The Best of NPR Books for August 5, 2016

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This week: The unsung heroine who shaped the supervillains of Suicide Squad. Jesmyn Ward pays homage to James Baldwin in a new anthology of writing on race. Book publishers face a dilemma: Use the reading data that's increasingly available, or go with gut feelings on which book will be a hit? Plus, naturalist writing helps us make sense of the world around us, and a daring director adapts The Little Prince to the big screen. Monkey See The Unsung Heroine Who Helped Shape 'Suicide Squad' The late Kim Yale co-wrote the comic book series that inspired the film hitting theaters this weekend. Neda Ulaby talked to several people who are happy to see her contributions recognized. Read this story Code Switch 'The Fire This Time': A New Generation Of Writers On Race In America Author Jesmyn Ward invited prominent writers from her generation to pen essays for The Fire This Time. It's a nod to James Baldwin's work of a similar name, which warned of today's racial tension. Read this story All Tech Considered Publishers' Dilemma: Judge A Book By Its Data Or Trust The Editor's Gut? Sophisticated ways of tracking reading habits give publishers hard data that reveals the kinds of books people want to read. But a veteran editor says numbers only go so far in telling the story. Read this story Book News & Features The Workings Of Nature: Naturalist Writing And Making Sense Of The World Humans have always been curious about the natural world; nature provides enough order to soothe and enough wildness to escape. We've got a roundup of great nature writing from all over the world. Read this story Movies 'Little Prince' Adaptations Aren't Easy — Just Ask Orson Welles In 1943, the legendary filmmaker tried (and failed) to turn Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's book into a movie. Director Mark Osborne got considerably further. His adaptation hit theaters on Friday. Read this story

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