Since the war in Gaza began, Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha says he has not lived a normal life. He lost 31 members of his extended family in an airstrike and now, he checks the list of casualties every day. Still, he has continued to write poetry. Abu Toha's new collection of poems, Forest of Noise, aims to document what he's witnessed and deliver the emotional experiences of Palestinians living in devastation and fear. In today's episode, Abu Toha speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about what the news fails to recognize about the war in Gaza and about the U.S. government's role in the conflict.
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One of the primary religious practices of the Ancient Egyptians was preparing physical bodies for the journey to the afterlife. This highly developed process, perfected over centuries, preserved bodies for thousands of years.
Many of these bodies, discovered by archeologists and thieves, were taken out of Egypt and put in museums all over the world.
They have caught the attention of the public and have been the source of many horror stories.
Learn more about mummies, why they were made, how they were created, and their perception in popular culture on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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One of the most popular forms of fiction today involves zombies. There are TV shows, movies, and books that all envision life during a zombie apocalypse.
Zombie stories are a relatively new form of fiction. However, zombies didn’t come out of nowhere.
They have a basis in legend, religion, and fact….. well, sort of fact.
Learn more about zombies, their origins, and how they have been portrayed in media on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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If you are listening to me speak these words, regardless of where in the world you live, you are part of a global network we call human civilization. You share in the ideas, technology, and goods created worldwide and by people in your community.
Most people on the planet are a part of this system.
But not everyone. Some people have remained separated from this system and still live in their traditional ways today.
Learn more about uncontacted people, who they are, and where they live on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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Rebecca Yarros is the author of The Empyrean series, a wildly popular collection of "romantasy" novels. In a conversation with NPR's Emily Kwong at this year's National Book Festival, Yarros said she wanted to plot an enemies-to-lovers story when she began writing Fourth Wing, the first book in this series. In today's episode, Yarros talks about the genre tropes she tries to embrace and avoid in her writing. She also discusses working through a chronic illness, how history and politics shape her stories, and the influence of her husband's military experience on how she approaches themes of violence in her work.
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On August 4, 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts, an incredibly grizzly event took place.
Andrew and his wife, Abby Borden, were brutally murdered by repeated strikes with a hatchet to their heads.
The primary suspect in the case was their daughter, Lizzie. In the subsequent trial, there wasn’t enough evidence to convict, and ever since, people have wondered if Lizzie did, in fact, kill her parents, and if she didn’t, who did?
Learn more about Lizzie Borden and Borden's murders on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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In two new children's books, characters discover worlds of adventure just outside their doorsteps. Trevor Noah's first picture book, Into the Uncut Grass, is about a young boy and his teddy bear who wander outside the boundaries of their home into unknown territory. The story, illustrated by Sabina Hahn, is about exploring the internal world of a child's imagination and bridging disagreements and differences. In today's episode, Noah speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about how children can begin to grasp the interior lives of their parents and how humor can be a way to process reality. Then, librarian and author Travis Jonker and illustrator Matthew Cordell join Rascoe for a conversation about their new book, The Ship in the Window. They said the book was inspired by a real-life model ship Jonker spotted at a neighbor's house. In the interview, Jonker and Cordell discuss other references for the book, including the work of author William Steig and the book's vintage-inspired color palette.
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