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Emma Straub's novel, Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, centers on small-town girl Elsa Emerson's transition into movie star Laura Lamont. Straub says her main character came to her while she was reading an obituary of real-life actress Jennifer Jones. "I was just struck by her life," Straub says.

Roosevelt, N.J., born in the economic tumult of the 1930s, was designed to be a utopia: Bauhaus-style ranch homes built around the communal industry and agriculture. It was one of 99 cities the federal government built. On the town's 75th birthday, the results of that experiment are mixed.

One problem with more Americans isolating themselves around "people like us" – or those who earn similar incomes — is an increasingly polarized electorate; another, the loss of social capital gained by living in a mixed neighborhoods.

Tech companies like Google, Facebook and Zynga are on a shopping spree. They're buying small startups with innovative products and apps. But many times the buyers don't care about what the small companies were producing. They just want the engineers.

In the past few years, some sports medicine specialists have become convinced that strength training activities like CrossFit can be great for kids. But others worry that CrossFit trainers aren't teaching appropriate techniques for weightlifting to adults, much less kids.

Violent protests in eastern Libya have set in motion a movement to take back the nation from dozens of militias born from the revolt against Moammar Gadhafi. But since the dictator's demise, the militias have helped to secure the country's streets. The state promised to integrate sanctioned militias into the security forces.

As North Korea prepares for an unusual parliamentary meeting Tuesday, farmers have told the Western media that new agricultural rules will give them more control over their crops — which would mark a significant change for the state-run economy. It raises hopes that the country is on the verge of a major shift.

A shooting range in South Carolina has a license to rent automatic weapons. For $50, Alex Perkins tells The Charleston Post and Courier, you can blast a paper target to shreds. Perkins adds the gun must not leave the range.

Many parents push their kids to get straight A's, excel at sports, and behave at home. But some kids won't march to that drum beat. In his memoir The Choke Artist: Confessions of a Chronic Underachiever, David Yoo writes about making a concerted effort to fall short of his parents' expectations. He talks with host Michel Martin.

Historically, pastors have played a big role in organizing get-out-the-vote efforts within the African American community. But the issue of same-sex marriage has divided faith leaders. Guest host Celeste Headlee speaks with Reverend Derek McCoy of the Maryland Marriage Alliance about how the issue could affect the black vote.