MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Arts & Culture Stories from NPR

• The Science Of Female Anger And Ambition, In 'Give Me Your Hand'
  Megan Abbott's new novel follows two women with a troubled past who meet again, working in the lab of a powerful scientist. It's a slow-burning story whose final explosion is a true surprise.
• Thoughtful Documentary Brings Viewers 'Inside' The Mind Of Robin Williams
  A new HBO documentary explores great work — and complicated private life — of the late actor and comedian. Critic David Bianculli says Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind is best when it gets serious.
• Punk Legend And Memoirist Viv Albertine On A Lifetime Of Fighting The Patriarchy
  "What we conjured up ... was that we weren't going to try and be this constructed ideal of femininity," Albertine says of her band's approach. She recently released a memoir, To Throw Away Unopened.
• Architect Unveils Design For Emanuel AME Church Memorial
  The memorial honors the nine worshippers murdered by a white supremacist at the church in Charleston, S.C., in June 2015. It is designed by the architect behind the Sept. 11 memorial in New York City.
• Your Ancestors Probably Ate Insects. So What's Bugging You?
  An anthropologist takes a deep dive into the history of gathering, raising and eating insects, and why in America and Europe, they're unlikely to become a mainstream food option anytime soon.
• Exploring, Not Explaining, The Mind Of Robin Williams
  Robin Williams is the subject of a new HBO documentary called Come Inside My Mind. Using clips and interviews, it documents his unusual process and his complicated life.
• Sacha Baron Cohen Is Hit-And-Miss In 'Who Is America?'
  Sacha Baron Cohen likes to dress up and try to get people to say dumb things, and in one case in his new Showtime series, he finds success. But other times, the show falls flat.
• 'Buzz' Offers An Adoration For Bees Amid Continued Die-Offs
  The severity of the enormous reduction in bee numbers over the past decade is at the heart of a new book by conservation biologist Thor Hanson, whose appreciation for the pollinators shines through.
• 'Give Me Your Hand' Explores Female Mysteries And Monstrosities
  Abbott's new thriller Give Me Your Hand is set partly in a scientific lab studying a severe form of PMS — she says she's fascinated by "this sort of idea that the female body is monstrous."
• Pictures Of The Motherland He Never Knew
  The son of Pakistani immigrants in the U.K., Mahtab Hussain was often taunted: "Go home." One day he did just that to see what his life might have been like if his parents had not left.