Best Documentation Not Included Podcasts (2025)

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In 'Putin's Revenge,' Lucian Kim traces the lead-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine 11:32

16h ago11:32

11:32

For more than 20 years, Lucian Kim covered Russia and Ukraine as a journalist. Now, the former NPR reporter is out with a new book that aims to explain the confluence of personal and geopolitical motivations that led to Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin's Revenge identifies key moments in the decades leading up to the invasion, in…

1
Katie Kitamura's 'Audition' is a puzzle, but she says it's not meant to be solved 9:07

1d ago9:07

9:07

In a Manhattan restaurant, the narrator of Audition meets a young man for lunch. Everyone has a different understanding of the pair's relationship, including the narrator herself. Katie Kitamura says she got the idea for the story after coming across a headline that said, "a stranger told me he was my son." That headline turned into the premise for…

1
Emily Henry's latest novel 'Great Big Beautiful Life' explores love beyond romance 9:18

3d ago9:18

9:18

Known for books like Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry is the patron saint of millennial romance. But for her latest novel, the author says she wanted to challenge herself in a new way. Great Big Beautiful Life is a story within a story about two journalists who are competing to write the biography of a fictional media heiress.…

1
Zadie Smith looks back at her debut novel 'White Teeth' 25 years after its release 14:59

6d ago14:59

14:59

Zadie Smith's White Teeth marked its 25th anniversary in January. The now canonical novel tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a shy Englishman named Archie Jones and his friend Samad Iqbal, a devout Bengali Muslim. Both men are trying to pass on their religious and moral beliefs to their children. In today's episode, we revisit a conv…

1
'Happy Land' was inspired by a real-life kingdom of formerly enslaved people 7:41

7d ago7:41

7:41

When Nikki travels to visit her grandmother in western North Carolina, she expects answers about her family's history. But instead, she uncovers her connection to the Kingdom of the Happy Land, a community of formerly enslaved people. Dolen Perkins-Valdez's new novel Happy Land follows Nikki as she delves deeper into family secrets. The author says…

1
'Paper Doll' documents trans TikTok creator Dylan Mulvaney's journey through girlhood 8:52

8d ago8:52

8:52

Three years ago, trans content creator and actor Dylan Mulvaney posted a video on TikTok documenting her first day of girlhood. Though she didn't expect to turn the post into a series, Mulvaney says the videos became a way to track both her journey and her experience of trans joy. Now, she's out with a memoir called Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bl…

1
An early biography paints Pope Francis as 'The Great Reformer' of the Catholic Church 6:39

9d ago6:39

6:39

Pope Francis died Monday, leaving behind a legacy as "Pope of the People" and a change agent within the Catholic Church. Austen Ivereigh's The Great Reformer was published just a year into Pope Francis's papacy. But already, the biography argues, the pope had solidified his position as a radical reformer, both in his approach to hot-button issues a…

1
Aided by new sources, Clay Risen's 'Red Scare' brings McCarthyism back to life 7:42

9d ago7:42

7:42

Journalist Clay Risen is out with a new narrative history of the Red Scare, based in part on newly declassified sources. In Red Scare, Risen depicts McCarthyism as a cultural witch hunt against all kinds of people, not just potential communist spies. And he argues that the Red Scare was part of a broader cultural backlash against New Deal progressi…

1
Two new children's books view the natural world as a site of personal growth 15:56

12d ago15:56

15:56

Two new picture books explore how the outside world can transform our relationships with our communities and ourselves. First, Kiese Laymon is out with a children's book about three Black boys who connect during a transformative summer in the South. With City Summer, Country Summer, Laymon says he wanted to explore the experience of getting lost as…

1
A new cookbook by Darjeeling Express chef Asma Khan was inspired by seasonal cooking 9:10

14d ago9:10

9:10

Asma Khan grew up in India, where late summer means monsoon season. But it wasn't until she moved to England in the '90s that she learned how to cook. At 45, after earning a PhD in constitutional law, she opened Darjeeling Express. The London restaurant made her into a celebrity chef and an authority on Indian food. Now, Khan is out with a new cook…

1
Rex Ogle's 'When We Ride' is a novel-in-verse about a best friendship under pressure 9:18

15d ago9:18

9:18

Seventeen-year-old Benny is studying hard and working as a busboy, hoping to attend college. Meanwhile, his childhood best friend, Lawson, is on a different path, dealing drugs – and is always in need of a ride. Rex Ogle's When We Ride is a novel-in-verse about their relationship, which becomes strained as differences between the two young men come…

1
'Adventures in the Louvre' will teach you how to fall in love with the famous museum 8:46

16d ago8:46

8:46

Elaine Sciolino has one mantra: "Never go to the Louvre on an empty stomach or with a full bladder." The former Paris bureau chief of The New York Times has written a guide filled with her best advice for enjoying the world's most-visited museum. Her new book, Adventures in the Louvre, is part journalism, part memoir and part art history. In today'…

1
An obituary writer makes a grave error in John Kenney's 'I See You've Called in Dead' 8:47

17d ago8:47

8:47

John Kenney's I See You've Called in Dead is about an obituary writer named Bud Stanely. One late night after a particularly bad date and too many glasses of Scotch, Bud drunkenly writes his own remembrance – and hits publish. The newspaper where he works wants to fire him, but can't legally terminate a dead person. But the error sets off a change …

1
Two new novels explore a world where technology has even greater access to our minds 19:25

20d ago19:25

19:25

Two new novels explore technology's increasing access to our most intimate thoughts. First, the protagonist in The Mechanics of Memory can't remember her last year. Hope has found herself in a too-perfect mental health facility where she participates in questionable treatment, some involving virtual reality. Audrey Lee's novel follows Hope as she s…

1
A new oral history of Lollapalooza recalls the alt-rock music festival's wildest days 8:20

21d ago8:20

8:20

Lollapalooza is a popular music festival that takes place in Chicago's Grant Park each year. But it was conceived as a farewell tour for the band Jane's Addiction, kicking off with a series of chaotic performances across the United States in the summer of 1991. Lollapalooza, a new oral history by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour, documents the wi…

1
Emma Pattee's 'Tilt' imagines the aftermath of a life-changing earthquake 8:44

22d ago8:44

8:44

Annie is 37 weeks pregnant. She's shopping at IKEA in Portland, Oregon, when everything around her begins to shake. It's an earthquake – the big one. Unable to get in touch with her husband or anyone else, she starts to walk. This is the setup for Emma Pattee's new novel Tilt, which the author says was inspired by the major earthquake predicted to …

1
In the wake of a sexual assault, astronaut Amanda Nguyen turned to activism 8:48

23d ago8:48

8:48

In 2013, Amanda Nguyen was a Harvard senior interested in pursuing a career at NASA or the CIA. But she says those plans were temporarily derailed when she was raped just a few months before graduation. Nguyen went on to become an advocate for survivors of sexual assault – and her advocacy resulted in federal legislation that changed the way law en…

1
In 'Everything Is Tuberculosis,' John Green turns his attention to a deadly disease 12:01

23d ago12:01

12:01

Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases in human history – and it still kills more than a million people every year. In a new book, The Fault in Our Stars author John Green argues the infection persists only because we allow it to. Everything Is Tuberculosis takes on the history of the human response to and treatment of tuberculosis. The book, G…

1
Authors of two new novels draw inspiration from history in wildly different ways 17:15

27d ago17:15

17:15

Today on the show, we hear from authors who were inspired by history in wildly different ways. First, when Emma Donoghue encountered a famous photo of the 1895 Montparnasse derailment, she says she couldn't believe no one had written a novel about it. Donoghue's The Paris Express imagines what life was like for passengers on the old-fashioned steam…

1
To confront radical change, 'Slate' writer Scaachi Koul wrote a new book of essays 7:29

28d ago7:29

7:29

Three years ago, Scaachi Koul went through a divorce, a process that she says was "disorienting." But divorce, the Slate writer says, also offered a framework for rethinking everything: her relationship with men, family, conflict, and herself. Her new book of essays Sucker Punch works through this personal evolution. In today's episode, Koul speaks…

1
A new book from Emily Feng asks what it means to be Chinese in Xi Jinping's China 8:56

29d ago8:56

8:56

NPR reporter Emily Feng lived in, and reported from, Beijing for years. But in 2022, the Chinese government told Feng, who was born in the United States to Chinese parents, that she couldn't return to the country. The experience prompted her to ask: What does it mean to be Chinese under Xi Jinping's government? Her new book Let Only Red Flowers Blo…

1
In 'Long Island,' one woman returns to Ireland after discovering her husband's affair 8:37

30d ago8:37

8:37

At the beginning of Long Island, an Irish-American woman named Eilis opens the front door of her New York home and is greeted by news of her husband's affair. The other woman is pregnant – and Eilis must decide what to do next. Author Colm Tóibín says this scene convinced him to write the novel, an unplanned sequel to Brooklyn. Long Island picks up…

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Investment Review

29d ago

—

April 2025: Equities are at maximum valuations, investors are at peak investedness, and now a regime change which markets have not yet digested. Jonathan Ruffer asks if this is one of the rare occasions when a market crisis not only foretells but contributes to the economic hardship to come.

1
Christine Wenc's 'Funny Because It's True' calls 'The Onion' "the original fake news" 7:56

1M ago7:56

7:56

The satirical news magazine The Onion has been putting out ironic and often absurd headlines for more than 40 years. Christine Wenc was part of the paper's original staff, dating back to its origins as an alt weekly in Madison, Wisconsin. Now, Wenc has written a book Funny Because It's True: How the Onion Created Modern News Satire that traces the …

1
John Himmelman, Reginald Dwayne Betts take a populist approach to poetry in new books 15:52

1M ago15:52

15:52

The authors of two new poetry collections aspire to reach broad audiences with their work. First, John Himmelman says he wanted to tell stories with as few words as possible. The Boy Who Lived in a Shell, a book of illustrated poems intended for children, is connected by a single narrator, Ivo, who lives in a giant moon snail shell. In today's epis…

1
In 'Beartooth,' brothers embark on an illicit journey into Yellowstone National Park 10:28

1M ago10:28

10:28

In Callan Wink's new novel Beartooth, two brothers live at the edge of Yellowstone National Park. Their father has recently died of cancer, leaving behind unpaid medical bills and taxes. Desperate to save their home, the pair ventures into the park as part of a scheme involving the illegal collection of elk antlers. The novel, Wink says, was inspir…

1
Chuck Schumer's 'Antisemitism in America' warns of a resurgence in antisemitic views 11:08

1M ago11:08

11:08

Sen. Chuck Schumer received major backlash from his party after supporting a Republican spending bill earlier this month – and some Democrats have called for him to resign from his position as minority leader. Schumer recently spoke with NPR's Scott Simon about that budget measure, prior to the ballots being cast, as part of a conversation about hi…

1
Allison Epstein's 'Fagin the Thief' gives a Charles Dickens character a second chance 9:11

1M ago9:11

9:11

Author Allison Epstein says when she read Oliver Twist, she found Charles Dickens' portrayal of Fagin, the novel's central scoundrel, to be stereotypical and antisemitic. But there was also something about the character that piqued her curiosity. Now, her new novel Fagin the Thief gives that character a backstory – and a literary second chance. In …

1
A former Meta executive characterizes company leadership as "careless" in new memoir 7:51

1M ago7:51

7:51

Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive, is now barred from discussing her criticism of the company. But before Meta gained an injunction against their former employee, she spoke with NPR's Steve Inskeep about her new memoir Careless People. The book charts Wynn-Williams' path from onetime Facebook megafan to Meta critic – and characterizes Ma…

1
In two noir novels, crime lurks beneath small town life in Norway and New England 17:26

1M ago17:26

17:26

In their new noir novels, authors Joseph Finder and Jo Nesbø choose small towns as the settings for dark plotlines. First, Finder's The Oligarch's Daughter follows a man named Paul who has built a new life under a new name in New Hampshire. He's on the run from a Russian oligarch, who happens to be his father-in-law. In today's episode, Finder spea…

1
A new biography tells the story of a South Asian Hollywood star who passed as white 10:24

1M ago10:24

10:24

In 1936, Merle Oberon became the first Asian woman–and person of color–to receive an Oscar nomination for best actress. She was nominated for her role in The Dark Angel and later starred in films like Wuthering Heights. But Oberon kept her mixed-race, South Asian heritage a secret, passing as white for her entire career. Mayukh Sen tells this story…

1
'I'm That Girl' follows gymnast Jordan Chiles' road to the Olympics 9:16

1M ago9:16

9:16

In a new memoir, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles describes moments of deep uncertainty in her storied career. For example, there was a time in her mid-teens when she considered quitting the sport. But a pivotal conversation with friend and future teammate Simone Biles encouraged her to continue. I'm That Girl details other challenges in Chiles' caree…

1
The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins was inspired by Greek myths and reality TV 7:04

1M ago7:04

7:04

The first book in the The Hunger Games series was published more than a decade ago, ultimately launching a hugely popular film franchise, iconic characters and a devoted fan base of readers. This week, Suzanne Collins is out with Sunrise on the Reaping, the second prequel in the series. So we're revisiting a rare interview with Collins from early i…

1
A new novel from Karen Russell is a sprawling story set during the Dust Bowl 7:36

1M ago7:36

7:36

The Antidote opens on what seems like an ordinary Sunday in a fictional town in 1930s Nebraska. But by 3 p.m., apocalyptic clouds cover the sun and make the afternoon look like midnight. Karen Russell's latest novel is set during the Dust Bowl – a period when poor farming practices and drought led to a wave of severe and damaging dust storms. In th…

1
Books by critic Kenneth Turan and actor Rupert Everett show two sides of Hollywood 15:56

2M ago15:56

15:56

Two books set in Hollywood show different sides of the film business, from industry-shaping success to the personal frustration of rejection. First, Louis B. Mayer & Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation is a history of the duo behind MGM Film. The nonfiction book by Kenneth Turan, a regular critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR, follows the unlik…

1
Jennifer Finney Boylan's latest memoir 'Cleavage' is a reflection on transgender life 11:48

2M ago11:48

11:48

Jennifer Finney Boylan's 2003 memoir She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders was about her new life as a woman. Since then, Boylan has become a prominent transgender voice. Her latest memoir, Cleavage: Men, Women and the Space Between Us, picks up where her last one left off. In today's episode, Boylan speaks with NPR's Robin Young about transgender…

1
In 'Death Takes Me,' men are the victims of violence usually inflicted on women 7:43

2M ago7:43

7:43

La muerte me da, a novel published in Spanish in 2007 by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cristina Rivera Garza, is now available to English readers. Death Takes Me follows a woman detective who finds herself in charge of handling a series of cases involving the killings of men – all of whom have been sexually mutilated. In today's episode, Garza spea…

1
Alexander Vindman's 'The Folly of Realism' suggests a long-term approach to Ukraine 8:55

2M ago8:55

8:55

More than three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Alexander Vindman is out with a new book on U.S.-Ukraine relations. Vindman, who was born in Ukraine, is the retired Army lieutenant colonel who testified against President Trump in the 2019 impeachment hearings. In his new book, The Folly of Realism, Vindman argues that the Unite…

1
'Dream Count' is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first novel in more than a decade 7:42

2M ago7:42

7:42

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie hasn't published a novel in more than a decade. After writing literary hits like Americanah and essays like the popular We Should All Be Feminists, the author says she went through a period of writer's block. But now, she's out with a new novel Dream Count that tells the stories of four interconnected women.…

1
Picture book biographies introduce children to Toni Morrison and Ruby Bridges 16:24

2M ago16:24

16:24

Two biographical picture books introduce children to the life stories of writer Toni Morrison and civil rights activist Ruby Bridges. First, Andrea Davis Pinkney initially encountered Morrison's work as a child. But later, she became the editor of Morrison's children's books. Now, Pinkney is out with And She Was Loved, a picture book about Morrison…

1
'Harlem Rhapsody' is a novel about an affair at the heart of the Harlem Renaissance 9:29

2M ago9:29

9:29

A while back, Victoria Christopher Murray set out on a mission to learn about the women of the Harlem Renaissance. But in her research, she mostly found stories about men – until she came across Jessie Redmon Fauset. Fauset, whom Langston Hughes called "the midwife of the Harlem Renaissance," was a writer who eventually became literary editor at Th…

1
In 'Back After This,' a podcast host tries to find love 10:38

2M ago10:38

10:38

NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour host Linda Holmes knows a thing or two about audio. She leans into this knowledge in her latest novel, in which a podcast producer, Cecily Foster, gets the opportunity to host her own show. The catch? The podcast is about her love life, and she has to embark on 20 first dates set up by an influencer. In today's episode, H…

1
'You Didn't Hear This From Me' is Kelsey McKinney's gossip bible 8:39

2M ago8:39

8:39

Kelsey McKinney has built her career on gossip. The co-creator and former host of the popular podcast Normal Gossip has been interested in the topic since her upbringing in the Evangelical church, where she was taught that talking about others is a sin. Now, she's out with a new book, You Didn't Hear This From Me, which argues that gossip is a natu…

1
In 'Stone Yard Devotional,' a woman abandons modern life for a religious community 8:49

2M ago8:49

8:49

In Charlotte Wood's Stone Yard Devotional, an unnamed narrator renounces modern life in Sydney, retreating to a cloistered religious community in her hometown. But soon after, a series of three visitations causes the narrator to rethink the choice she's made. In today's episode, Wood speaks with NPR's Ari Shapiro about the novel, which was shortlis…

1
Two James Baldwin experts break down his early fiction and political writing 11:02

2M ago11:02

11:02

To mark the end of Black History Month, we're revisiting two conversations about James Baldwin that first aired last summer for his 100th birthday. First, NPR's Andrew Limbong speaks with McKinley Melton – associate professor of Africana Studies at Rhodes College – about Baldwin's first novel, Go Tell It On the Mountain. Melton says he sees the wor…

1
The authors of 'Pseudoscience' explore and debunk your favorite conspiracy theories 6:55

2M ago6:55

6:55

Strange stories are often used to fill gaps in human knowledge. But why do people love bizarre explanations for the unexplained? Dr. Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen look to answer this in their new book, Pseudoscience: An Amusing History of Crackpot Ideas and Why We Love Them. In today's episode, Kang and Pedersen speak with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about …

1
Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama writes and reads poetry that speaks to the human condition 8:43

2M ago8:43

8:43

Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama cataloged spreadsheets of poems to help create his new anthology, 44 Poems on Being with Each Other. The collection features writing from a variety of poets as well as reflections from Ó Tuama on the nuances of the human condition. Ó Tuama is also out with his own poetry collection, Kitchen Hymns. In today's episode, he s…

1
In 'Talk to Me,' the grandson of a former Haitian president uncovers family secrets 7:29

2M ago7:29

7:29

In 1957, a labor leader named Daniel Fignolé was the president of Haiti for 19 days. Just two weeks after his inauguration, he was forced to sign a resignation letter as part of a U.S.-backed coup. But growing up, Rich Benjamin – Fignolé's grandson – didn't know anything about his grandfather's political career. The cultural anthropologist says his…

1
Mark Greaney takes on geopolitics in the latest installment of the Gray Man series 8:16

2M ago8:16

8:16

Mark Greaney is the author of the Gray Man series, a collection of espionage novels that chronicle the adventures of ex-CIA operative Court Gentry. The latest addition, Midnight Black, follows Gentry as he tries to save the woman he loves from Russian captivity. Greaney is known for conducting extensive research on the elements that make it into hi…

1
Modern-Day Seattle Lynching - Part 1 30:48

2M ago30:48

30:48

ABOUTEpisode 01 explores a letter written to Cielo Property Management in Seattle, Washington. This letter confronts the property manager's premeditated “Lynching Type” assault against a Black Male resident on December 27, 2022. This letter is the first of nine letters written to Cielo Property Management that will be explored in Season 01.RUN-OF-S…

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