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Home ownership has long been considered a key part of the American Dream. The dream has taken a beating in recent years, but polls show the desire to own remains extremely high. NPR's Chris Arnold discusses the state of home ownership and reviews the latest housing news with host Rachel Martin.

You might think you know all there is to know about Martin Luther King Jr. But author Andrea Davis Pinkney digs deeper. She talks with host Michel Martin about her award-winning book, Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America.

Laila Lalami's new novel combines riveting police procedural with a sensitive examination of life in California's Mojave Desert region, told through a well-rendered choir of different voices.

Author Dinaw Mengestu is among a generation of Ethiopian Americans whose families fled the East African nation in the 1970s and '80s. Now their writing, music and art are adding a new chapter to the epic of American immigration.

NPR conducted the poll of African-American communities with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. While the gap between the well-off and poor in the U.S. has stretched wide in recent years, we found that black Americans describe their financial divide as a nearly 50-50 split, and it affects how they view the world.

Indian actor Roshan Seth's latest role is in the short film Cosmopolitan, broadcast this month as part of the PBS series Independent Lens. Seth plays the part of a first-generation Indian living in the New York suburbs. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Seth.

Brian Walker, son of Hi and Lois creator Mort Walker, has co-edited a new book that traces the history of America's funny pages in the 20th century. Walker now writes the Hi and Lois strip with his brother, editor Greg Walker, and illustrator Chance Browne.

We received hundreds of comments after we aired a story by NPR's Scott Horsley about how President Obama's political fortunes may be tied to the unemployment rate. We also heard from listeners about Gloria Hillard's piece on Native Americans who moved off reservations into major cities. Host Scott Simon reads listener letters about these stories and more.

A show in Washington, D.C., features paintings, lithographs and other representations of the banjo. One of America's most endearing musical instruments also played a turbulent role in racial history.

Melissa Block and Audie Cornish read emails from listeners about a daughter's connection to her father through Don McLean's album "American Pie."