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When it was published in 1960, Harper Lee's modest novel helped Americans think differently about race. Now, 50 years later, To Kill a Mockingbird still resonates in a much-changed America. NPR's Lynn Neary examines the lasting impact of Scout Finch and her father, Atticus — a lawyer who defends a black man unjustly accused of rape.

Baltimore Symphony Conductor Marin Alsop's latest musical adventure muses on a famous meeting between the troubled composer Gustav Mahler and the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud.

People tend to stare at Kevin Michael Connolly: He's cute, fit, funny and a champion skier. The stares are usually inspired by something else, though; Connolly was born without legs. With his memoir, Double Take, out now in paperback Connolly talks with NPR's Scott Simon about dealing with unwanted public attention — and the benefits of skateboarding.

This year has yielded a bumper crop of cookbooks for the farmers market regular. Food writer T. Susan Chang has sorted through this bounty to come up with an armload of recommendations — as well as a score of great summer recipes — for the locavore in your life.

President Obama may not have cleaned up the oil spill yet -- but on Wednesday he succeeded in extracting a big financial commitment from BP. After a four hour meeting with BP executives at the White House, the oil giant agreed to put $20 billion in an escrow fund to pay the claims of Gulf residents hurt by the spill.

The Daily Beast editor-in-chief joins NPR's Steve Inskeep for another chat about the best reading she's been doing lately — books and articles about an iconic Depression-era photo, campaign promises and a country that has a way of flying too close to the sun.

For 15 years, Elson has graced magazine covers and runways as a top fashion model. But these days, it's her voice that's attracting attention. Elson's debut, The Ghost Who Walks, is a roots-rock album with a bit of a dark side; it was produced by her husband, musician Jack White.

English rose from humble beginnings to become a language that's spoken by people from every corner of the Earth. In Globish, Robert McCrum tells the story of how a mongrel language slowly took the world by storm.

Heather Lefebvre just graduated with top honors from Brandeis University with a degree in English and creative writing. She's leaving school with a diploma in her hand and a mountain of debt. And that has her worried about her academic choices.

Heather Lefebvre just graduated with top honors from Brandeis University with a degree in English and creative writing. She's leaving school with a diploma in her hand and a mountain of debt. And that has her worried about her academic choices.