Steve Almond recommends "Stoner" by John Williams.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Rehman here. This story quite literally hit close to home for me. I grew up just about an hour away from the suburb it takes place in, and until working on this story, I never would have imagined that building a mosque could be so controversial, especially in a place as cosmopolitan as Chicago. Standing under its massive dome, I was struck by the odd realization that a building could simultaneously be a haven and source of community for some, and symbol of fear and hatred for others. Though the story took place more than a decade ago, it seems we’re still wrestling with many of the same questions around religious inclusion and American identity.
Film critic David Edelstein talks with Jim Fleming about angels in the movies, and we hear lots of examples.
Burkhard Bilger tells Steve Paulson how to catch catfish with your bare hands; describes the delights of eating squirrel brains; and chronicles the exploits of some Southern marbles champions - the Rolly Holers.
Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor of The New Yorker, recommends E.O. Wilson's "The Meaning of Human Existence."
The Tarahumara tribe of Mexico grow up running barefoot and live very long lives happily running into advanced old age...
With digital data streaming online, how do you make sense of it all? Data journalist David McCandless says, make it beautiful.
Want to see some of McCandless's visualizations? Take a look!
Researchers have discovered that cats have their own taste in music. It sounds nothing like that crap you listen to.
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