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Contrary to what some Americans believe, Hanukkah traditionally isn't one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar. Host Michel Martin speaks with Dianne Ashton, author of the book Hanukkah in America, about how and why the holiday has gained more importance in this country over the decades.

Butter is back. But the increased demand is not the reason for recent price hikes. (This piece initially aired on Sept. 6, 2014 on Weekend Edition Saturday).

After the author came to the United States from the Dominican Republic, he says, he became obsessed with his home country. Diaz eventually adjusted and learned about the new culture by reading.

The U.S. entertainment industry provides billions of people around the world with their primary impressions of American culture. At the same time, anti-American sentiment is rising. Experts debate what relationship, if any, exists between these two phenomena.

Mikhail Sebastian is stateless. Born ethnically Armenian in what was then the U.S.S.R. and today is Azerbaijan, he came to the U.S. and was eventually allowed to stay and work. Now, he is stranded on American Samoa where immigration officials say he "self-deported."

People are having a harder time moving toward the places with the most economic opportunity. High cost of living is driving them to cheaper places, where job options are more limited.

From business to culture, Bruce Pickering of the Asia Society speaks to host Michel Martin about China's growing influence, and offers perspective about whether some Americans' fears about China's role in the country are founded.

Director Paul Weitz's new film, American Dreamz, satirizes American Idol and stars Dennis Quaid as a dimwitted U.S. president who goes on the show in an effort to save his falling approval ratings. Weitz's other films include American Pie and About a Boy.

Book critic Alan Cheuse reviews American Desert by Southern California writer Percival Everett. It's a satirical look at a number of American institutions, from the church to the university to the military to the press, told through the story of a professor who's not exactly alive.

Anti-American sentiment grows in Kuwait, where tens of thousands of American troops are stationed. Some Kuwaitis say they are suspicious of Washington's long-term goals in the Mideast. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.