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NPR's Book of the Day - Books by critic Kenneth Turan and actor Rupert Everett show two sides of Hollywood

Two books set in Hollywood show different sides of the film business, from industry-shaping success to the personal frustration of rejection. First, Louis B. Mayer & Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation is a history of the duo behind MGM Film. The nonfiction book by Kenneth Turan, a regular critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR, follows the unlikely trajectory that led both men to the movies. In today's episode, Turan joins NPR's Scott Simon for a conversation that touches on early MGM films like Ben-Hur and Tarzan the Ape Man, antisemitism in Hollywood, and Mayer's complicated relationship with Judy Garland. Then, Simon speaks with British actor Rupert Everett, who's out with a new collection of short stories inspired by Hollywood rejection. The American No draws from film concepts and screenplays the actor pitched but never got the chance to make. In today's episode, he and Simon discuss Everett's autobiographical writing, his upbringing in a military family, and his early exposure to Julie Andrews.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - Lunar Eclipses

For as long as humans have been watching the night sky, they noticed that every so often, during a full moon, the moon would briefly go dark, or at least change color. 


They often created mythical explanations for the event.


Eventually, this ancient people began to record its occurrences and were able to calculate when it would happen. 


As we learned more about the universe, the explanation for the moon changing became less mythical and more scientific, but it was still a sight to behold.


Learn more about lunar eclipses and how they work on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.


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NPR's Book of the Day - Jennifer Finney Boylan’s latest memoir ‘Cleavage’ is a reflection on transgender life

Jennifer Finney Boylan's 2003 memoir She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders was about her new life as a woman. Since then, Boylan has become a prominent transgender voice. Her latest memoir, Cleavage: Men, Women and the Space Between Us, picks up where her last one left off. In today's episode, Boylan speaks with NPR's Robin Young about transgender rights in today's political climate. She also talks about how there is much more to a trans person's life than their transition, and the challenge of connecting "befores" and "afters" in order to live one life.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - How many times can you say uncertainty in one economic report?

Uncertainty. That's the word-of-the-moment with tariffs, market swings and lots of economic volatility. It's also showing up in the Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book, featuring anecdotes across the U.S. economy. On our latest edition of the Beigies, what can a farmer from the Mississippi Delta tell us about uncertainty?

Related episodes:
How USAID cuts hurt farmers (Apple / Spotify)
Why Trump's potential tariffs are making business owners anxious (Apple / Spotify)

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Everything Everywhere Daily - The Crossbow

One of the most devastating weapons in the medieval world was the crossbow. 


It evolved from early hand-held projectile weapons into a powerful tool of warfare that shaped battles for centuries.


It was one of the few weapons powerful enough to stop a fully armored knight.


Yet, despite its power, it wasn’t necessarily the most powerful ranged weapon on a battlefield and when something better came along, it was quickly replaced.


Learn more about the crossbow and how it influenced history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.



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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Death Takes Me,’ men are the victims of violence usually inflicted on women

La muerte me da, a novel published in Spanish in 2007 by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cristina Rivera Garza, is now available to English readers. Death Takes Me follows a woman detective who finds herself in charge of handling a series of cases involving the killings of men – all of whom have been sexually mutilated. In today's episode, Garza speaks with NPR's A Martinez about the reality of gruesome violence against women in Mexico that inspired her book. She also talks about the power of words, and how she considers the grammar of violence in her writing.

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