How the first Black woman to get a pilot's license motivated Carole Hopson NRP's Michel Martin talks to author Carole Hopson, who's written a book about Bessie Coleman, who in 1921 became the first Black woman to get a pilot's license. The book is called: "A Pair of Wings." Michel Martin Play AudioListen 7 mins
With the DNC underway, a historian explains how 'The Stadium' became a public square "We fight our political battles in stadiums," historian Frank Andre Guridy says. "They become ideal places to stake your claims on what you want the United States to be." His new book is The Stadium. Tonya Mosley Play AudioListen 36 mins
How Trump bent the Justice Department and FBI to his will NBC Newsinvestigative reporter David Rohde says that since 2016, Trump has used conspiracy theories, co-option and threats to undermine federal law enforcement. His new book is Where Tyranny Begins. Dave Davies Play AudioListen 37 mins
Remembering pioneering film star Gena Rowlands Rowlands, who died Aug. 14, was known for the raw and improvised independent films she made in the 1970s and 1980s with her husband, John Cassavetes. Originally broadcast in 1996. Terry Gross Play AudioListen 14 mins
Harriet Constable on her historical fiction novel 'The Instrumentalist' NPR's Scott Simon talks with Harriet Constable about her debut novel, "The Instrumentalist." It's historical fiction centered on Antonio Vivaldi and a violin virtuoso named Anna Maria della Pieta. Scott Simon Play AudioListen 8 mins
'Summer of Love' series: A case for marriage In some circles marriages gets a bad rap. In his book "Get Married," professor Brad Wilcox talks to NPR's Michel Martin -- making the case that marriage is the key to a meaningful and happy life. Michel Martin Play AudioListen 7 mins
Writer Yuval Levin thinks about frustrations with government in a divided nation NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with conservative writer Yuval Levin about the value of the U.S. Constitution in a divisive era. Steve Inskeep Play AudioListen 7 mins
'The Dictionary Story' is a kids' book that defies definition Dictionary wants to bring her pages to life but then a hungry alligator chasing a donut crashes into a queen who slips on some soap and chaos ensues. Can Dictionary put herself back together again? Samantha Balaban Play AudioListen 9 mins
'I want to write myself into existence,' says 'Colored Television' author Danzy Senna was born in 1970, just a few years after Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage. “Just merely existing as a family was a radical statement at that time,” she says. Terry Gross Play AudioListen 45 mins
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson shares the poem she's kept in every one of her offices The first Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court says Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "The Ladder of Saint Augustine," has been a guiding principle. Jackson's new memoir is Lovely One. Tonya Mosley
