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Neal Pollack's book The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature is out in paperback. The author calls it "a heady mix of aesthetic loathing and professional jealousy." It's also a wickedly funny satire of the outsized egos of American journalism. He talks with Liane Hansen on Weekend Edition Sunday.

Director Ridley Scott has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for his film Black Hawk Down. The film, based on the best-selling book written by Mark Bowden, is an account of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, in which 19 U.S. solders and some 1,000 Somalis were killed. Scott also received a nomination for best director last year, for his film Gladiator, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. Scott's other films include Hannibal, Thelma and Louise, Blade Runner and Alien.

Most American scientists are as much administrators, teachers and thinkers as they are experimenters. NPR's Joe Palca has a profile of a young chemical engineer at Northwestern University who hopes to discover new drugs, and how she really goes about it.

Matthew Omisore died two weeks ago. It's not likely you know that name, but you might remember his story. Matthew was 18 years old and had sold drugs for most of his teenage years. Joe Richman was the producer of the Prison Diaries series that aired on All Things Considered last year and brought us Matthew's story as part of that series.

NPR's Richard Harris reports on the 2001 Mars Odyssey -- the latest spacecraft to go to Mars. It's been in orbit around the planet for a mere two weeks, but already its made some remarkable discoveries. (3:30)

Overalls have clothed Americans at work and play since the 1700s, becoming a national icon in the process. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports on the evolution of overalls -- from low-class work clothes to pop fashion -- as part of NPR's Present at the Creation series.

Journalist David E. Hoffman's new book is called The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia. He profiles a group of men who became leaders in post-soviet Russia, taking over industry, commanding private armies and buying up television stations. Hoffman is the former Moscow Bureau chief for the Washington Post. Now he is based in D.C. as the newspapers Foreign Editor.

John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath brought widespread attention to the hardships of Dust Bowl farmers struggling to find work in California during the Great Depression. On Morning Edition, Brian Naylor reports on the classic epic's origins as part of NPR's Present at the Creation series.

John talks with NPR's Ketzel Levine about plants that do well in offices. While many plants will shrivel under fluorescent light, plants that are suited to irregular care and indirect light can thrive. Listeners can follow along on Ketzel's web site, Talking Plants. (6:30)

At Roosevelt High School in Seattle, teachers are using a new science curriculum called the Inquiry Method to teach biology. It's supposed to inspire curiosity -- sometimes at the expense of memorization of facts. NPR's Robert Smith is spending a whole year following the teachers and students at Roosevelt, and has this report. (6:15)