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In 'Jack,' Marilynne Robinson shows grace is for everyone
Robinson's latest Gilead novel centers on prodigal son Jack, newly released from prison and in love with a Black woman — a crime in 1950s Missouri. But it's not a pat tale of love overcoming racism.
This 'Bestiary' lives in a family's multigenerational stories
K-Ming Chang's debut novel is full of mythical beasts that roam through the lineage and the stories of a Chinese family in Arkansas, stories that come alive and help them endure pain and trauma.
A Syrian refugee family's resettlement in the U.S. is captured in graphic novel
“Welcome To The New World” begins in 2016 when the Aldabaans arrive on election day — and wake up in Donald Trump's America. Author Jake Halpern began to document the newcomers in a comic strip.
'His Very Best' calls Jimmy Carter 'perhaps the most misunderstood president'
Jonathan Alter tells Carter's life story beautifully and with admirable fairness — while it's evident that he admires Carter, he treats the former president as a real person, as flawed as anyone else.
A lead prosecutor on Mueller's team weighs in on where the investigation fell short
Federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann says the Mueller investigation was fundamentally shaped by the president's power to fire the team and to pardon key witnesses. His new book is “Where Law Ends.”
'Leave The World Behind' Is A Signature Novel For This Blasted Year
A family on vacation opens the door of their remote Airbnb rental one night to an older couple who claims to be the home's owners. Rumaan Alam's thrilling novel is about race, class and self-delusion.
New groups aim to get more Latinx stories to young readers
Kids don't often get to read stories about Latinos; statistics show the American publishing industry is overwhelmingly white. Several new groups of writers, editors and agents are out to change that.
Al Sharpton: Policing in America will change because of George Floyd's death
Rev. Al Sharpton spoke with NPR about his new book “Rise Up.” Of George Floyd's death, he said: "I had begun to see, by the time of the funeral, there had been a movement that was unlike others."