Alan Cheuse reviews Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, a novel narrated by a Christian minister as he nears death. Cheuse calls it a "beautifully ruminative novel."
Alan Cheuse died on July 31, 2015. He had been in a car accident in California earlier in the month. He was 75. Listen to NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamburg's retrospective on his life and career.
North Korea has reportedly sent balloons carrying trash and excrement into South Korea. NPR's Scott Simon has details — smelly and otherwise — on how both countries have used balloons over the years.