Kwan thought the screen adaptation of his bestselling novel might be a small independent film — instead it’s been hailed as a groundbreaking moment for Hollywood casting. He tells Terry Gross about his upbringing in Singapore and how it inspired the book.

Also, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews ‘Wild! Wild! Wild!’ an album by Linda Gail Lewis and Robbie Fulks, and John Powers reviews Olga Tokarczuk’s Man Booker-winning novel ‘Flights.‘