'Wicked' director Jon M. Chu says creativity isn't magic — it's hard work Chu takes his inspiration from his dad, a Chinese immigrant who worked both the front room and the kitchen of their family-run restaurant: "The guy that in the back of the kitchen, that was my hero." Terry Gross
Director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' Jon Chu on his new memoir NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with film director Jon Chu about his new memoir Viewfinder. Chu is best known for his 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians. Courtney Dorning
Expert on dictators warns: Don't lose hope -- that's what they want Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum says that today’s dictators — including Putin and Xi — are working together in a global fight to dismantle democracy, and Trump is borrowing from their playbook. Tonya Mosley
A comic novel from M.T. Anderson follows a heist to swipe the remains of St. Nicholas A sensitive monk, a charming mercenary, and the contested bones of St. Nicholas: NPR's Scott Simon talks with M.T. Anderson about his rollicking comic novel, "Nicked." Scott Simon
Writer Shalom Auslander catalogs his lifelong battle with self-contempt in 'Feh' Auslander has written for decades about growing up in a dysfunctional household within an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. The title of his latest memoir comes from the Yiddish word for "yuck." Tonya Mosley
Stephen Graham Jones on his novel 'I Was a Teenage Slasher' NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to author Stephen Graham Jones about his latest novel, "I Was a Teenage Slasher," which tells a gory tale through the eyes of a teenage killer in a small Texan town. Ryan Benk
'Our Kind of Game': Mysterious page-turner looks at the cracks in suburban life NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks to author Johanna Copeland about her new book, Our Kind of Game, which takes place among the moms of a fancy suburb in Virginia. Mary Louise Kelly
'Madoff' takes account of the biggest financial Ponzi scheme in history Disgraced financier Bernie Madoff scammed investors out of approximately $68 billion. Journalist Richard Behar spoke to Madoff in prison more than 50 times for his book, Madoff: The Final Word. Terry Gross
In 'The Color of Everything," photographer shares how being bipolar shaped his life NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with author Cory Richards about the highs of mountain climbing, and his struggles with mental health. Sacha Pfeiffer
She was 17. He was 47. #MeToo changed how she thinks of their relationship Ciment met her husband in the 1970s. At the time of their first kiss, he was a married father of two; she was his art student. In her memoir Consent she reconsiders the origin story of their marriage. Terry Gross