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Some Catholics have called for the immediate canonization of Pope John Paul II. But according to the rules, that can't happen for at least five years. Father Richard McBrien, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, describes the road to sainthood.

Little fingers get the chance to turn the pages of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. But librarian Nancy Pearl has options not-so-Harry for parents, kids, and fans of the series.

Eight years ago, Shannon Applegate inherited a five-acre cemetery dating back to the pioneer era in western Oregon. The experience has led the historian and writer to pen a book, Living Among Headstones.

When Barry Libert and Jon Spector set out to explore how social networking might help businesses, they allowed just about anyone with an idea to help write the book. Thousands of people contributed to We Are Smarter Than Me, which is about the wisdom of crowds.

The hostility by some anti-immigrant activists against Hispanics is no different from that directed against earlier generations of Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants, Geraldo Rivera says. The TV host takes on the subject in his new book, His Panic.

When a student showed Alice McDermott a discarded library copy of Katherine Anne Porter's Pale Horse, Pale Rider, stamped "Low Demand," McDermott felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. The title novella in this collection, McDermott says, exhibits "intelligence, wit, heartache, profundity and marvelous prose."

New legislation on the treatment of terrorism suspects is designed to limit hundreds of petitions from Guantanamo detainees that have flooded federal courts, according to John Yoo, who helped formulate the Bush administration's enemy-combatant policies.

Republicans in Arizona aim to block non-profits like the Zuckerberg-backed Center for Tech and Civic Life and the Schwarzenegger Institute from giving out money to help elections run smoothly.

Former President Jimmy Carter defends his new book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. The best-seller has generated passionate criticism that it is slanted toward Palestinians and full of inaccuracies.

Family members often share values and politics — but not always. For some, the nation's political divide is deeply personal. Brian Mann comes from one such family. He describes how he and his brother have agreed to try to bridge the gap.

British literary historian Rebecca Stott admires Moby-Dick, "a cauldron into which Melville, demented alchemist, tipped everything that fascinated him: whale lore ... meditations on love, friendship, dreams, demonic possession," and much more.

The economy shed 326,000 factory jobs in the past 12 months. Steve Miller, executive chairman of giant auto parts maker Delphi Corp., says improving worker skills is key to turning around the embattled U.S. manufacturing sector.

The Planet Money team discovered an old superhero languishing in the public domain, a superhero that seems perfect for a radio network. Could NPR rescue him?

Black entrepreneurs have long faced challenges be it getting financial capital, or discrimination in contracting. Now, the pandemic has hit them the hardest and many are trying to find ways to thrive.

Brunonia Barry says that the storyline for her debut novel came to her in a dream — but the first-time author couldn't have imagined the fate of her self-published work. With the help of local book clubs, Barry launched The Lace Reader into the big leagues.

The judge in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has reinstated a third-degree murder charge in the case. Chauvin is charged in the killing of George Floyd last May.

In 1923, four brothers formed a motion picture studio that still thrives today: Warner Bros. Film reviewer Richard Schickel has written a book and produced a documentary for PBS, You Must Remember This, to celebrate 85 years of Warner Bros. movie history. Schickel walks through the famous WB back lot with Renee Montagne. Many of the studio's most famous movies were shot on that lot.

Watching baseball and reading books have a lot in common. Both are made for the summer, require some investment of time and — the best part — involve a great deal of sitting. Alan Schwarz details his three favorite books on America's favorite game.

Through photos and writings documenting poverty in New York City in the late 19th century, a Danish immigrant became a famous campaigner against slum housing. Two new books tell the story of Jacob Riis, a social reformer and natural showman.

He cites the increased supply of vaccines, and says older residents will continue to be prioritized.

Co-host Ari Shapiro talks with Benjamin Wittes, author of Law and the Long War: The Future of Justice in the Age of Terror. Among the issues they discuss are the right to due process of enemy combatants — and what Wittes sees as a way forward, beyond Guantanamo.

In essays on the 'In Character' blog, NPR audiences have been waxing thoughtful about their own favorite characters. An 11-year-old, in foster care for the past four years, says he feels a kinship with the protagonist of A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray.

Diana Abu-Jaber admits that she used to think of mysteries and thrillers as "silly summertime reading, all about suspense and action." But, she says, not all thrillers are cut from the same cloth. She presents her list of smart murder mysteries.

Dexter Filkins, a reporter with The New York Times, has spent nearly four years in Iraq. He often heard Iraqis say one thing to Americans and something different to other Iraqis. He details these stories in his new book,The Forever War. Filkins talks with Steve Inskeep about the fragility of truth in Iraq and what that means for a lasting peace.

After performing Albert Einstein's autopsy, the pathologist put the brain in a jar of formaldehyde and made off with it. That single act torpedoed his reputation, but years later it helped researchers learn more about how our minds work. It turns out that Einstein's brain had more of certain key cells, which were previously thought to be unimportant.