100 Years Later, What's The Legacy Of 'Birth Of A Nation'?
D.W. Griffith's film premiered in Los Angeles a century ago Sunday. In many ways, the movie — three hours of racist propaganda — was the beginning of Hollywood.
Arts
Hollywood Offers Up A Bevy Of Superheroes In 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'
Reviewer David Edelstein says Joss Whedon's new film plays like "a strategic set-up for a Hollywood franchise." Viewers will be blitzed by sound and fury — and a certain amount of "gobbledegook."
What's Inside A 'Derby Pie'? Maybe A Lawsuit Waiting To Happen
Around Louisville, "derby pie" is de rigueur fare for the Kentucky Derby. But the pie's creators are real sticklers about what can be called a "derby pie" — and they're not afraid to sue over it.
Drum Fill Friday, For May 1
Our recurring puzzler for careful listeners this week features a selection of fills handpicked by All Songs Considered co-host Robin Hilton. Hear the drum fill (or intro) and match it to the song.
Are Danes Really That Happy? The Myth Of The Scandinavian Utopia
Are the Nordic countries really the utopias they're cracked up to be? NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Michael Booth about his new book that attempts to answer that question.
In 'Red Notice,' Success Draws Treachery, Tragedy In Putin's Russia
Robert Siegel talks to Bill Browder, an American financier who was expelled from post-Soviet Russia and saw an attempt to claim his company devolve into a deadly bureaucratic and legal farce.
The Gift Of Eternal Shelf Life: 'Tuck Everlasting' Turns 40
In Natalie Babbitt's celebrated classic, a young girl stumbles upon a secret spring and the family the spring has given eternal life to. Babbitt says she wrote the book to help kids understand death.
'Girl On The Train' Is A Journey Into The Lives Of Familiar Strangers
In the new psychological thriller, Rachel Watson becomes obsessed with a "perfect couple" she sees each day during her commute. When the woman in the couple disappears, Rachel decides to get involved.
Finding A Childhood Bully, And So Much More, In 'Whipping Boy'
In his new memoir, Allen Kurzweil goes looking for his childhood tormentor — and discovers he's served time for involvement in an international fraud scheme so wild and colorful, it could be a movie.
Not Just A Man's Drink: Ladies Lead The Whiskey Renaissance
Whiskey was long considered a man's drink. But as sales of whiskey soar, it's women who are leading the new boom, thanks to a vanguard of female distillers, blenders and tasters.