Books

Raja has been exhausted by his loving mother for six decades. NPR's Scott Simon talks with Lebanese writer Rabih Alameddine about his book, "The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)."

Four men in a boat and a grisly choice: NPR's Scott Simon talks with Adam Cohen about his book, "Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial that Changed Legal History."

"Dog Show" includes 25 poems accompanied by watercolors by Pamela Sztybel.

The book explores some of the darker sides of the beauty industry while recognizing the ways in which beauty has been a source of caretaking and cultural tradition.

Omar El Akkad took home the 76th National Book Award for nonfiction Wednesday night for his book "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This."

Author James Geary loves aphorisms, those short, witty statements that often contain profound truths.

Sleep scientist Michelle Carr has spent years researching dreaming. She explains dream engineering, including how sensory inputs like light, sound and vibration can influence the subconscious.

"Reflections in Black" was the first single-volume work to showcase images of leading Black photographers. NPR's Michel Martin visits author Deborah Willis to discuss a new expanded issue.

Author Rabih Alameddine won for his novel The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother). Other winners include a book for young people about orphans on the run in Iran during World War II.

Hester Kaplan felt as though she never knew her father, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning biographer Justin Kaplan.