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It's the summer of 1964, and everything's changing for 11-year-old Glory. She was looking forward to celebrating her 12th birthday at the local pool, but the town has shut it down to avoid integration. Members of NPR's Backseat Book Club share their questions with author Augusta Scattergood.

As society has become more accepting of gays, lesbians and even transgender people, a new generation of young people is challenging those categories in favor of a more fluid understanding of gender. They refuse to be limited by notions like male and female.

Investigators in the Boston Marathon bombings were able to identify the suspects using footage from surveillance cameras. Some believe that this shows the need for surveillance cameras in public spaces, while others believe that such cameras encroach on our civil liberties.

From scandals involving the IRS, to spirited Benghazi hearings, it's been a tough week for the Obama administration. But will this bad week really have further political fallout? Guest host Celeste Headlee checks in with the barbershop guys.

David Sedaris' latest essay collection, Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls, mixes his trademark quirky observations with less successful fictional asides in which he takes on the voices of assorted ultraconservative bad guys.

NPR's Scott Simon muses on momentous news this week — the Baseball Writers Association elected no one to the Hall of Fame. The shutout might be a classic reminder that cheating sometimes brings quick riches, but it can't buy respect.

Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, tapped by President Obama to serve as the next Secretary of Defense, is coming under fire from conservatives for his past positions on Israel, Iran and Iraq. Elliott Abrams is one of the critics. Abrams served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and is now a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He speaks with Melissa Block about his concerns.

Long before becoming managing editor of Ebony magazine, Hans Massaquoi yearned to be a Hitler Youth. His rare story came to an end when Massaquoi died this week at the age of 87.

After eating at Applebee's with a large group, St. Louis pastor Alois Bell — frustrated that gratuity was already included — wrote this comment on the receipt: "I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?" A sympathetic co-worker posted a picture of the receipt online, and it soon went viral.

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks would have been 100 years old today. NPR's Celeste Headlee talks with listeners about the first time they learned about Parks and what she signifies today.