Ishmael Beah was 12 when the army of Sierra Leone gave him an AK-47 and a lot of drugs and turned him into a killing machine. Beah's been rehabilitated and lives in the USA.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
James McManus writes for Harpers. With an advance from the magazine, he entered the world series of poker.
If you really want to get a feel for Isaac Newton - perhaps history's greatest scientist - the best way is to see his original manuscripts at Cambridge University Library. But they're so valuable, it's hard to get permission to look at them. They did let Steve Paulson in, but only in the company of 4 archivists, plus Newton historian Sarah Dry.
Jade Simmons is a classical pianist who's equally happy to play music by Samuel Barber or hip hop master DBR.
In this segment, NPR correspondent Howard Berkes, who is based in Salt Lake City, tells Jim Fleming what it’s like to ride a luge and a bobsled.
Remember Stewart Band? Back in the 60s he launched the Whole Earth Catalog and then became an environmental icon. And now? He says we need nuclear power and geoengineering to reduce carbon emissions.
James Kellaris is especially interested in finding out what makes some songs get stuck in listeners’ heads. He talks about this universal annoyance with Jim Fleming.
Ilan Stavans explains how speaking four languages give him a sense of self.
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