Feb 26 Watch 4:47 Author Charles Yu on using satire to point out Asian American stereotypes By Jeffrey Brown, Courtney Vinopal The February pick for our ‘Now Read This’ book club was “Interior Chinatown," winner of the 2020 National Book Award. It’s a funny and biting satire of stereotypes of Asian Americans in popular culture. The book's author, Charles Yu, also… Continue watching
Jan 29 WATCH: Jia Tolentino on what role online shaming plays in the COVID era By Joshua Barajas The "Trick Mirror" author said there was a social media-driven behavior she has mixed feelings about: People hiding any behavior from their online communities that would draw shame during the global health emergency. Continue reading
Dec 29 Watch 8:08 Booksellers look back at the best titles of 2020 By Jeffrey Brown, Rhana Natour In a year of isolation and pain, book sales are up as many turn to reading for a distraction, understanding and pleasure. Jeffrey Brown talks to two booksellers for our look at the year in books. Continue watching
Dec 14 Publishing saw upheaval in 2020, but 'books are resilient' By Hillel Italie, Associated Press Book publishing had a year like no other in 2020, and yet proved remarkably stable. Through a pandemic, a called off convention, release postponements and debates over diversity, book sales managed a steady pace. Continue reading
Nov 27 Watch 6:53 How independent bookstores are weathering tough economic times By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport These are perilous times for independent bookstores. More than one independent bookstore has closed each week since the pandemic began, and 20 percent across the country are in danger of closing, according to a recent study by the American Booksellers… Continue watching
Nov 10 What Don DeLillo dreads -- and finds compelling -- about a blank screen By Jeffrey Brown In Don DeLillo's new novel “The Silence,” all screens go dark and technology fails. That very lack of knowing, in the short distance between us and our screens, is the space in which this novel unfolds. Continue reading
Nov 09 Why you can expect new books about Trump for years to come By Hillel Italie, Associated Press It's been one of publishing's most thriving genres of the past four years: books about President Donald Trump. And it's not going to end when he leaves office. Continue reading
Nov 02 Watch 3:44 How the pandemic could cause significant 'learning loss' for students By Jeffrey Brown, Courtney Vinopal Paul Tough is the author of “Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why,” the October selection for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, Now Read This. The coronavirus pandemic has upended American life. What are its consequences for the education… Continue watching
Oct 30 This visual history of ballots shows the power of your vote By Joshua Barajas Through the lens of the printed ballot, a new visual history shows how these artifacts capture the evolving values of our democracy. Continue reading
Oct 27 Watch 10:53 Author Paul Tough answers your questions about 'Helping Children Succeed' By Jeffrey Brown, Courtney Vinopal Paul Tough, author of our October pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, Now Read This, joins Jeffrey Brown to answer reader questions about “Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why.”… Continue watching