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Sifting Through Summer, Page By Page The last summer holiday, Labor Day, is fast approaching and Karen Grigsby Bates is planning to use the weekend to kick back and catch up on some summer reading. Writer Ethan Canin Tackles The American Dream America America is an ambitious, old-fashioned novel about politics, power and class in a small, upstate New York town. The Nixon-era tale is Canin's sixth book. How Not To Sell A Mercedes In Africa Journalist Jeroen van Bergeijk wanted an adventure, so he bought a 1988 clunker in his native Amsterdam and drove it across the Sahara with the intention of selling it. Within a week of arriving in Africa, he had dozens of offers. By then, however, he was attached to his vehicle and the possibilities it held. Beyond Beijing: China's Past, Present And Future China's scale is so vast, its variety so great and its rising power so apparent, it acts as an enormous magnet fixing our attention. One result is a torrent of books — but how on earth to choose? Billie Jean King Remembers 'Battle Of The Sexes' As the 35th anniversary of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs "Battle of the Sexes" match approaches, co-host Renee Montagne talks to tennis legend Billie Jean King about that famous match. King highlights the lessons that helped her win that match in a new book, Pressure is a Privilege. Secrets, Lies And Murder In 'The Likeness' To solve the murder of her own doppelganger, Detective Cassie Maddox assumes the dead woman's identity and enters into the complex, collective psychology of a charismatic group. Barrie Hardymon has a review. Library Of America Honors Overshadowed Writer During 40 years as fiction editor of the New Yorker magazine, William Maxwell worked with luminaries like Vladimir Nabokov and John Cheever. His own writings were often overshadowed by his job — but now they've been reissued by the Library of America to mark the centennial of his birth. NPR's Jacki Lyden finds out more about the man and his words. Coming Up: Discussing 'Glazed America' Have you ever been caught in a sticky situation with a doughnut? Weekend Edition invites listeners to ask questions and share their stories about doughnuts. Paul Mullins, author of the book Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut, will be answering these questions next week, live, on the Weekend Edition Sunday blog. Immigration Study: 'Second Generation' Has Edge In much of the debate over immigration, there is an underlying question of whether immigrants today are assimilating as easily as past generations. In New York City, the answer is an unqualified "yes," according to a 10-year study involving more than 3,000 young men and women. 'Three Cups of Tea' With Pakistan's Musharraf Greg Mortenson, executive director of the Central Asia Institute, met with Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf during a recent trip to the region. Musharraf had read a book Mortenson co-wrote titled Three Cups of Tea, about his experiences building more than 60 schools in remote parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. 'Clarice' Author Spills The Beans About Her Success Author Lauren Child talks about her latest book in the Clarice Bean series, Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now, and about her successful "Charlie and Lola" books and their television spinoff. In Praise Of Drive-Ins And Doris Day Movie Love In The Fifties offers a view of America as it was 50 years ago, a postwar nation whose struggle to understand race and sex and fashion was reflected in films that weren't all pitched to the appetites of teenage boys. A Nation Divided In 'Nixonland' Rick Perlstein's book, Nixonland, combines an evocative trip through the 1960s and early 1970s with an assessment of the impact of Richard Nixon's political career. Perstein argues that many of the deep political divisions in modern American politics were defined by that period, and exploited effectively by Nixon. The Science of Getting A 'Yes' Is persuasion an art or a science? We talk to Robert Cialdini, a social psychologist, who thinks a little psychology can improve your shot at getting what you want. Podesta: Progressive Politics Will Cure U.S. Ills In his new book, the head of the Center for American Progress and former chief of staff for President Clinton says the U.S. needs to create community activists, reform immigration law and form a stronger government; that will lead to a more fair society, he says.