Terry Gross

Historian Paul Fussel has observed nine distinct class categories in the United States. He says that, while belief in social mobility is strong in American culture, few people are able to move out of the class into which they were born.

In her new memoir, Deborah Spungen remembers her daughter, who was the girlfriend of the Sex Pistols' bass player Sid Vicious. Vicious confessed to murdering Nancy, but died of a drug overdose before his conviction.

Inspired by cultural shifts in the postwar era, choreographer Alwin Nikolais seeks to break down gender differences in contemporary dance. In order to cultivate a purely aesthetic style, he downplays the sexual tension and eroticism often associated with ballet and other dance traditions.

As the founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which fought for civil rights using nonviolent tactics, Farmer organized 1961's Freedom Rides.

Mark Alan Stamaty's new anthology of his nationally-distributed cartoon, which follows the misadventures of the fictional congressman Bob Forehead, satirizes the world of policymakers, lobbyists and the White House.

The writer and Ms. Magazine founder has a new collection of her work, which collects two decades' worth of essays. She tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about her writing evolved to become more politically-focused.

Fresh Air broadcasts a lecture by music critic and journalist Nat Hentoff. He worries that the accessibility of U.S. citizens' computerized data is leading to increased surveillance and a troubling, Orwellian practice of law enforcement.

The pop singer, who has recently returned to the stage after a decades-long hiatus, is joined by pianist Mike Abene to perform several classic American songs.

The baseball radio broadcaster began his career in the 1940s. He was informed in advance of Jackie Robinson's recruitment by the Brooklyn Dodgers. Initially against baseball's desegregation, Barber grew to admire and support Robinson.

By focusing on one legendary band, Dave Marsh's new book explores how the public personas of rock bands are cultivated, and how these affect the personal lives of working musicians.