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New Orleans, where roughly one-third of residents can barely read, has become the latest of several U.S. cities to use the book A Lesson Before Dying in a campaign to fight illiteracy and promote reading. Set in 1948, the novel addresses literacy, poverty and race relations in the segregated South. NPR's Bob Edwards speaks with author Ernest Gaines.

Scott Simon notes the 30 percent increase of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the first year of the pandemic.

The Tampa Bay Rays' annual Pride Night on Friday was dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.

Linguist Elizabeth Little took a two-year trip across the U.S. in search of the country's lost languages. The resulting book is Trip of the Tongue: Cross-Country Travels in Search of America's Lost Languages.

Fables, fairy tales and novellas can do more than just entertain and delight. They also ease young people through some of life's challenges. NPR's Michele Norris asks three experts in children's literature to share their recommended reading lists.

This week, the Federal Reserve ended the quantitative easing program. Author John Lanchester says Anthony Trollope's 19th century novel The Way We Live Now clarifies the current financial situation.

Author Aravind Adiga was not interested in stuffy classics or long, drawn-out historical accounts. But Edmund Wilson's history of socialism, To the Finland Station, proved to be anything but dull — it's electrifying.

B.K.S Iyengar is considered the world's greatest living yoga master, and at the age of 87, he can still stand on his head and hold a conversation at the same time. His new book charts his personal journey to mental and physical well-being.

In The Araboolies of Liberty Street, Sam Swope introduced readers to the tyrannical General Pinch and Mrs. Pinch, and their "enemies," the fun-loving and free-wheeling Araboolies. A new musical based on the book debuts Saturday.

Evan S. Connell, an old American master, and Claire Keegan, a young Irish prodigy, both have new books of short fiction this summer — and both are worth picking up.

The United States as we know it was born in a bar, according to a new history of drinking in America. Author Christine Sismondo says most of the major events of the Revolution were plotted in colonial taverns, the start of a grand old American tradition

The debate in Washington, says the former president, is "all about 'is the government good or bad or taxes always good or bad?' "

The New Testament is constantly being re-interpreted from a variety of perspectives — from feminists, to socialists, to traditionalists; there's even a version as seen through the prism of Star Wars. Now you can add to the collection The Jewish Annotated New Testament, the first annotated version of the New Testament from an entirely Jewish point of view.

An economics professor has a plan for raising children: have lots of them, and don't stress about nurturing their potential. Bryan Caplan, author of the book Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, says children's potential is helped most by a positive atmosphere.

In-N-Out Burger is a phenomenally successful West Coast chain that has stuck to burgers, fries and shakes. BusinessWeek reporter Stacy Perman has written a new history of In-N-Out. She says the chain has persisted with its original formula: Keep it simple; do one thing, and do it the best you can.

On Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of ordinary citizens joined some of the world's best photojournalists at the World Trade Center towers to chronicle the horror and bravery of that day.

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin hopes to fill the seat of fellow Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who announced her 2024 retirement earlier this year. Slotkin joins two Republicans to announce a bid.

We celebrate the genre's 50th birthday.

The company, maker of the popular ChatGPT chatbot, said its board would be remade without many of the members who had opposed Altman and voted for his removal late last week.

But William Bratton tells NPR the issue was being corrected. The death of Eric Garner in police custody and the subsequent slaying of two New York City police officers has created a tense atmosphere.

Grilling is a pillar of the American summer, and it's at the heart of many other cultures as well — from Latin America to Africa. This summer All Things Considered is setting out to explore some of them with the "Global Grill."

Traci Thomas of "The Stacks" podcast has been turning to books to give her more insight into the crisis in Israel and Gaza.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., will retire at the end of this year, leaving just weeks left in his time in office.

It's a strategy some countries have adopted to boost falling fertility rates. Here's why it often fails.

Humorist and late-night radio voice Jean Shepherd spent time in the U.S. Army during World War II. He never made it overseas, but the stories he mined from that experience have now been collected in a new volume, Shep's Army.