NPR's Book of the Day

Ten years ago, Colin Kaepernick – then the quarterback for the 49ers – took a knee during the national anthem in a preseason game in order to protest racial injustice. His new memoir The Perilous Fight reflects on that decision. In a conversation with Morning Edition ’s Michel Martin, the former NFL player spoke about the lifetime of experiences that led him to that moment. They also discussed the NFL’s engagement in “paid patriotism,” Kaepernick’s views on the relationship between work and personhood, and why, even at 38, he still maintains NFL ambitions. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

In the post-9/11 era, American Muslims became the target of government suspicion and surveillance. But while reporting her new book, New York Times Magazine journalist Rozina Ali found that Islamophobia has been present in the United States since at least the 1960s. In today’s episode, Ali joins Morning Edition ’s Leila Fadel for a conversation about the four family stories – spanning eight decades – that she profiles in Seasons of Fury . They also discuss the way Islamophobia plays out in American politics today. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures series follows two kid heroes on their journey to save a group of islands filled with magical beasts. She’s the first children's author since J.K. Rowling to simultaneously top the U.K. and U.S. sales charts. Now, Rundell is out with The Neverfear , the third installment in the series. She’s also authored a book-length essay called Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise. In today’s episode, she talks with Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan about how children’s literature gets to “the meat of the human heart.” Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Emily Wilson is a classicist whose translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey are popular and controversial. Recently, she was at the center of the discourse surrounding Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of The Odyssey . Her new book of essays reflects on translation and the role of classics in modern society. In it, she argues that "it is a waste of everyone's time if a retranslation takes more or less the same approach as one or more existing published translations." In today’s episode, she speaks with NPR’s Joel Rose about Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea . Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

In 1988, a group of gay men gathered in Kingston, Jamaica to put on a play. At the time, homophobia in the country was rampant and sex between men was outlawed. Marlon James’ new novel The Disappearers is about a hateful mob attack at one of the group’s rehearsals. In an interview with All Things Considered ’s Juana Summers, James said “this attack in the book was based on an incident which I knew in my gut happened. I just couldn’t prove it.” In today’s episode, Summers and James discuss the untrustworthy quality of official records and the author’s views on writing about violence. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

On today’s show, we mark the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 with two books that historicize the attacks. First, All the Presidents’ Wars focuses on anti-terror campaigns waged around the world over the past quarter century. Author Peter Bergen spoke with Morning Edition ’s Steve Inskeep about the expansion of executive branch powers that have enabled these wars. Then, Scattered Steel investigates how material from the World Trade Center ended up in memorials across the country. All Things Considered ’s Scott Detrow spoke with Sam Holleran – who co-authored the book with his brother, Max Holleran. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Sen. Ted Cruz’s new book isn’t a political memoir but an exploration of the life and career of Justice Clarence Thomas. In Going Further , Cruz praises Thomas as an “independent thinker” who is willing to go against the grain. And he argues the Justice has been criticized by the political left because he did not conform to what liberals expected him to be. In today’s episode, Morning Edition ’s Steve Inskeep asks Cruz about his own aspirations for the Supreme Court and Thomas’ history of overturning precedent. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

For author Jade Chang, the vibe of summer isn’t encapsulated at the pool or by the beach, but in time itself — “and how time kind of stops.” In today’s episode, she joins All Things Considered ’s Ailsa Chang to discuss the books she recommends to help keep the summer season alive, even as fall approaches. Jade Chang recommends books like The Corn King and the Spring Queen by Naomi Mitchison and Stories of the Sahara by Taiwanese author Sanmao. Then, they discuss Jade Chang’s novel What a Time to Be Alive . Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Jill Lepore says our liberal democracy has been replaced by corporations and technology. But what can we do about it? In today’s episode, the historian joins Morning Edition ’s Michel Martin for a conversation about her new book The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State . Lepore says she wanted to put a name to a new kind of governance she’s observed in which functions of nation states are being taken over by private interests and run by machinery. She and Martin discuss the way technology has historically maligned representative democracy – and what we can do about it. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

After the big success of the 2014 novel Big Little Lies , which included an award-winning HBO adaptation, author Liane Moriarty says everyone kept asking her for a sequel. Now, that sequel has arrived. Big Little Truths picks up the drama between five women as their children navigate high school. Meanwhile, the school’s principal receives a troubling package. In today’s episode, Moriarty tells Here & Now ’s Emiko Tamagawa about how performances by Laura Dern and Meryl Streep influenced the sequel, the author’s interest in aging, and how she still writes novels without adaptation in mind. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

In today’s episode, we chat about two new music histories. First, 1986’s Graceland is considered Paul Simon's signature album. It introduced South African music to a global audience and revitalized Simon's career. Author Ashley Kahn spoke with Morning Edition ’s A Martínez about his new book Days of Miracle and Wonder , which goes behind the scenes of the album. Then, a book about how outlaws, gangers and criminals dot the history of American music. In today’s episode, Colin Asher talks with NPR’s Don Gonyea about The Midnight Special , a history of the relationship between music and prison. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

As midterm elections approach, former President Joe Biden's legacy still plays a big role in the Democratic Party. Princeton historian Julian Zelizer has edited a new book called The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden , which evaluates Biden’s time in office from a historical perspective. In today’s episode, the editor talks with Here & Now ’s Scott Tong about writing a first draft of history, the political polarization that surrounded the Biden years and what the lessons Democrats might have learned – and missed. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

It’s 1989 in Romania and the country is living under a totalitarian regime. In the new novel Astronaut! , an 8-year-old girl craves bright colors among otherwise gray surroundings as she comes of age during the fall of the Iron Curtain. Simultaneously, a serial killer is on the loose, but the government denies any criminal activity. Instead, they blame a bear. In today’s episode, author Oana Aristide talks with Weekend Edition ’s Scott Simon about communist humor and how her upbringing in Transylvania helped shape the novel. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Thomas Mullaney is a historian at Stanford University. After his father died, Mullaney began to think about the archive he left behind: papers, documents, photos, objects and more. How We Disappear is a personal and academic history of information – and the role information plays in a naturally chaotic universe. In today’s episode, Mullaney joins Here & Now ’s Peter O’Dowd for a conversation about the small pieces that form our identities, a concept historians called “original order” and why How We Disappear is really a book about entropy. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

While on a cruise, a former college swimmer finds himself in the water, adrift alone, swimming for his life. But he isn’t sure how he got there. In Man Overboard! , 33-year-old Patrick “Kick” Kilpatrick navigates an existential reckoning while trying to stay afloat. Along the way, he reflects on his touchy relationship with his older girlfriend, grapples with darkness and finds a conversational partner in a sea turtle. In today’s episode, author Kathleen Rooney speaks with Weekend Edition ’s Scott Simon about how the novel pairs a survival story with comedy. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Over the past week, Dolly Parton has been remembered for her music, her star power, her advocacy and her philanthropic contributions. But she was also an author. In today’s episode, we remember the country star through two of her books. In 2022, Parton and co-author James Patterson spoke with Morning Edition ’s Rachel Martin about their novel Run, Rose, Run , about an aspiring country musician who moves to Nashville. Then, we revisit a 2023 conversation between Parton and NPR’s Melissa Block about the author’s children's book, Billy the Kid Makes It Big . Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Chang-Rae Lee’s new novel is filled with some of his own memories, like worrying about being picked last for dodgeball and sizing up his fellow Asian American classmates to determine who was most “foreign.” Lee says, unlike some of his other novels, these autobiographical elements populate A Tender Age . In today’s episode, the author speaks with Here & Now ’s Scott Tong about growing up Korean American in suburban New York in the 1970s, attending church camp in the Hudson Valley and the fragility of being a pre-teen. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Sam Roberts says when people find out what he does for work, they tend to shrink away. Roberts is a veteran obituarist for The New York Times . But the writer says he writes about life – not death. His new memoir Are They Dead Yet? is a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of writing obituaries. In today’s episode, he tells NPR’s Eyder Peralta about how the Times determines who gets an obituary, how Roberts weighs the unsavory parts of his subjects’ pasts and why he decided to publish an obituary for Jesus. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Daytona Teddy Riggs is a former high school football star from a wealthy oil and gas family. But in his 20s, he enters a downward spiral as he seeks to become the World’s Strongest Man. Daytona Teddy Riggs follows this single-minded quest, one marked by steroids, behavioral issues and new consequences for his actions. In today’s episode, debut author Drew Buxton joins NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben for a conversation about the novel, masculinity, and his protagonist’s future. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Ken Salazar's personal and political life have been defined by the U.S.-Mexico border. The fifth-generation Mexican American has served as a U.S. senator, secretary of the interior and ambassador to Mexico. His new memoir Borderlands focuses on the long history between the U.S. and Mexico. In today’s episode, he speaks with NPR’s Eyder Peralta about his work on migration under the Biden administration. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy