Dec 17th, 2008 · It's fair to say that this music, recorded live at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., is the best new material from Brian Wilson in more than 30 years.That Lucky Old Sun is a song cycle based on a tune with its spiritual roots in slavery. That song is about hardship, but this semi-autobiographical song cycle is about nostalgia. It's what life in California means to Wilson, and what Wilson means to California.
Oct 27th, 2008 · Nobel laureate Toni Morrison says she wanted to "remove race from slavery" in her new novel. Set in 17th century America, A Mercy features black, white and Native American characters in different degrees of servitude.
Oct 25th, 2008 · Author Leonard Todd's new book, Carolina Clay, explores the life, art and legacy of a slave potter named Dave. Todd offers a personal perspective on the history of slavery: His great-great grandfather owned Dave.
Oct 8th, 2008 · Alan Cheuse reviews two historical novels, both with protagonists immersed in sewing and slavery: Breena Clarke's Stand the Storm and Frances de Pontes Peebles' The Seamstress.
Sep 9th, 2008 · In her second novel, Stand the Storm, Breena Clarke provides a glimpse into a little-known side of the nation's capital and one of its most iconic enclaves.
Jul 30th, 2008 · The U.S. House of Representatives issued an unprecedented apology to black Americans on Tuesday for the institution of slavery and subsequent Jim Crows laws that for years discriminated against blacks. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, drafted the resolution and explains its timing.
Jul 30th, 2008 · Folklorist Patricia Turner discusses "Uncle Tom" — the lead character in the anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe — as part of NPR's In Character series. The series examines the fictional characters who have defined American life.
Jun 16th, 2008 · In his new book, Washington: The Making of the American Capital, Fergus Bordewich reveals how Washington, D.C., became the nation's seat of power and — perhaps a lesser-known fact — how the historic enslavement of African-Americans played a role in that designation. Bordewich talks about his new book.