Literary Figures: Novelists
In 'Leave The World Behind,' 2 Families Face The Unknown Together
Rumaan Alam's latest novel, Leave the World Behind, centers on a white family and an older Black couple who find themselves together in a beautiful vacation house on Long Island while a power outage — and possibly something much worse — grips much of the East Coast. The novel, which is up for the National Book Award, explores class and race relations — and how we respond to crisis and fear
Stephen King Is Sorry You Feel Like You're Stuck In A Stephen King Novel
In his 1978 novel The Stand, author Stephen King wrote about a viral pandemic that decimated the world's population. And he gets it when fans say experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak feels like stepping into one of his horror stories.
'Emphasize The Positive': James McBride On The Kindness That Shaped Him
James McBride is best known for his memoir, The Color of Water, about being the son of an African American father and a white mother. His new novel, Deacon King Kong, takes place in 1969, in a Brooklyn housing project, similar to the one he grew up in., and involves the wide consequences of a shooting.
Louise Erdrich On Her Personal Connection To Native Peoples' 'Fight For Survival'
Erdrich's new novel, The Night Watchman, was inspired by her grandfather, who chaired the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and fought a Congressional initiative to move native people off their land.
For Author Kevin Wilson, Writing Offers A Brief Reprieve From Tourette's
Kevin Wilson's new book 'Nothing To See Here' about a set of twins who burst into flame when angry or afraid, is inspired in part by the intrusive fearful images he has had since childhood.
Tom Perrotta Shares 'Post-Parental' Reflections From An Empty Nest
Perrotta's novel, Mrs. Fletcher, is now an HBO series. In 2017, he told Terry Gross that the book was inspired by the upheaval he experienced when his kids grew up and moved out of the house.
'Fresh Air' Remembers Toni Morrison With 3 Conversations Over 4 Decades
The Nobel laureate died Monday at 88. Terry Gross talked with Morrison in 1987 after she wrote Beloved, in 1992 after she authored Jazz and in 2015 when she published God Help the Child.