Search results for

Lauren Groff's new novel, Arcadia, follows the story of Bit, the first baby born to a Utopian commune, as he grows to adulthood and the commune gradually falls apart. Groff says she was skeptical about communes at first, but her views changed as she wrote.

The orphaned German shepherd was found in the wreckage of a kennel during World War I. Writer Susan Orlean details how he became one of the biggest film stars of the silent era in Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend.

Author Kip Stratton's new book, Chasing the Rodeo begins with his memory of the 1967 National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. He was 12. Stratton reads from the book and shares memories of the sport with John Ydstie.

An article in Audubon Magazine recalls the 19th century effort that ended the feather trade. Until a public outcry stopped the practice, thousands of birds across North America were slaughtered to provide decorations for women's hats. Hear Jennifer Price, author of the article, and NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

Nkosi Johnson inspired millions in Africa and around the world to action in the fight against AIDS. The South African boy died of AIDS at age 12 is the subject of a new book by ABC newsman Jim Wooten, who says the boy's courage in the face of death was deeply moving.

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

Host Debbie Elliott talks with author Jeanne Birdsall, the winner of this year's National Book Award for Young People's Literature, about her book, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy.

Commentator Angela Nissel, author of Mixed: My Life in Black and White, has some suggestions for how to respond when people with a mixed ethnic background are asked about their heritage.

Variety, the show business trade paper known for its punchy and playful language, celebrates its 100th birthday this year. Terms such as "striptease," "payola" and "soap opera" were coined in its pages, along with some boffo adjectives.

Phillip Hoose explains the importance of the ivory-billed woodpecker sighting. Hoose is author of The Race to Save the Lord God Bird and senior conservation planner for the Nature Conservancy's Canada-U.S. Partnership.