Search results for

Gen. Stanley McChrystal was the top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, relieved of command after a controversy in 2010. In his memoir, My Share of the Task, he describes a culture gap between the military and civilian worlds that complicated the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan.

"Lives don't divide up into chapters," says novelist Will Self, whose latest, Umbrella, is a challenging read that layers narratives, places and characters for an intensely nonlinear experience. The book centers on a psychiatrist and one of his patients, a woman who's been comatose for 50 years.

President Obama has announced most of his Cabinet picks for his second term, all of whom are familiar faces in Washington. But Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Chuck Hagel and Obama's White House chief of staff Jack Lew still must get through the Senate confirmation process. NPR's Scott Simon talks to NPR's Mara Liasson about the selections.

A number of cities have launched gun buyback programs to reduce the number of firearms in circulation, but it may not be very effective in reducing street crime. Host Scott Simon speaks with Santa Fe Sheriff Raymond Rael about his city's program. Simon also speaks with Johns Hopkins associate professor Jon Vernick about the efficacy of such schemes.

With brake issues, fuel leaks and a battery fire in three separate incidents, it has not been a good week for the Boeing Dreamliner. Host Scott Simon talks with New York Times op-ed columnist Joe Nocera about troubles that have beset the new Boeing 787 this past week.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is open about how she benefited from affirmative action, how she came to terms with her diabetes and the "out-of-body experience" of being appointed to the high court. Sotomayor spoke with NPR just before the release of her new autobiography.

New York Knicks captain Amar'e "STAT" Stoudemire is a six-time All-Star, an education activist and the author of three books for middle-schoolers. In his latest release, an injury helps an 11-year-old STAT learn lessons both on and off the court.

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans presents a range of real-life scenarios that give visitors a sense of the ethical — and often dangerous — decisions soldiers and civilians were forced to make during the war.

Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 has been called one of the best live albums ever recorded. But it was shelved for more than 20 years by executives at Cooke's record label, who feared what the mainstream would make of his fiery performance.

The Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2013 will not have any new inductees from the ranks of the recently retired. That's despite a list of candidates that includes Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.