Writer Shalom Auslander catalogs his lifelong battle with self-contempt in 'Feh' Auslander has written for decades about growing up in a dysfunctional household within an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. The title of his latest memoir comes from the Yiddish word for "yuck." Tonya Mosley Play AudioListen 37 mins
A comic novel from M.T. Anderson follows a heist to swipe the remains of St. Nicholas A sensitive monk, a charming mercenary, and the contested bones of St. Nicholas: NPR's Scott Simon talks with M.T. Anderson about his rollicking comic novel, "Nicked." Scott Simon Play AudioListen 8 mins
Expert on dictators warns: Don't lose hope -- that's what they want Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum says that today’s dictators — including Putin and Xi — are working together in a global fight to dismantle democracy, and Trump is borrowing from their playbook. Tonya Mosley Play AudioListen 36 mins
Director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' Jon Chu on his new memoir NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with film director Jon Chu about his new memoir Viewfinder. Chu is best known for his 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians. Ailsa Chang Jonaki Mehta Courtney Dorning Play AudioListen 9 mins
'Wicked' director Jon M. Chu says creativity isn't magic — it's hard work Chu takes his inspiration from his dad, a Chinese immigrant who worked both the front room and the kitchen of their family-run restaurant: "The guy that in the back of the kitchen, that was my hero." Terry Gross Play AudioListen 36 mins
Pulitzer Prize-winner Jesse Katz exposes the underside of immigration in LA "The Rent Collectors" by Jesse Katz tells the true story of two botched gang murders, and the immigrants stuck between the police and the gangs that run their downtrodden LA neighborhood. A Martínez Play AudioListen 7 mins
From 'E.T.' to 'Blade Runner,' how the summer of 1982 changed cinema forever In 1982, eight science fiction films were released within eight weeks of each other. In The Future Was Now, Chris Nashawaty chronicles how those movies shaped the genre and the movie industry. Tonya Mosley Play AudioListen 35 mins
Remembering writer Gail Lumet Buckley The daughter of singer Lena Horne, Buckley who chronicled her family's history from enslavement to becoming a part of the Black bourgeoisie. She died July 18. Originally broadcast in 1986. Terry Gross Play AudioListen 17 mins
Celebrating James Baldwin, on what would have been his 100th birthday One of the most influential writers to emerge during the civil rights era, Baldwin, who died in 1987, spoke to Terry Gross in 1986 about growing up in Harlem and his decision to move to France. Terry Gross Play AudioListen 9 mins
For this brain surgeon, the operating room is 'the ultimate in mindful meditation' Dr. Theodore Schwartz has been treating neurological illnesses for nearly 30 years. He says being a brain surgeon requires steady hands — and a strong bladder. His new book is Gray Matters. Terry Gross Play AudioListen 45 mins
