Sir Ian McKellen is heard first, reading from the novel "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver. It's part of her "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness" series, set 6000 years ago.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Ever wonder what caused the outbreak of World War One? Oxford historian Margaret MacMillan recounts its origins on its 100th anniversary.
Psychologist Justin Barett thinks most children have a natural aptitude for religious belief. He says it's not surprising that so many people believe in spirits or supernatural beings.
Historian Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen talks to Steve Paulson about her book, "American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Ideas."
Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball tell Steve Paulson what makes a lyric work and that many of the great songs came from Broadway and Hollywood musicals.
Muhammad Yunus founded the Grameen Bank which pioneered the practice of micro-lending as a way for poor people to start their own businesses.
“The Unraveling of Mercy Louis" tells the fascinating story of a community that’s nearly torn apart following the discovery of an abandoned baby in a dumpster. A witch hunt ensures and the girls at a local high school soon begin developing mysterious twitches and tics, which quickly intensify. Eventually, the girls in the town are acting as if they’re possessed, thrashing around on the floor or grunting like animals. As strange as it all sounds, Parssinen says the book was inspired by a real episode of mass hysteria in Le Roy, New York.
Peter Carey's novel "True History of The Kelly Gang" has been described as "a spectacular feat of literary ventriloquism." Carey tells Steve Paulson that's because he wrote the book in another voice.
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