© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Beautiful Children,' a Dark Novel of Life in Vegas

The book Beautiful Children starts as the story of a missing 12-year-old in Las Vegas, but it quickly unfolds into an interconnected tale of the boy's parents, street kids, comic book geeks and strip clubs.

As part of NPR's occasional "First Books" series, first-time author Charles Bock explains that it took a decade to "unpack his head" and write the novel.

Rick Kleffel reports from member station KUSP.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Rick Kleffel
Support Local Journalism in Mid-Michigan

WKAR delivers fact-based, independent journalism—free and accessible to all. No paywalls, no corporate influence—just trusted reporting that keeps our community informed. Your support makes this possible. Donate today.