NPR's Book of the Day

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration, but lately he’s also expressed frustration with the Democratic Party. His new book Stand makes an argument for 10 virtues he sees as critical to American life, regardless of political party. In today’s episode, he joins NPR’s Juana Summers for a conversation about how Americans have historically responded to similar political moments, whether Chuck Schumer is the right person to lead Democrats in the Senate, and his intentions for the 2028 election.

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Today’s episode features two cookbooks: One new, the other newly translated. First, a classic Italian cookbook (and classic wedding gift) has been translated into English in full for the first time. Juana Summers spoke with publisher Michael Szczerban about the long journey that brought the regional Italian recipes of The Talisman of Happiness to a global audience. Then, pastry chef Tanya Bush once looked to the kitchen during a difficult moment. She spoke with NPR’s Scott Detrow about Will This Make You Happy, a cookbook and memoir about her year of self-discovery and imperfect baking.

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Larry Bird – one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA – once gave up his college basketball career to return to his hometown, French Lick, Indiana. But soon after, an assistant coach went searching for Bird and brought him back to Indiana State. Bird’s return to basketball and subsequent rise is the subject of a new book by Keith O’Brien, Heartland: A Forgotten Place, An Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird. In today’s episode, O’Brien talks with NPR’s Scott Simon about Bird’s origin story, his distaste for reporters, and how a matchup vs. Magic Johnson changed basketball.

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Yann Martel’s new novel Son of Nobody contains two narratives: a lost epic about the Trojan War and a personal tragedy that plays out in the book’s footnotes. The two protagonists are Psoas, a common Greek foot soldier, and Harlow Donne, a graduate student who discovers Psoas’ story by chance. In today’s episode, Martel joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about the author’s decision to give footnotes a “starring role” in the novel and whether war gives his characters a sense of purpose.

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PBS Newshour co-anchor Geoff Bennett is out with a new book that presents portraits of Black artists who shaped comedy. Black Out Loud is a history that starts with vaudeville and runs through the ‘90s, when sitcoms like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In Living Color and Family Matters carried the responsibility of representing a varied Black experience. In today’s episode, Bennett speaks with NPR’s Scott Simon about vaudeville and minstrelsy as the DNA of Black comedic performance, the impact of Amos ‘n’ Andy, and comedians like Bert Williams, Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle.

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