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Arts & Life

'Big Wonderful Thing' Sets Us Straight On Texas, Moving Away From The Mythology

View of the Texas Gulf Coast (from Houston to Beaumont) taken in 1969 from space during the Apollo 9 mission. NASA/Interim Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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NASA/Interim Archives/Getty Images

Review

Book Reviews

'Big Wonderful Thing' Sets Us Straight On Texas, Moving Away From The Mythology

Stephen Harrigan's sprawling history of the Lone Star state showcases his enthusiasm for Texas; it's an endlessly fascinating look at how the state has evolved over the years.

How A Heart Attack Brought Antonio Banderas Closer To 'Pain And Glory'

Antonio Banderas won the best actor award at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for his performance in Pedro Almodóvar's new film, Pain and Glory. Manolo Pavón/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Manolo Pavón/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Movie Interviews

How A Heart Attack Brought Antonio Banderas Closer To 'Pain And Glory'

Fresh Air

The Spanish actor says he had always been slow to cry, but things changed after a recent cardiac event. He channels his heightened emotions in a new film, another collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar.

How A Heart Attack Brought Antonio Banderas Closer To 'Pain And Glory'

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There's A Monster At Both Ends Of This Boat: 'Below Deck Mediterranean'

Captain Sandy Yawn, Hannah Ferrier, and Aesha Scott are part of the cast of the fourth season of Below Deck Mediterranean. Greg Endries/Bravo hide caption

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Greg Endries/Bravo

Pop Culture Happy Hour

There's A Monster At Both Ends Of This Boat: 'Below Deck Mediterranean'

The Bravo show Below Deck Mediterranean is the goofiest, soapiest show about the hospitality industry you're likely to find. And it might care even more about place settings than Downton Abbey.

Renia Spiegel's Diary Survived The Holocaust. People Are Finally Reading It

Renia Spiegel (left) and her younger sister, now known as Elizabeth Bellak, wade in the Dniester River around 1935. The photo can be seen on the cover of the published edition of Renia's Diary. Courtesy of Elizabeth Bellak/St. Martin's Press hide caption

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Courtesy of Elizabeth Bellak/St. Martin's Press

Book News & Features

Renia Spiegel's Diary Survived The Holocaust. People Are Finally Reading It

Renia's Diary spent decades in a safe deposit box before being published this week in the U.S. It was written by a Jewish teenager in Poland before she was murdered by the Nazis.

Renia Spiegel's Diary Survived The Holocaust. People Are Finally Reading It

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David Cameron Talks Brexit And His 'Greatest Regret' In New Book 'For The Record'

Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who called for the referendum that unleashed the ongoing turmoil around Britain's exit from the EU, says he is "deeply depressed by what's happening." Frank Augstein/AP hide caption

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Frank Augstein/AP

Author Interviews

David Cameron Talks Brexit And His 'Greatest Regret' In New Book 'For The Record'

The former prime minister, who called for the referendum that unleashed the ongoing turmoil around Britain's exit from the EU, says he is "deeply depressed by what's happening."

David Cameron Talks Brexit And His 'Greatest Regret' In New Book 'For The Record'

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Tracy Chevalier Says 'A Single Thread' Can Make All The Difference

Tracy Chevalier says she learned the needlepoint stitches used by the women in A Single Thread while researching the book. Nina Subin hide caption

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Nina Subin

Book News & Features

Tracy Chevalier Says 'A Single Thread' Can Make All The Difference

Chevalier's new novel follows one of the generation of "surplus women," who lost their men in World War I and had to make new lives for themselves — sometimes outside the bounds of convention.

Tracy Chevalier Says 'A Single Thread' Can Make All The Difference

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A Sailor Meets A Fisherman In 1534: It's An 'Encounter,' Not A Discovery

"You are not so different," squawked Seagull, who flew overhead. "You both cast long shadows." Michaela Goade/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers hide caption

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Michaela Goade/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Author Interviews

A Sailor Meets A Fisherman In 1534: It's An 'Encounter,' Not A Discovery

"Growing up I would hear about our peoples being 'discovered' ... " says author Brittany Luby. "I would go home and my parents would tell me: That's not actually how things happened."

A Sailor Meets A Fisherman In 1534: It's An 'Encounter,' Not A Discovery

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Not My Job: We Quiz Actor Charlie Day On Conspiracy Theories
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Vulture Festival

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Not My Job: We Quiz Actor Charlie Day On Conspiracy Theories

There's a well-known meme that shows Day in front of a conspiracy-theory blackboard, so we've invited him to play a game called "It's all connected ... don't you see?"

Not My Job: We Quiz Actor Charlie Day On Conspiracy Theories

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In 'Imaginary Friend,' Stephen Chbosky Squeezes Horror From Everyday Life
Petra Mayer/NPR

Author Interviews

In 'Imaginary Friend,' Stephen Chbosky Squeezes Horror From Everyday Life

Stephen Chbosky — who wrote the YA classic The Perks of Being a Wallflower -- says his new book takes the familiar scares of childhood, like monsters in the closet, and twists them a little.

In 'Imaginary Friend,' Stephen Chbosky Squeezes Horror From Everyday Life

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Review

TV Reviews

'The Politician' Runs On Plenty Of Twists And Turns — But Few Winning Characters

Fresh Air

The new Netflix series, which centers on a privileged teen determined to win the race for high school president, features erratic characters and a plot that moves at an unsettlingly rapid pace.

'The Politician' Runs On Plenty Of Twists And Turns — But Few Winning Characters

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Review

Movie Reviews

'Damn Yankees' DVD Revival Showcases Fosse And Verdon's 1st Collaboration

Fresh Air

Choreographer Bob Fosse and dancer Gwen Verdon light things up in this recently reissued movie version of the musical Damn Yankees. It was the only time the pair danced together on the big screen.

'Damn Yankees' DVD Revival Showcases Fosse And Verdon's 1st Collaboration

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