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In a new book, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography, religious scholar and author John J. Collins tells the history of the scrolls and the controversies they have prompted, and explores the questions they ask and answer about Judeo-Christian history.

Elizabeth Strout's new novel, about an estranged mother and daughter reconnecting during the daughter's illness, is a marvel of quiet simplicity. Reviewer Annalisa Quinn calls it "a true novel."

Marilyn Geewax, who recently retired as an NPR business editor, returned to Ohio for her class's 45th reunion. The visit showed how things changed dramatically for retirees in just one generation.

Nearly half of Guatemala's population identifies as indigenous, yet the most high profile indigenous Presidential candidate is not on the ballot and Guatemala has never had a native president

The president is pledging "unity," but the word means different things to different people. For him, it appears to be about tone, not necessarily direction.

Three words will be given in this week's puzzle, starting with the letters F, B and I, respectively. Find a word that can follow each one to complete a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase.

The F-sharp, at .393 hertz, is inaudible to human ears, Menees told NPR's Robert Siegel.

A new book of photography simply called Shirin Neshat, after the artist, is anything but simple. It chronicles the exploration of complex themes such as exile and the role of gender within Islam.

NPR's Arun Rath had been dying to interview the renowned jazz drummer for years. When he got the chance, it turned out Heath had some questions for him, as well.

Sir Patrick Stewart talks about living in Brooklyn, becoming a knight, and his new show Blunt Talk.

If you're craving deeper relationships and more connection with loved ones, start by getting to know yourself better by running a time audit.

A few years ago, Pete Seeger offered this advice to Josh Ritter, a young singer-songwriter: "Choose a place and dig in." With songs like "Idaho," Ritter puts the listener in a place that's very much like the singer's own.

Measha Brueggergosman is a young soprano on the rise. Her major label debut, Surprise, features offbeat cabaret songs by Satie and Schoenberg. She describes the CD as "classical music letting its hair down."

The experimental rock band based in New York draws on early vocal music, modern soul and other sources, defying categorization in the process. According to critic Will Hermes, the band's new album, Bitte Orca, is a breakthrough.

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway isn't exactly the type of scenic roadway that usually inspires great works of art, yet that's the inspiration behind Stevens' new album, The BQE. The singer-songwriter spent nine months traveling the BQE to capture the moods and frustrations of its motorists.

Critic Tom Manoff reviews In Principio, a new collection of pieces for chorus and orchestra by Estonian composer Arvo Part, finding both stark, majestic drama and tender portrayals of humanity.

Mel Tormé famously co-wrote one of the most well-known carols of all time in 1945. His son, James, tells the story of how the song came to be.

Producer David Harvey's new bluegrass album pays tribute to British '70s pop icons The Moody Blues. Bluegrass stars from Tim O'Brien and Alison Krauss to Stuart Duncan and Aubrey Haynie interpret "I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band" and "Nights in White Satin," among others. Hear NPR's Steve Munro.

When Jimi Hendrix's debut album, Are You Experienced? was released in 1967, it turned the music world upside down. The ground-breaking psychedelic rock recording is a recent selection for the National Recording Registry.

Two years before Woodstock, a music festival in Monterey, Calif., brought together a diverse group of big-name acts including the Mamas and the Papas and Jefferson Airplane as well as some then-unknown performers, notably Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor spent most of the 1990s belting out misanthropic anthems for young people decked out in dark eyeliner and combat boots. On Ghosts I-IV, Reznor drops the singing and puts his thick soundscapes in the center ring. It's a whole new world.

In 2014, two monoliths of heavy music found a new way to be heavy, a Thai psych band made one of the most transcendent records of the year and three dudes in body paint channeled King Crimson.

New music from old favorites and plenty of self-affirmation, on this week's All Songs Considered.

The songwriter grew up in a small Mennonite community in Canada, but skipped town at 18 to live on a commune in Chicago. His lyrics reflect a life spent wandering and connecting with strangers.

New music to drive out that endless loop of "Despacito" playing in your head! Featuring two AltLatino contributors, Catalina Maria John and Marisa Arbona- Ruiz.