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Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel Kite Runner opens as a film in November. But it is already causing concern in Afghanistan and in Hollywood for its depiction of ethnic tensions in Afghanistan and harsh portrayal of life under the Taliban.

Scott Simon speaks with Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institution about Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's grip on power and what might happen after he moves from the scene. Cohen is the author of The Idea of Pakistan.

Children's author Jon Scieszka has written two dozen fantastical books, including The Stinky Cheese Man and the Time Warp Trio series, but his most recent work is an autobiography geared toward children.

The Bible has gotten a makeover: Two new editions target a young — even secular — audience. One is a slick, illustrated version of the New Testament; the other is an environmentally friendly edition that takes advantage of the popularity of the green movement.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt began his presidency 75 years ago today. It was in the depths of the Great Depression. During his first 100 days in office, Congress passed much of Roosevelt's initiatives and programs known as the New Deal. Donald Ritchie, author of Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932, speaks with NPR's Renee Montagne.

Host Liane Hansen speaks with first-time novelist Christina Meldrum, a litigator and Harvard graduate. In Madapple, readers enter the lives of a mother and daughter, in which questions about faith, science and religion abound.

ESPN football reporter Sal Paolantonio has a new book out, purporting to examine "How Football Explains America." As he tells host Liane Hansen, the way the rules are constructed lends the sport a uniquely American mythos.

Terkel, who came of age during the Great Depression, often said America suffered from what he called a national Alzheimer's disease. His oral histories and radio interviews with everyday Americans helped document the nation's past.

Carmen Flowers and Sue Bailey offer a guide that makes planning your own funeral more fun than you might expect. The book is called Grave Expectations: Planning the End Like There's No Tomorrow.

Historian Karl Jacoby tells the story of an 1871 Indian massacre from four different perspectives in his new book, Shadows at Dawn. Jacoby talks with Jacki Lyden about the tragic event and its legacy.