To combat the 'Artificial State,' Jill Lepore says to look to science fiction

NPR's Book of the Day by NPR

Sep 8, 20267:32Arts

Jill Lepore says our liberal democracy has been replaced by corporations and technology. But what can we do about it? In today’s episode, the historian joins Morning Edition ’s Michel Martin for a conversation about her...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from NPR's Book of the Day.

Marking 25 years since Sept. 11 with 'All the Presidents' Wars' and 'Scattered Steel'

Sep 11, 2026 - 17:18

On today’s show, we mark the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 with two books that historicize the attacks. Fi...

Sen. Ted Cruz's new book 'Going Further' praises Justice Clarence Thomas

Sep 10, 2026 - 8:17

Sen. Ted Cruz’s new book isn’t a political memoir but an exploration of the life and career of Justice Cl...

Author Jade Chang on the books she's reading to keep summer going

Sep 9, 2026 - 8:41

For author Jade Chang, the vibe of summer isn’t encapsulated at the pool or by the beach, but in time its...

Author Liane Moriarty on her long-awaited sequel to 'Big Little Lies'

Sep 7, 2026 - 9:42

After the big success of the 2014 novel Big Little Lies , which included an award-winning HBO adaptation,...

New music books take on Paul Simon's 'Graceland' and the history of music and prison

Sep 4, 2026 - 17:19

In today’s episode, we chat about two new music histories. First, 1986’s Graceland is considered Paul Sim...

New book evaluates President Biden's legacy as midterm elections approach

Sep 3, 2026 - 10:35

As midterm elections approach, former President Joe Biden's legacy still plays a big role in the Democrat...

'Astronaut!' is a coming-of-age story set against the fall of the Iron Curtain

Sep 2, 2026 - 8:38

It’s 1989 in Romania and the country is living under a totalitarian regime. In the new novel Astronaut! ,...

'How We Disappear' is a Stanford historian's take on our personal archives

Sep 1, 2026 - 11:58

Thomas Mullaney is a historian at Stanford University. After his father died, Mullaney began to think abo...