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Alan Held makes an impression as the mysterious title character in Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, at the Washington National Opera.

Ben Mattlin was born with a condition called spinal muscular atrophy. Many infants with the disease don't live past age 2, but Mattlin went on to attend Harvard, get married and have kids. "I had this dumb idea from childhood that I could do anything anybody else could do," he says.

How much do the people who've made it owe to the people who've been left behind? That question is at the heart of Zadie Smith's new novel NW, a nuanced and disturbing look at class issues in a working-class northwest London neighborhood.

The Bush administration's top housing official announced his resignation Monday. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson says much has been accomplished during his tenure, but critics say they hope the change will bring about policies that will help solve the housing crisis.

For an extra fee, you can get a doctor or nurse practitioner to make a house call to check on a sick kid. The services can save a trip to the emergency room for problems that crop up after hours.

Will John McCain go over the top? Would an Obama sweep get Clinton out of the race? Or does a Clinton victory in either state — or both — keep the battle going on to Pennsylvania on April 22? Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Mara Liasson about what to look for in Tuesday's primary elections in Texas and Ohio.

For her new book, Gran Cocina Latina, chef Maricel Presilla visited homes and restaurants across Latin America to document their food. But one dish familiar to Americans, the sauce often served with Cuban-style yuca fries, has a surprising origin — Presilla herself.

The Olympic torch has reached the top of Mount Everest, the climax of a massive publicity campaign leading up the Olympic Games. China hopes the spectacle of the flame atop the world's highest mountain will erase the memory of ugly protests. But some activists say that by taking the flame up Everst, China is trying to show its dominance over Tibetans.

Ever wonder why supermarket tomatoes taste like nothing? Food writer Barry Estabrook's new book traces the troubled history of the modern commercial tomato.

In fiction, Robert Harris explores a financial crash and Jennifer DuBois recounts a fateful meeting. In nonfiction, Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum analyze how the U.S. lags, Tony Horwitz looks at abolitionist John Brown and Adam Gopnik considers the meaning of food.

The Obama administration opposes a bipartisan Senate compromise — to the frustration of some of its usual allies. The White House says provisions in the defense bill would tie its hands when it comes to handling some terrorism cases.

Maya Angelou spent much of her childhood being raised by her grandmother in Arkansas, but as a young teenager, she returned to live with her mother, Vivian Baxter. Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom looks back on the long process of reconciliation with the woman who sent her away.