On the evening Oct. 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a raid he hoped would ignite a nationwide uprising against slavery. Tony Horwitz tells the story of how Brown's defeat helped spark the Civil War, in Midnight Rising.

Nora Ephron is an essayist, novelist and Oscar-nominated writer and director of the kind of romantic comedies you don't have to be ashamed to love. We'll ask her three questions about questionable celebrity endorsements.

Scott Simon talks to the champion boxers at the center of a new documentary about them — in addition to both being title-holders, they also happen to be brothers.

Introducing a new NPR book club ... for kids! Our first book will be The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Young readers are invited to read the book and share their thoughts and questions with us. Gaiman will be on the program on Halloween to answer questions from young listeners.

Autofocus cameras hit the stores back in the 1970s, making it dramatically simpler for the average consumer to get a good shot. Later, the digital camera made it possible for just about anyone to process their own pictures at home on a computer. Now comes a camera that could represent another kind of photography revolution: the light field camera. Take the picture, but focus it afterward. Robert Siegel speaks with Lytro founder Ren Ng about the new light field camera that his company is producing.

Israeli writer Amos Oz rarely settles for a happy ending. His latest book, Scenes from Village Life, doesn't have one and, according to Oz, neither does the recent release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Melancholia, Take Shelter and other recent films about characters fighting delusion or depression highlight the way filmmakers keep audiences guessing — and keep movies interesting — with fractured narrative and stylized visuals.

Marc and Chris, the founders of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, share tips on how to bring your pumpkin to the next level this Halloween. Their pumpkins, which go for between $150 - $400, rarely end up on stoops. You are more likely to find them in Tiffany's ads and in window displays.

Fallon is thankful for slow walkers, people named Lloyd and the word "moist." The comedian and host of Late Night collects more than 100 nuggets of gratitude in his book Thank You Notes. He talks with Terry Gross about giving thanks and doing impressions.