Society & Culture

Willie Lincoln was only 11 when he died in February 1862 of typhoid fever. The Lincolns' third son was said to be their favorite, and after Willie was interred in a borrowed mausoleum in Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown, his father, Abraham Lincoln, returned to that cemetery several times. Newspapers reported that the president visited the crypt to open his son's coffin and hold his body. It's that image, of Lincoln cradling the corpse of his beloved son in a Pietà pose, that inspires George Saunders' first novel, called Lincoln in the Bardo.

Mukherjee, who died Saturday in Manhattan, grew up in India, Switzerland and England. Her work explores the thoughts and experiences of immigrants from many countries. Originally broadcast in 2002.

Utopian communities don't fare much better in fiction than they do in real life. As the plot usually unfolds, a brave new world loses its luster fast when the failings of its founder are exposed, or when the community itself begins to morph into a cult. Think of Lauren Groff's Arcadia or Carolyn Parkhurst's Harmony, two recent novels that have imagined alternative communities and their inevitable crack-up.

Two ethics lawyers who worked for President Bush and President Obama, respectively, outline their concerns about a Donald Trump presidency.

Author Mat Johnson reflects on how the election of Barack Obama, made him feel like he belonged in America for the first time.

Sixty-three years after the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, many schools across the country either remain segregated or have re-segregated. Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that when it comes to school segregation, separate is never truly equal.

Our resident linguist looks at the differences in the language used to describe Republicans and Democrats.

Author Lisa Servon says a growing number of Americans are giving up on traditional banks and relying instead on alternatives, including prepaid debit cards, check-cashing centers and payday lenders.

At the end of each year, our linguist Geoff Nunberg gives us his word of the year.

Mike Mills' latest film, 20th Century Women, is inspired by the yearning to understand his mother who raised him. Set in Santa Barbara in 1979, it stars Annette Bening as Dorothea, a 55-year-old woman who grew up during the Depression and is struggling to raise her teenage son, Jamie, on her own.

Sarah Hepola reflects on how our culture doesn't make it easy for nondrinkers, especially during the Holiday season.

Billy Eichner indulges his passion for all things pop culture as host of the truTV series, Billy on the Street. On the show, Eichner roams the sidewalks of Manhattan with a microphone, asking strangers open-ended questions about pop culture, and offering them a dollar if he likes their answers.

Maria Semple's new comic novel is about a stressed-out wife and mother who starts every day with a mantra. She tells Fresh Air's Sam Briger that the book was inspired by her own experiences as a mom.

The country star plays songs and talks with Fresh Air about his grandfather's work in the coal mines. Yoakam's latest album, Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars ... features bluegrass versions of his hits

Kylar Broadus is a lawyer and activist and the first openly transgender person to testify before the U.S. Senate.

Trump tweeted yesterday that he would be taking himself out of his business operations, but there are still concerns that the Trump Organization's business interests in the U.S. and in at least 20 countries around the world could lead to unprecedented conflicts of interest for the president-elect.

Longtime activist Cleve Jones reflects on his decades in the LGBT movement, beginning with the 1970s when he first moved to San Francisco.

Trevor Noah talks about growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa. His mother was black; his father white, and at the time Noah was born it was illegal for such couples to have intimate relations. His memoir is titled Born a Crime.

Smith's latest book, Swing Time, tells the story of two girls who dream of being dancers, but only one has the talent to do so

Casey Affleck on starring in the new film Manchester by the Sea, working with his brother Ben, and getting his start in acting young.