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Continuing our series on summer reads, we check in with Michelle Carr, the founder, director and producer of the Velvet Hammer Burlesque in Los Angeles. She offers her recommendations, including a historical look at burlesque.

NPR's Mandalit del Barco delves into the history of "Rapper's Delight" — and the ongoing controversy over the song. The hip-hop tune, propelled by a funky Chic bass groove, was first heard on the radio a quarter-century ago and became an instant classic.

Herb Boyd documents an era in We Shall Overcome: The History of the Civil Rights Movement as It Happened. The book comes with CDs narrated by activists and actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.

Taipei 101, the world's tallest building, will be officially inaugurated in Taipei, Taiwan, on Dec. 31. Designing the 1,666-foot skyscraper in the earthquake- and typhoon-prone region presented engineers with quite a challenge. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and structural engineering consultant Dennis Poon.

Students in the United States trail many of their peers in Europe and Asia in math and science scores, according to the newly released results of an international standardized test.

President Bush says Social Security is in "crisis," but polls show a majority of seniors think the system needs only minor fixes. Retirees in Arizona and Pennsylvania weigh in on the issue.

In his new book, You Call it Madness, musician and writer Lenny Kaye brings back the forgotten voice of Russ Columbo, one of the great crooners of the 1930s.

With her deep and smoky alto, singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz defies the boundaries of blues, jazz and folk. Her eclectic new album, Beautiful Yesterday, evokes feelings of nostalgia.

President Bush taps Alberto Gonzales to succeed John Ashcroft as attorney general, calling the man who currently serves as White House counsel "a calm and steady voice in times of crisis."

The '90s saw Cole rise from a supporting player on a Peter Gabriel tour to a pop sensation. But after an eight-year recording hiatus, she finds herself on the rise again, thanks to a new album (Courage) and tour. Hear an interview and in-studio performance.

The Beatles', Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released June 1, 1967, in Britain, and on June 2 in the United States. The album became a phenomenon, and its sound was perfect for the then-new frequencies of FM.

The son of folk-singing parents Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Wainwright has been writing and performing his own music throughout most of his life. His ambitious new disc is titled Release the Stars.

Los Lobos' music is hard to classify: Its members play raucous rock 'n' roll, but they often incorporate elegant melodic ballads into the mix. Sometimes they play blues or rockabilly or folk, but each song incorporates at least a touch of their Mexican-American heritage.

Bruce Hornsby performs songs that span a 20-year career, in a live appearance at NPR. The Grammy Award-winning songwriter also talks about his collaborations with artists of almost every musical genre.

Anger management is a thriving industry in the United States. It is the subject of hundreds of books, workshops and videos. And yet, as NPR's Robert Siegel discovers, there are no national criteria, no oversight and no evaluation of the efficacy of these programs.

India must cut back its imports on Iranian oil by June 28 or face U.S sanctions. A new law targets Iran's central bank, which is used for oil transactions, and it penalizes foreign countries that ignore the sanctions.

The British music press is hailing a new band, the Arctic Monkeys, as being as big as the Beatles — or at least as big as Oasis. The first-week release of the band's debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, sold over 118,000 copies.

Thirty years ago in Paris, a publicity stunt for a wine shop started a revolution for the Napa Valley. In 1976, a blind tasting pitted the best wines from France against wines from California -- and the Californian wines won.

Tom Brosseau understands the sentimental pull of places — the way a building or a town can come to life in memories as vividly as loved ones do. He often sings about home as more than a bricks-and-mortar construct: It lives, breathes, feels, and dies.

A "super-max" is the highest security prison in the penitentiary system. It's here the worst offenders -- or the most endangered ones -- serve their time in near isolation. There is only one federal super-max in the United States, located in Florence, Colo.