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The landmark 1963 civil rights march was more than just "I have a dream," says historian Charles Euchner. His new book, Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington, relies on participants and attendees to tell the story of that fateful day.

In her new book about bad behavior, Laura Kipnis explores why we can't look away when a public drama unfolds. But critic Susan Jane Gilman says her approach is a bit too timid for such a titillating topic.

The humorist, who made his name with personal essays and other nonfiction, tells Steve Inskeep that his return to fiction kept taking him to surprising places. But the unhappy endings? Those he could have predicted.

The hero of this year's Booker Prize winner, The Finkler Question, is a non-Jew fascinated by Jewishness. For writer David Sax, these efforts to simulate Judaism — to take on a persona outside of one's own — offer a broader commentary on human experience.

Allison Pearson follows up I Don't Know How She Does It with I Think I Love You, a screwball comic novel about the lengths a girl will go to for her teen idol.

Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef and owner of Prune, a popular restaurant in New York City's East Village. She also has an MFA in fiction writing, something she put to use in writing her first book, the aptly titled Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef.

On Fresh Air, social historian Stephanie Coontz explains how the publication of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique in 1963 helped women view themselves differently. But Coontz, author of A Strange Stirring, also critiques many aspects of Friedan's pioneering book, including its omission of minority women.

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty gained attention for Minnesota's efforts to rework the health care system. As he considers a run for the Republican presidential nomination, he uses examples from his home state to highlight what he sees as flaws in the Democrats' health care plan.

In his new memoir, Decision Points, former President George W. Bush revisits nearly all the controversial decisions of his tenure — and defends them with vigor. Historian H.W. Brands suspects history won't be as easy on Bush as Bush is on himself.

The latest issue of the prestigious literary journal Granta focuses on the best young writers emerging from the Spanish-speaking world. Editors John Freeman and Valerie Miles discuss their favorite new talents.