Are We Wired To Be Compassionate?
Author Robert Wright says humans are not simply wired to be compassionate — we have evolved to feel compassion out of self-interest.
Author Interviews
Unsettling Tales Of Strange Suburbia Echo Through 'The Night'
What do Rapunzel, the Buddha and small-town America have in common? Deceptively safe spaces, says Steven Millhauser. The Pulitzer Prize winner's new short story collection is Voices in the Night.
Memoir Chronicles The Joy And Loss Of 'The Light Of The World'
NPR's Rachel Martin speaks to author Elizabeth Alexander about her new memoir, The Light of the World.
Culinary Siblings Give Pasta A Healthy Makeover
In a low-carb world, pasta has issues. But it's poised for a comeback, say Joseph Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, who talk with NPR's Linda Wertheimer about their cookbook, Healthy Pasta.
At 84, Poet Gary Snyder Lives In 'This Present Moment'
Poet Gary Snyder has hung with the Beats, studied Buddhism, worked as a logger and he's still going strong. He talks with NPR's Linda Wertheimer about his new collection, This Present Moment.
Revisiting The Night Abraham Lincoln Was Shot 150 Years Ago
On this day in 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln. Renee Montagne talks to author James Swanson at Ford's Theatre. (This piece initially aired on Feb. 12, 2009 on Morning Edition).
Practicing 'Extreme Medicine,' From Deep Sea To Outer Space
Dr. Kevin Fong explores how humans survive extremes of heat, cold, outer space and deep sea. He compares the exploration of medicine with the "explorers of the 20th century and every age before them."
How Young People Went Underground During The '70s 'Days Of Rage'
Bryan Burrough's new book describes the Weather Underground and other militant groups' tactics to protest the government. He interviews former radicals who had never gone on the record before.
From Harpies To Heroines: How Shakespeare's Women Evolved
In her new book Women of Will, Tina Packer traces Shakespeare's maturation — and, she argues, the corresponding transformation of his female characters from caricatures to fully-realized humans.
Adventures In Vietnam — Street Food, Love And Taking Chances
Journalist Graham Holliday moved to Vietnam in the '90s and immersed himself in the culture through food. That meant getting "a little bit" poisoned, finding the best Bún chả — and meeting his wife.