Books

From stealth technology to GPS to vaccines, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — or DARPA — has developed some of the most consequential weapons and technology through the ages. Annie Jacobsen, author of the new book "The Pentagon's Brain," talks with Steve Inskeep about the agency's storied past and its intriguing future.

Joby Warrick, author of Black Flags, traces the Islamic State's development from an al-Qaida-related insurgency in Iraq to a successful jihadist movement that now holds territory in Syria and Iraq.

James O'Connell refers to himself as a "street doctor." Since 1985, he has cared for homeless patients, sometimes making visits on park benches or in alleys. His memoir is Stories from the Shadows.

Palliative care nurse Theresa Brown provides in-home, end-of-life care to patients. "It's incredible the love that people evoke" at the end of their lives, she says. Brown's new book is The Shift.