NPR's Book of the Day

NPR's Book of the Day

NPR

In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.

Categories: Arts

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Two nonfiction books question the efficacy of financial systems that are meant to help lift people out of poverty. In Unjust Debts, law professor Melissa Jacoby argues that bankruptcy in the United States exacerbates existing racial and economic inequalities. While filing for bankruptcy is supposed to offer individuals and families a fresh start, Jacoby suggests that the system often benefits corporations instead. In today's episode, she speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about the favorable treatment afforded to corporations and possible strategies of reform. Then, journalist Mara Kardas-Nelson's We Are Not Able to Live in the Sky takes a critical look at microcredit through the stories of women borrowers in Sierra Leone. Microcredit was introduced in the 1970s as an anti-poverty measure and ultimately won its creator the Nobel Peace Prize. But in today's episode, Kardas-Nelson talks with NPR's Fernandes about the way these loans have kicked off vicious cycles of debt.

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Previous episodes

  • 835 - Two nonfiction books take critical views of bankruptcy and microlending systems 
    Fri, 22 Nov 2024
  • 834 - 'Say Nothing' tells the story of 'The Troubles' through one woman's murder 
    Thu, 21 Nov 2024
  • 833 - In 'Citizen,' former President Clinton reflects on his post-White House years 
    Wed, 20 Nov 2024
  • 832 - In a new version of 'The Cake Bible,' Rose Levy Beranbaum updates a culinary classic 
    Tue, 19 Nov 2024
  • 831 - In the new novel 'Pony Confidential,' a crime-solving pony seeks revenge 
    Mon, 18 Nov 2024
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