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At work: hardworking news journalists. At home: omnivorous fiction readers. We asked our colleagues what they've enjoyed most this year and here are the titles they shared.

Rollins, who died May 25, had for decades been hailed as the greatest living jazz musician. Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation, and we listen back to Rollins' 1994 interview with Terry Gross.

Saadiq has helped define the sound of modern R&B and soul for more than three decades, both as a member of Tony! Toni! Toné! and as a solo artist. He has a new, deeply personal one-man show.

When Daisy Hernández was 5, her aunt in Colombia came down with a mysterious illness that caused her large intestine to swell. Hernández details her aunt's story — and her own — in a new memoir.

As genocide ravaged Rwanda in 1994, hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina risked his own life to save the lives of over 1,000 people. He used diplomacy, flattery, and even deceit as he worked to keep people alive. Rusesabagina tells his story, which inspired the film Hotel Rwanda.

Sara Saedi was two when her parents fled Iran to California. Her new memoir describes her 18-year-long path to citizenship, and the lingering anxiety of being undocumented.

Musician and writer Leonard Cohen died in 2016, leaving behind many unpublished poems and lyrics. His son Adam Cohen discusses The Flame, a collection of some of Leonard's final works.

In his memoir, Small Acts of Courage, Velshi traces his family’s journey, from India to South Africa — where his grandfather crossed paths with Mahatma Gandhi — to Kenya, Canada and the U.S.

A once-fringe movement claims having more babies is the only way to save civilization. NPR reporter Lisa Hagen and sociologist Karen Guzzo explain who's empowering pronatalism today.

Joyce Vance, author of Giving Up Is Unforgivable, discusses recent impactful decisions by courts and the Justice Department, and how her son helped her understand Gen Z's view of defending democracy.

Defense analyst Stacie Pettyjohn says while the U.S. military is facing long-range missile shortages, prolonged deployments and vacated regional bases, Iran is building cheaper weapons quickly.

Crockett grew up poor and got his start busking for tips. He's since played the Hollywood Bowl and been nominated for a Grammy. He talks music and plays songs from his new album, Dollar A Day.

Demonstrations in favor of immigrant rights are taking place around the country. We ask Jon Kamman of The Arizona Republic and Michael Sandler of Congressional Quarterly how the protests are playing politically, and why the immigration bill has reached an impasse on Capitol Hill.

For many voters, religion and politics are deeply intertwined. John Green of the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life and Robert Putnam, author of American Grace, talk about how politics may be changing religion, and which issues voters decide on based on faith.

When rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed in 2019, he was known as an advocate for the people in the neighborhood where he grew up and made his name. But the LAPD couldn't let his gang affiliation go.

On Being Funny In A Foreign Language, the new album by his band The 1975, Matty Healy makes romantic music for cynical outsiders who insist they're ready to give love a try.

Growing up in the tribal region of Pakistan, Maria Toorpakai pretended she was a boy in order to compete as a weightlifter. Later she became an internationally known squash player.

Wildlife photographer Gerrit Vyn and essayist Scott Weidensaul share bird calls and discuss some of the remarkable abilities of birds. Originally broadcast Oct. 20, 2015.

Dan Kaufman, author of The Fall of Wisconsin, says the state's experienced a conservative transformation in recent years — despite a tradition of progressive politics dating back to the 19th century.

Historian Frank Dikötter says newly opened archives offer fresh details about the chaos China experienced in the 1960s, when Chairman Mao urged students to take to the streets.

A dispossessed Indian princess and her large-footed servant unravel a mystery among a crowd of classic British eccentrics in Julia Stuart's charming new novel, The Pigeon Pie Mystery. Who poisoned the unpleasant Major-General Bagshot? The answer may surprise you.

From desalination plants in Australia, wastewater recycling plants in Orange County, CA to net zero water buildings in NYC, in his latest book author and engineer David Sedlak looks not at the problems but the solutions.

Trump's allies are hoping another Trump victory will limit access to abortions, contraceptives, IVF, even recreational sex. But they aren't just hoping, they have detailed plans on how to do it.

Gershwin wrote lyrics for enduring jazz standards, including "I Got Rhythm" and "Embraceable You". We talk with Michael Owen, author of Ira Gershwin: A Life in Words, and listen to some of his hits.

The British actor and singer played abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet, and Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. Now she's defying gravity as Elphaba in Wicked. Originally broadcast Oct. 18, 2021.