TV Giant Norman Lear Shares Gems From 92 Years Of 'Experience'
Where did Lear get the confidence to spend three years fighting to get All In The Family on air? His answer: "Can you say 'beats the **** out of me' on NPR?"
Books
'Schiaparelli': The Shocking, Shadowed Life Of A Fashion Icon
A new biography by Meryle Secrest looks at the troubled life of designer Elsa Schiaparelli — renowned as the Queen of Fashion, a glamorous innovator whose career never recovered from World War II.
AMC's 'The Walking Dead' Is A Hit Show With Two Meanings
As The Walking Dead returns for a fifth season Sunday, NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says some storylines offer extra meaning for fans who have read the graphic novels which inspired the show.
Actor Alan Cumming Is Not His 'Father's Son'
In a terrible way, Alan Cumming's childhood taught him how to act. He learned how to read a room and to avoid his father's wrath. He talks with NPR's Scott Simon about his new memoir.
'Bad Paper' Explores The Underworld Of Debt Collection
In his new book, Jake Halpern looks at the industry, where having a criminal background is no barrier to entry. He explains debt buying and how little regulation gave rise to a chaotic marketplace.
A Slow Simmer Of Grief And Strength In 'Nora Webster'
Colm Tóibín's new novel is set in his Irish home town in the early 1970s, and follows the titular Nora as she and her family struggle to cope with the loss of her beloved husband.
Berlin Wears The Scars Of Its Past All Over
Peter Schneider, author of the new book, "Berlin Now," tells Robert Siegel it will take another generation to unify in spirit what was divided by east and west for so long.
For This Baseball Season, Roger Angell Has Just The 'Ticket'
The American League Championship Series begins tonight. Writer Kate Tuttle says Roger Angell's 1988 collection of essays, Season Ticket, is the perfect accompaniment to the postseason.
'You Can't Be This Furry' And Other Life Lessons From Gary Shteyngart
In Little Failure, the novelist recounts his emigration from the USSR to the U.S. when he was 7. For the first few years, he says, he would sit alone in the cafeteria, talking to himself in Russian.
Where's Thor When You Need Her? Women In Comics Fight An Uphill Battle
The new female Thor has picked up her hammer, but the mainstream comics industry is still experiencing some growing pains as it figures out where women fit in as characters, creators and fans.