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General Motors' former leadership was "appalling" and the company had no idea how much cash it had on hand, the Obama administration's former "car czar" says. In his new book, Steven Rattner offers an insider's perspective on the government's ultimately successful efforts to rescue GM and Chrysler from failure.

In her new memoir, NPR's All Things Considered co-host uncovers some painful family secrets — the "things left unsaid" by her African-American relatives as they tried to shield the younger generation from memories that haunted the past.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has won the release of an American citizen from a North Korea prison. Boston native Aijalon Gomes had been teaching in South Korea when he crossed illegally into the North and was imprisoned in January.

The landmark 1963 civil rights march was more than just "I have a dream," says historian Charles Euchner. His new book, Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington, relies on participants and attendees to tell the story of that fateful day.

Economists are divided on whether buying a house is a good move in the current market. Host Guy Raz talks to economics blogger Barry Ritholtz, who thinks prospective buyers need to watch out. He says prices could drop another 10 to 15 percent.

Influenced by both The Sopranos and Marcel Proust, Jennifer Egan takes her readers on a swirling, playful ride through time in A Visit from the Goon Squad, a novel of linked short stories — including one told as a PowerPoint presentation — that defies categorization.

President Obama and the Democrats scored another major legislative victory Thursday. The Senate passed a broad bill to overhaul financial regulations. The measure rewrites the rules for Wall Street to try to avoid crises like the 2008 economic meltdown. This time the Democrats got a little help from Republicans.

From when not to say thank you, to an embarrassing run-in at a Shanghai Taco Bell, Deborah Fallows recounts her tumultuous journey through the Chinese language in her new book, Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's new book, Making Our Democracy Work, A Judge’s View, is a combination of history and legal philosophy. It argues that there are no easy, color-by-numbers answers to many legal questions and that to suggest there are is an illusion.

Humans have been telling stories ever since we began talking. This ability to craft narratives helps us shape our lives and our interactions with others and, says one neurologist, pushes us to excel and give life meaning.