Author Xavier Navarro Aquino's new novel, Velorio, takes place in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This is not a tale of strength and resilience, however. It's about processing grief and being angry at the hand you've been dealt. Aquino told NPR's Eyder Peralta that there is a stereotype about Puerto Ricans being joyful no matter the circumstances but he wanted to show the complete picture, which involved a lot of pain.
Beginning in the 16th century, French settlers crossed the Atlantic to settle in a new French colony in the new world. That colony wasn’t modern-day Quebec, however. The colony was known as Acadia.
When the British took control of Acadia in 1713, the Acadians were allowed to stay, but eventually, that privilege was revoked by the British, and those people were scattered to the winds.
Today, the descendants of the Acadians can still be found all over the world.
Learn more about Acadia and the Acadian Expulsion on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Author James Goodwin has written about brain trauma, which, as you can guess, is something you want to avoid at all costs. His new book, Supercharge Your Brain: How to Maintain a Healthy Brain Throughout Your Life, looks at both the effects of brain damage and how you can boost your brain's health. He told Morning Edition's A Martinez that keeping your brain in good working condition is easier than you might think.
It is one of the most simple machines that most people use, yet incredible amounts of engineering go into their design.
They are used by billions of people around the world and it is one of the only forms of transportation available to children.
They can make humans incredibly efficient and their development was in many ways surprising.
I am of course talking about bicycles. Learn about the history of bicycles and how the modern version came to be on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Juhea Kim's debut novel, Beasts of a Little Land, is about Korea's decades-long fight for independence and the lives it impacted. Kim wanted the novel to focus on people who often get overlooked, which is why one of the main characters in the novel is a courtesan, or a sex worker. Kim told NPR's Elissa Nadworny that "these characters show how we can live in a meaningful way, even when the world is falling apart, even when the sky is falling down."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away at the age of 90 at the end of 2021. We look back at his legacy by revisiting his 2010 book Made For Goodness. Even after decades of fighting apartheid and seeing the cruelty people were capable of, he still believed that humans were mostly good at their core. Tutu told NPR's Renee Montagne that he was constantly bowled over by people's willingness to forgive.
Princess Olga of Kiev was a 10th-century woman who was born to a royal family and married to Igor, Prince of Kiev.
She led a fairly unnoteworthy life until her husband was murdered by a neighboring tribe. After that, her life took a turn and she became the patron saint……of vengeance.
Learn more about Olga of Kiev, how she brought Christianity to Russia, and how she wreaked vengeance upon her enemies, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
It was the single most sacred object in the Jewish faith. According to the bible, it was an object of incredible power that could win battles. It was the entire reason why the temple in Jerusalem was built.
Then…it just disappeared and it was never mentioned again.
Since then it has become an object of mystery capturing the attention of explorers, adventurers, and even Indiana Jones.
Learn more about the Ark of the Covenant on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
