race

In his book The Latinos of Asia, Anthony Christian Ocampo explores how Filipino-Americans challenge traditional ideas about race and national identity.

Filipino Americans: Blending Cultures, Redefining Race
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Susan Silverman says her Jewish faith helps her deal with life's uncertainties.

Susan Silverman says her Jewish faith helps her deal with life's uncertainties. Courtesy of Da Capo Press hide caption

toggle caption Courtesy of Da Capo Press

Author Interviews

Susan Silverman On Anxiety, Adoption And Making A Family In An Uncertain World

Fresh Air

In Casting Lots, the rabbi and mother of five explains how Judaism helped her come to terms with her anxiety. She says she and her sister, comic Sarah Silverman, are "two sides of the same coin."

Susan Silverman On Anxiety, Adoption And Making A Family In An Uncertain World
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Weiner is an inside look at the ups and downs of a fiery political figure.

Weiner is an inside look at the ups and downs of a fiery political figure. Courtesy of Sundance Selects hide caption

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Movie Reviews

'Weiner' Is An Intriguingly Nuanced Look At An Easy Punch Line

Two years after he was caught texting crotch shots, former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner was back in the spotlight, running for mayor. A new documentary chronicles his scandal-plagued campaign.

'Weiner' Is An Intriguingly Nuanced Look At An Easy Punch Line
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Eventually, Big Thunder gives Little Thunder a name of his own: Lightning.

Eventually, Big Thunder gives Little Thunder a name of his own: Lightning. Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers hide caption

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Author Interviews

Sherman Alexie On His New Kids' Book And The Angst Of Being A 'Jr.'

Alexie says he always struggled with being named after his dad — so he decided to write a book about it. Thunder Boy Jr. is about a little boy who is eager to have his own name and be his own person.

Sherman Alexie On His New Kids' Book And The Angst Of Being A 'Jr.'
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Raymond Douglas speaks to NPR's Michel Martin about his book,On Being Raped.
Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images

Author Interviews

On The Ever-Present Trauma Of Rape: 'You Are Not Alone. Don't Give Up'

More than 30 years after he says he was raped by a priest, Raymond Douglas wrote about his trauma. He hopes it will help more male victims to speak up and authorities to better address the issue.

On The Ever-Present Trauma Of Rape: 'You Are Not Alone. Don't Give Up'
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Author Interviews

Teaching The Intangibles: How To Ingrain 'Grit' In Students

Author Paul Tough's book, Helping Children Succeed, lays out what he calls the tools for helping children succeed, particularly through attributes like perseverance and grit.

Teaching The Intangibles: How To Ingrain 'Grit' In Students
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The first issue of Black Panther, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates (with art by Brian Stelfreeze) is the top-selling comic of 2016 so far.

The first issue of Black Panther, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates (with art by Brian Stelfreeze) is the top-selling comic of 2016 so far. Marvel Entertainment hide caption

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Book News & Features

Now At Your Comic Shop: Ta-Nehisi Coates And Michael Chabon

Acclaimed authors — including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Chabon — have begun penning comic books, to great acclaim. Coates' first issue of Black Panther is the year's top-selling comic so far.

Now At Your Comic Shop: Ta-Nehisi Coates And Michael Chabon
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The Fireman

Author Interviews

Joe Hill On 'Fireman,' Family And ... Fart Cookies?

Novelist Joe Hill's latest, The Fireman, is an apocalyptic plague tale about a pathogen that makes sufferers explode. He says his father Stephen King has had a great influence on his storytelling.

Joe Hill On 'Fireman,' Family And ... Fart Cookies?
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