I was born in South Florida, a tropical backwater rife with mosquitoes, flying cockroaches and the sweet stink of life. My youth was spent stealing science-fiction paperbacks from the local mini-mart and cutting tunnels through the palmetto thickets behind my house with a machete. Later, I regularly burned down those palmettos for the pleasure of seeing the fire trucks arrive, sirens blaring.
NPR’S BOOK OF THE DAY
- Author Deesha Philyaw says she's still 'obsessed' with the church in her fiction November 9, 2026Deesha Philyaw, who grew up going to church, says you can leave religion behind but “the pastor and your mama are still in your bedroom.” That premise informs her new novel The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, which centers on Scharisse, a megachurch pastor’s wife who receives an invitation to compete in an exclusive […]
- A follow-up 15 years in the making: Chad Harbach on 'The Brightness' November 6, 2026It’s been 15 years since Chad Harbach published The Art of Fielding, a book about a star college baseball player at a fictional Wisconsin liberal arts college. His new book The Brightness isn’t quite a sequel, but a follow-up that returns to that same world. The novel focuses on a group of young women who […]
NY TIMES BOOKS
- Book Review: ‘Department of Fate,’ by Rachel Maddow November 9, 2026
- Book Review: ‘Murder in Paris ’68,’ by Edward Chisholm November 9, 2026
- Book Review: ‘Secrets,’ by Bob Woodward November 9, 2026
