In the 1840s, a Scottish minister named John Ferguson accepts the task of traveling to a remote island to evict Ivar, the only man who lives there. When Reverend Ferguson falls off a cliff, Ivar brings him back to life — and the two find a common understanding even as they realize they don't speak the same language. That's the basis of Carys Davies' new novel, Clear. In today's episode, NPR's Scott Simon asks the author about how she discovered a real-life extinct language called Norn, and how the historic Highland Clearances of Scotland inspired the events of the book.
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When you walk along The Drag, there’s not much to see in terms of businesses. Sure, there’s some hustle and bustle — students walking to and from class, cars rushing by — but many of the storefronts are empty.
The last major overhaul of the tax code was in 2017, when Republicans passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Much of that is set to expire next year, and that means a big debate over tax policy is looming.
Voters this fall won't just be voting for a president—they'll essentially decide who pays for the government and how much for years to come.
Today on the show, we explain the battle lines forming in this tax code throwdown.
The death of a British monarch is a very big event. Thousands of people may take part in the funeral and procession, with millions more lining up to pay their respects and billions more watching on television.
This didn’t always use to be the case, however.
In particular, there was one English King who not only didn’t get an elaborate funeral, no one knew exactly where his body was for over 500 years.
Learn more about the body of King Richard III and how it was lost and then discovered on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Eight translators from eight countries travel to a Polish forest to begin adapting famed author Irena Rey's newest book into their respective languages. But when Irena Rey disappears, a competitive, ego-fueled search unravels in the surrounding woods and within each person. In today's episode, author Jennifer Croft speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about her new novel, The Extinction of Irena Rey, and how her own experience as an International Booker Prize-winning translator sparked an interest in the drive and desires of the people tasked with "shapeshifting" a text into their own tongue.
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/bookoftheday
A few years ago, bike enthusiast Bryan Hance got a tip. A whole bunch of expensive bikes that were stolen in the Bay Area had suddenly turned up ... for sale on a Facebook page in Mexico. The revelation started Bryan down a years-long investigation where he would uncover an intricate, large-scale criminal operation out of Jalisco, Mexico.
In today's episode, we talk to freelance reporter Christopher Solomon who wrote about Hance's journey in WIRED Magazine.
One of the biggest problems that humanity has faced for thousands of years is heat.
Excessive heat made it difficult to work in the middle of the day. Heat was especially problematic in the tropics, where a shockingly large percentage of humanity lived.
As cities became more developed, excess heat, all year round, became a limiting factor in how tall buildings could get.
All of this was solved with one invention.
Learn more about air conditioning and how it helped usher in the modern world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Memory Piece, the latest novel from National Book Award finalist Lisa Ko, kicks off in the 1980s with three teenage girls who find a deep connection to one another. Into the1990s and eventually the 2040s, the book delves into their growth as individuals and friends. In today's episode, Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes speaks with Ko about how art, gentrification and activism plays a role in each woman's life, and how memory and interdependence helps them find hope for their futures.
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/bookoftheday
For a moment last week, semiconductor chip designer NVIDIA eclipsed Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company. How did it get there?
Today on the show, David Rosenthal, one half of the tech podcast Acquired, explains how NVIDIA's founder Jensen Huang laid the groundwork for the company's meteoric rise, and why there may be obstacles ahead.