NPR's Book of the Day

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'The Rise and Fall of the EAST' chronicles China's economic history

Yasheng Huang, a professor of global economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, names four major contributors to China's economy in his new book, The Rise and Fall of the EAST: exams, autocracy, stability and technology. Huang writes that those have been the driving ... Show more

. 10min 34sec

Lucy Sante's memoir reflects on her experience coming out as transgender in her 60s

Lucy Sante says it was a smartphone app that ultimately pushed her to come out to herself — and the world — as trans in her mid 60s. In her new memoir, I Heard Her Call My Name, the writer and professor chronicles how using the gender swap function on FaceApp ultimately opened a ... Show more

. 7min 36sec

'The Achilles Trap' analyzes the relationship between the U.S. and Saddam Hussein

Early in today's episode, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly asks Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Steve Coll why he felt the need to write The Achilles Trap about the Iraq War amidst so many ongoing world conflicts. Coll explains that he hoped enough time had passed to try to answer a lingeri ... Show more

. 9min 14sec

Memoirs by Helen Rebanks and Crystal Wilkinson weave recipes with women's stories

Today's episode features two books that capture how cooking, taking care of loved ones, and running a home has sustained women for generations. First, NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Helen Rebanks (who is joined by actor and comedian Nick Offerman) about The Farmer's Wife, which ch ... Show more

. 19min 48sec

'Julia' revisits George Orwell's '1984,' from a new point of view

With permission from the Orwell estate, Sandra Newman's latest novel takes place in the same world and with many of the same characters as 1984, but retold through the eyes of Winston Smith's love interest, Julia. It's a deep exploration of women's experiences under totalitariani ... Show more

. 9min 15sec