Questlove on hip-hop, history and the first time he heard 'Rapper's Delight' The Roots bandleader says hearing The Sugarhill Gang's 1980 hit felt like a paradigm shift: "Suddenly they start talking in rhythmic poetry and we didn't know what to make of it." Terry Gross
A young girl grapples with life post World War I in 'Gretel and the Great War' NPR's Scott Simon talks with author Adam Ehrlich Sachs about his new novel "Gretel and the Great War." The book follows a young girl in Vienna at the end of World War I.
MSNBC host Ali Velshi chronicles his ancestors’ migrations across three continents In his memoir, Small Acts of Courage, Velshi traces his family’s journey, from India to South Africa — where his grandfather crossed paths with Mahatma Gandhi — to Kenya, Canada and the U.S. Dave Davies
Horror icon Stephen King doubts it's possible to 'gross out' the American public NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with author Stephen King about his new collections of short stories, You Like It Darker. Erika Ryan
With age and sobriety, Michael McDonald is ready to get personal McDonald says that earlier in his career, he tended to avoid writing about himself directly in songs. He opens up about his life and career in the memoir, What a Fool Believes. Tonya Mosley
'A Fatal Inheritance' follows a family's struggle with cancer across generations NPR's Scott Simon talks to Larry Ingrassia, former managing editor of the Los Angeles Times, about his latest book, "A Fatal Inheritance," which details his family's struggle with cancer. Scott Simon
Writer Carvell Wallace on past pain and forgiveness: Letting go is 'always available' Wallace is known for his celebrity profiles, but his new memoir, Another Word For Love, is about his own life, growing up unhoused, Black and queer, and getting his start as a writer at the age of 40. Tonya Mosley
Novelist Claire Messud excavated her family history. A fictional book is our reward Novelist Claire Messud comes from a family of writers. Her latest novel is inspired by her grandfather's handwritten book. In it, she excavates generations of family history through fiction. Jason Fuller
System of a Down's Serj Tankian on his memoir, why a new album hasn't come since 2005 System of a Down singer Serj Tankian covers fleeing the Lebanese Civil War as a child, advocating for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and why his band hasn't made a new album since 2005. Kaity Kline
Juli Min begins with the future to understand the past in her novel 'Shanghailanders' NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with author Juli Min about her new book Shanghailanders, which unspools the story of a family in reverse. Jonaki Mehta
