WAMU 88.5 : The Diane Rehm Show

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Zadie Smith: "NW: A Novel" (Rebroadcast)

Twelve years after the publication of her award-winning first novel "White Teeth," Zadie Smith returns to the racially mixed, multicultural northwest sector of London where she grew up in the 1970s and 1980s. Her newest novel is titled simply “NW.” It took more her than seven years to write, and she has likened it to a “problem play.” The plot revolves around four people in their 30s who come from the same subsidized housing project. Through their eyes, she explores the complexities of the class system in London and how people from similar backgrounds can come to have vastly different destinies.

NPR

A Read Down Memory Lane: Lessons From Your Former Self

Writings from childhood — cards, stories and other notes — can hide for decades, like time capsules tucked away in boxes, old bedrooms, attics and journals. Writer Jim Sollisch talks about how old thank you notes from his youth foreshadowed his adult life.
NPR

Inside A Tart Cherry Revival: 'Somebody Needs To Do This!'

The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe.
NPR

Srinivasan's Confirmation First For D.C. Circuit In 7 Years

The partisan war over judicial nominees has accelerated in recent years. It took nearly a year to win Senate confirmation for Sri Srinivasan to the important federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, though he had no formal opposition.
NPR

3-D Printer Makes Life-Saving Splint For Baby Boy's Airway

A 3-D printer is being credited with helping to save an Ohio baby's life, after doctors "printed" a tube to support a weak airway that caused him to stop breathing. The innovative procedure has allowed Kaiba Gionfriddo, of Youngstown, Ohio, to stay off a ventilator for more than a year.

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