Literature

"My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf

What do you do when your buddy in high school turns out to be the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer?

"Solo Faces" by James Salter

Writer David Morris explains why "Solo Faces" by James Salter is one of his favorite books.

Poet David Whyte finds inspiration in everyday words. In his book "Consolations," Whyte examines the deeper, often surpising meanings of 52 ordinary words.

Books on books on books

Why do we keep dividing the world of books into different genres — like romance novels, science fiction and literary fiction? Novelist Lauren Beukes says we should simply get rid of the whole idea of genre.

Teju Cole

Teju Cole grew up in Nigeria and then moved to U.S., joining millions of others in the African diaspora. He became an acclaimed novelist and photographer, and now celebrates the cosmopolitan culture of global cities, including Lagos and New York.

Site of Thoreau's Hut, Concord, Mass.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life." Those famous lines from Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" have inspired generations of people — including his biographer, Laura Dassow Walls.

Sherman Alexie

Some trips are more about psychic distance, like that of novelist Sherman Alexie. He's spent his whole life shuttling across cultural divides.

How painting radium on watches and instrument dials killed more than 50 young women working in Ottawa, Illinois.

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