Visual Biography Explores Love And Radium from NPR: Science Friday Podcast

The story of Marie and Pierre Curie is one of love, scientific partnership and one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. Artist and author Lauren Redniss discusses her new book, Radioactive, an illustrated biography of the pair and a look at their complicated legacy. Listen to podcast.

Inside 'The Startup Game' from KQED's Forum Podcast

We talk with Silicon Valley venture capitalist William Draper about his new book, "The Startup Game." One of the West Coast's first venture capitalists, Draper was an early investor in such iconic companies as Hotmail and Skype, among many others. Listen to the podcast.

Paul Offit On The Anti-Vaccine Movement from NPR Podcast Science Friday

In his new book, vaccine researcher Paul Offit contends that some parents' decisions not to vaccinate their kids are harming others. Offit discusses the anti-vaccine movement, and weighs in on a new report calling a 1998 study linking autism and vaccines an "elaborate fraud." Listen to the podcast.

'Fame' Connects Joan Of Arc To Britney Spears from NPR Podcast Talk of the Nation

Celebrity culture can be mystifying -- if you're not a Britney Spears fan, you might wonder why she's famous at all. And if you do, you're in good company: Homer, Plato and Horace all wondered where the true heroes had gone. Tom Payne, author of Fame, explains why we need celebrities. Download the podcast here.

2010 In Review: The Year for Muslims In The U.S. from NPR Podcast Talk of the Nation

Muslim Americans have fallen under suspicion in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11. 2010 was no exception. Moustafa Bayoumi, author of How Does It Feel To Be A Problem, talks about the year for Muslim Americans as it draws to a close. Download the podcast here.

James L. Haley: Wolf: The Lives of Jack London

In "Jack London's Dark Side" on the Slate.com, Johann Hari recently wrote this about the book:

If Jack London is chased forever from our historical memory by the dog he invented, then we will lose one of the most intriguing, bizarre figures in American history, at once inspiring and repulsive. In his 40 years of life, he was a "bastard" child of a slum-dwelling suicidal spiritualist, a child laborer, a pirate, a tramp, a revolutionary Socialist, a racist pining for genocide, a gold-digger, a war correspondent, a millionaire, a suicidal depressive, and for a time the most popular writer in America. In Wolf: The Lives of Jack London, his latest biographer, James L. Haley, calls London "the most misunderstood figure in the American literary canon"—but that might be because he is ultimately impossible to understand. London nearly died by suicide before he was even born. His mother, Flora Chaney, was a ragged, hateful hysteric who reacted to anyone disagreeing with her by screaming that she was having a heart attack and collapsing to the floor. She had grown up in a 17-bedroom mansion, but she ran away as a teenager and ended up joining a religious cult that believed it could communicate with the dead. She had an affair with its leader, William Henry Chaney, who beat her when she got pregnant and demanded she have an abortion. She took an overdose of laudanum and shot herself in the head with a—fortunately—malfunctioning pistol. When the story was reported in the press, a mob threatened to hang Chaney, and he vanished from California forever.

You can find that Slate article here. Also, NPR affiliate KQED recently aired a Forum (with Michael Krasny), about the book's main subject, Jack London, with the author. Find that podcast below.



And in July of 2010, The Washington Post said this about the book: Texas historian James L. Haley's sharply focused biography recaptures the breadth of London's achievements and the intricacies of his personality. Haley reminds us that, in addition to fiction and polemics, London produced influential journalism, covering the Russo-Japanese War for the Hearst syndicate, two of Jack Johnson's boxing bouts for the New York Herald and the Mexican Revolution for Collier's. (Haley's analysis of all three persuasively argues that London's racial attitudes, though hardly enlightened, were more nuanced than some critics have claimed.) Conscientious summaries of London's prolific output will probably not inspire anyone to seek out books other than the ones already mentioned; Haley's primary interest is the author's rich, complicated life, and his intelligently measured assessment of that life is the biography's greatest strength. Find that article here.

Holiday Books 2010 from KQED's Forum Podcast

What was the best book you read this year? We open the phone lines to ask listeners about their recent and all-time favorites.

Download the podcast here. See also: A Christmas Carol, The Judge Who Stole Christmas, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (Stories Behind Books), The Case for Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger (Strobel, Lee)

Emotional Kids from KQED's Forum Podcast

Local author and clinical psychologist Mary Lamia joins us to discuss her new book, "Understanding Myself," in which she offers tools and advice to preteens who need help navigating their intense emotional worlds.

Download the podcast here. See also: Understanding Myself: A Kid's Guide to Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings, The White Knight Syndrome: Rescuing Yourself from Your Need to Rescue Others

Sam Harris from KQED's Forum Podcast

Author Sam Harris joins us to discuss his new book, "The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values." The book explores the perils of moral relativism and the relationship between knowledge and values.

Download the podcast here. This is what Salon had to say about the book:

His long-awaited new book, "The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values," deals head-on with issues that many atheistic thinkers have been skirting for years. If religion is so bad, where should humans look for a moral authority? The answer, for Harris, is science. Harris defines morality as anything related to the "well-being of conscious creatures." Since many scientific findings have implications for how to maximize well-being, Harris believes scientists should be authorities on moral issues. As Harris sees it, scientists not only have every right to make moral arguments, but should be authorities of the moral realm.

There's a full interview that's transcribed, here. See also: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, Letter to a Christian Nation: Counter Point, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

The California Report Magazine from KQED's The California Report

We look at the fallout from Tuesday's election -- even as some races are still too close to call. Also, we'll talk with Judd Apatow. The director of "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" has a new book out.

Listen to the full podcast here, or download the full podcast here. See also: I Found This Funny: My Favorite Pieces of Humor and Some That May Not Be Funny At All, Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Scripts, Volume 1 (Newmarket Shooting Script), Knocked Up: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Scripts)

The Business of Power from KQED's Forum Podcast

Michael Krasny talks with Stanford business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer. Pfeffer's latest book, "Power: Why Some People Have It -- and Others Don't" explores the dynamics of power and keys to success in the business world.

Listen to the show here. See also: Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don't, What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management, The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First, Managing With Power: Politics and Influence in Organizations, Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths And Total Nonsense: Profiting From Evidence-Based Management

Slip Into The Secret Life of Eels from NPR Podcast Talk of the Nation

In his new book Eels, writer James Prosek describes the life history and cultural significance of this slimy, snake-like and often misunderstood fish, introducing the reader to an eel fisherman on the Delaware River and to the myths of the Maori of New Zealand along the way.

Listen to the podcast here. Read the full story here. See also: Trout: An Illustrated History, Trout of the World

'Letters to My Torturer' from KQED's Forum Podcast

Iranian journalist Houshang Asadi spent six years in the notorious Moshtarek prison in Tehran after a government crackdown on opposition parties in the early 1980s. In his book, "Letters to my Torturer: Love, Revolution, and Imprisonment in Iran," Asadi confronts the man who inflicted various forms of torture and "intimate cruelty" on him.

Listen to the podcast here. Download the show here.

Why Books Matter from KQED's Forum by forum@kqed.org (KQED Public Radio)

In his new book, "The Lost Art of Reading," Los Angeles Times book critic David Ulin explores the ongoing relevance of literature in an age of digital distraction.

Download or listen to the mp3 podcast here. See this LA Times blurb. Or there's this NYT piece as well, but on reading aloud. Note: this is still a pre-order item on Amazon. (We're ordering soon as we find that there's a Kindle copy that we can snag.)

Gail Collins from KQED's Forum Podcast

New York Times columnist Gail Collins joins us to discuss the gains made by women in the last 40 years. Her book, "When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present," is out in paperback.

Listen to the show, here.

Patchwork Nation from KQED's Forum Podcast

We talk demographics with reporter Dante Chinni. In his book, "Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth About the 'Real America,'" Chinni attempts to go beyond red and blue states in analyzing the politics and world view of Americans. He divides the country into 12 community types based on characteristics such as income level, racial composition, employment and religion.

Listen to the podcast here. Download the mp3 file here.

Where Good Ideas Come From from KQED's Forum by forum@kqed.org (KQED Public Radio)

The book "Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation" explores why certain environments seem to disproportionately spark the generation and sharing of good ideas. Author Steven Johnson joins us.

Download the full mp3 podcast here. See also: Where Good Ideas Come from: A Natural History of Innovation

P.J. O'Rourke from KQED's Forum Podcast

Time Magazine and The Wall Street Journal have both called P.J. O'Rourke "the funniest writer in America." With Election Day fast approaching, O'Rourke joins us to talk about his new book, "Don't Vote -- It Just Encourages the Bastards."

Listen to the podcast here, or download the podcast.

Scott Simon from KQED's Forum Podcast

Scott Simon, host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, joins Michael Krasny in the studio. Simon's new book "Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other" chronicles his experience adopting two little girls from China.

Listen to the podcast here, download the mp3 file here.

Meredith Maran from KQED's Forum Podcast

Journalist Meredith Maran's new book "My Lie" examines the recovered memory movement of the 1980s and 90s, when many people had memories of childhood abuse which later turned out to be faulty or fabricated.

Download the show here.