Jules Feiffer has been drawing and writing for a living since he was 17 years old. Now 95, the illustrator behind The Phantom Tollbooth is out with his first graphic novel for middle grade readers. That book, Amazing Grapes, kicks off with a father's departure, which sets in motion a series of adventures across dimensions for his three children. A two-headed swan serves as the master of ceremonies for the story. In today's episode, Feiffer speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about how play has become more central to the author's life as he's grown older and about his writing process, which involves a lot of scribbling.
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Stylist Law Roach grew up in Chicago watching his grandmother get ready for church. He said observing her process first exposed him to the art form of being a woman. Since then, Roach has become what he calls an "image architect," styling celebrity clients like Zendaya, Celine Dion and Anya Taylor-Joy. Roach's new book How to Build a Fashion Icon is both a memoir and a manual that adapts the stylist's fashion guidelines for a non-celebrity audience. In today's episode, Roach visits NPR West for a styling session and conversation with NPR's Ailsa Chang about reflecting power and confidence in one's external image.
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Cards and card games have become almost ubiquitous They are played by children and in retirement homes. They are played at family picnics, and there are also televised games played with millions of dollars on the line.
You can play games with friends, or you can even play them by yourself.
Despite how common they are, most people don’t realize that they have a very ancient heritage.
Learn more about the origin of playing cards on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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One of the defining events of the Middle Ages took place in Constantinople on April 12, 1204.
Soldiers of the Fourth Crusade, under orders of the Doge of the Republic of Venice, breached the walls and sacked one of the greatest cities of the era.
The sack wasn’t just an orgy of violence and destruction, which it was. It also set into motion events that caused irreparable divisions between the Eastern and Western Christian worlds and, ultimately, the fall of the Byzantine Empire.
Learn more about the 1204 Sack of Constantinople and how it changed the course of Europe on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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For over 600 years, the empire that dominated the region of Southeast Asia was the Khmer Empire.
Built out of a collection of kingdoms, the Khmer Empire dominated its corner of Asia. It was an advanced civilization known for its massive building projects and its system of waterworks.
Even though the empire eventually fell, as all empires do, its legacy can still be seen in the religious and cultural institutions in the region today.
Learn more about the Khmer Empire, its rise, and its fall on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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In today's episode, two new nonfiction books take on big themes: cynicism and freedom. In his new book, Hope for Cynics, Stanford psychology professor Jamil Zaki argues that cynicism is unhealthy not only for individuals, but also for communities and even entire nations. He speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about why Americans have grown more cynical over the last 50 years and how a close friend inspired Zaki to move towards "hopeful skepticism." Then, Yale historian Timothy Snyder joins NPR's Scott Simon from Ukraine to talk about how the American definition of freedom can be too narrow. They also discuss how Snyder's thinking on freedom has been shaped by his time in Ukraine.
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All around you, in the air and the ground, is the most common element on Earth: Oxygen.
As you are certainly well aware, Oxygen is required for life on Earth as we know it. But you might realize that the Earth didn’t always have oxygen in its atmosphere.
Oxygen has been responsible for everything from the rise of multicellular life to the space program.
Learn more about the element oxygen, what it is, and how it came to be in our atmosphere on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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Richard Osman is the author of the popular Thursday Murder Club book series. But despite the success of that project, Osman said he wanted to spread his wings with a fresh palette and a new cast of characters. His new novel, We Solve Murders, follows a detective trio as they try to outsmart a supervillain. In today's episode, Osman talks with NPR's Scott Simon about how he originally set out to center the story around a crime-solving duo, not trio. They also discuss Osman's interest in writing about subjects like fame, those we might underestimate, and evil people who aren't evil all the time.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayNotes: include dig reviews; past books covered on NPR; any author profiles.