Hunter Biden says his family never gave up on him

Also this week: Haruki Murakami, critics' picks and more by Petra Mayer [Joe and Neilia Biden with their sons Beau and Hunter]( Bettmann Archive Hunter Biden's new memoir Beautiful Things is a story of addiction -- but also a family's love and loss. In an interview with NPR's Scott Simon that aired on Morning Edition, Biden credits his family's unflinching love for his survival: There was "never a moment that they weren't trying to save me," he says. "I've never been afraid of hurting my dad in the sense that any mistakes that I've made would rupture his love for me. But I still am constantly aware of how much pain I caused." You can [hear that conversation here]( -- and if you missed Ron Elving's review last week, [it's here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [Caul Baby, by Morgan Jerkins]( Author Morgan Jerkins [tells Ari Shapiro]( the women in her new novel Caul Baby are "an amalgam of the women in my life. They may have been an amalgam of the mothers and the aunties that I've heard talk in very intimate spaces in the comfort of their own homes." The novel follows a group of Black women with a gift -- they're born with cauls, extra layers of skin that protect them from harm. They can sell their cauls to the highest bidder, but that ends up causing trouble. "Aren't all gifts double-edged swords?" Jerkins asks. [Haruki Murakami, photo by Elena Seibert]( [I got to talk to Haruki Murakami]( (over email, at least!) about his new story collection [First Person Singular]( -- full of nameless narrators a lot like Murakami himself, recounting odd and inexplicable moments in their lives. (And one name-stealing monkey that New Yorker readers may recognize.) "In this book, I wanted to try pursuing a 'first person singular' format, but I don't like relating my experiences just the way they are," Murakami says. "So I reshape them over and over and fictionalize them, to the point where, in some cases, you can't detect what they were modeled after." [I Sang You Down From the Stars, by Michaela Goade and Tasha Spillett-Sumner]( I Sang You Down from the Stars is one of the most gorgeous books I've seen in a long time -- illustrator Michaela Goade combined her own Tlingit traditions with the Cree heritage of author Tasha Spillett-Sumner to tell the story of a woman preparing to become a mother, gathering sacred objects to give her baby, and gradually realizing the baby itself is a gift. "Because within this child are the hopes and dreams of culture and of carrying on traditions and connection to everyone who's come before you," [Goade tells Weekend Edition's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.]( Finally this week, critic Ilana Masad says [Gold Diggers]( -- Sanjena Sathian's debut novel about Indian immigrant families in Georgia -- is "rollicking, at times painful, and ultimately intensely satisfying." Addiction correspondent Brian Mann digs into [Empire of Pain]( Patrick Radden Keefe's new deep dive into the history of the Sackler family and their role in the opioid epidemic. And critic Gabino Iglesias says Helen Oyeyemi's overstuffed [Peaces]( is "a humorous mystery about too many things," but redeemed by Oyeyemi's brilliant writing. [Gold Diggers, by Sanjena Sathian]( [Empire of Pain, by Patrick Radden Keefe]( [Peaces, by Helen Oyeyemi]( I hope books bring you what you need this week! Petra --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [books@npr.org](mailto:books@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]