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Novelist Nick Hornby's new book, Songbook, contains a collection of essays about Hornby's favorite pop tunes. It includes a meditation on a reggae version of "Puff the Magic Dragon." The unusual song is a favorite of Hornby's autistic son, and it teaches him something about his passion for music. Hear Hornby and NPR's Renee Montagne.

In 1983, millions of Americans gathered to watch a made-for-TV movie depicting life after a nuclear attack on a small town in Kansas. The Day After aired at the height of the Cold War. Many see it as a great -- if somewhat campy -- achievement in nuclear-freeze paranoia. The director and others reflect on the movie's legacy. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

Gary Larson created more than 4,000 cartoons for The Far Side, and they've all been collected in a hefty new anthology. Yet the artist still has trouble explaining what his strange, world-of-their-own panels are about. Hear Larson describe a cartoon he wishes he had drawn, along with other excerpts of his interview with NPR's Bob Edwards.

Terry Reid's album River was first released in 1973, netting critical acclaim but little commercial success. David Greenberger has a review of a reissue of the album.

Host Bob Edwards talks with country singer Mickey Gilley, owner of the original Houston dancehall "Gilley's," about a new nightclub bearing his name in Dallas. "Gilley's" became famous in the 1980's by the John Travolta movie Urban Cowboy.

The Barnes collection is perhaps the most famous private art collection in the world, worth more than $6 billion. The art is now on the verge of leaving its longtime home in the suburbs for a location in downtown Philadelphia. Critics call the plan a corporate takeover and a play for tourism dollars. And a group of students is asking a judge to let them argue their case in court. Hear Joel Rose, of member station WHYY.

Paul Farmer is a physician and an anthropologist, and according to at least one of his former patients in Haiti, he's a god. Farmer specializes in infectious disease; he's made it his mission to transform health care on a global scale, by focusing on the world's poorest and sickest communities. Writer Tracy Kidder profiles Farmer in his new book, Mountains Beyond Mountains. Read an excerpt.

The Harder They Come, the Jamaican movie starring Jimmy Cliff, was a cult hit when it was released 30 years ago. But along with Bob Marley, the film and its soundtrack helped introduce reggae music to America and the rest of the world. On Morning Edition, Ashley Kahn reports on the film's continuing influence.

Martha Woodroof of member station WMRA profiles author Mark Haddon, whose novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time features a 15-year-old math whiz with Asperger's Syndrome who tries to discover who killed a dog with a garden fork.

The new film Pieces of April stars Katie Holmes as a young woman living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, who invites her suburban family over for Thanksgiving dinner. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offers a review.