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Weekend Edition is a two-hour weekend morning newsmagazine covering hard news, a wide variety of newsmakers, and cultural stories with care, accuracy, and a wink of humor.

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Americans: A 'Bunch Of Amateurs,' And Proud Of It

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Book cover detail: Bunch of Amateurs

Credit Crown Publishing Group

Jack Hitt is a contributing editor to the New York Times Magazine and Harpers. His work is frequently heard on PRI's This American Life.

By editor

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 9:19 am

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Jack Hitt says if you drill down into the American spirit to find out what makes Americans so American, you'll find it's the fact that we're all amateurs at heart. In his new book, Bunch of Amateurs: A Search for the American Character, he pinpoints the first American to use the amateur label to his advantage: Benjamin Franklin.

3:56 am

Sat May 19, 2012

'Never Fall Down': Surviving The Killing Fields

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Credit Jocelyn Glatzer

Arn Chorn-Pond is a human rights activist working on Cambodian reconciliation efforts and the preservation of traditional Khmer music. He is the subject of Jocelyn Glatzer's 2003 documentary, The Flute Player; the opera Where Elephants Weep; and the children's book, A Song for Cambodia by Michelle Lord.

Credit Roberto Ligresti

Patricia McCormick is a journalist and young adult author whose novels include Purple Heart, Sold and Cut.

By editor

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 9:19 am

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Prize-winning author Patricia McCormick is known for tackling challenging — even harrowing — themes in her young adult novels. Her book Sold, a National Book Award finalist, took on child trafficking. In her new book, Never Fall Down, she describes the atrocities of the Cambodian genocide, drawing upon the experiences of Arn Chorn-Pond, a real-life survivor, who joined her and NPR's Scott Simon to discuss the novel and the lingering impact of his ordeal.

Interview Highlights

On meeting Arn

7:25 am

Sat May 12, 2012

Your Letters: On Composition And Evidence

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Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Time now for your letters.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME MUSIC)

6:17 am

Sat May 12, 2012

Can Change Of Heart Beat The Flip-Flop Charge?

Credit Carolyn Kaster / AP

President Barack Obama told ABC this week that he supports gay marriage.

By Scott Simon

Originally published on Sat May 12, 2012 12:46 pm

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Most Americans give politicians low marks for sincerity and see every decision they reach as a cold, poll-driven calculation. Often enough, it is. Politicians, after all, have asked pollsters where they should spend their summer vacations.

Yet when pundits and interest groups urge politicians to change their minds and they do, they're assailed for flip-flopping.

5:52 am

Sat May 12, 2012

Rosa Parks Etched Into History, And D.C. Cathedral

By editor

Originally published on Sat May 12, 2012 7:25 am

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Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. is always a work in progress. Although it's more than a century old, and is being repaired from damage caused by last year's earthquake, it always makes room for new statues and carvings of people who inspire.

REVEREND DR. FRANCIS WADE: May God bless the eyes of all who see the likeness we dedicate this evening.

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3:57 am

Sat May 19, 2012