NPR Topics: Arts & Life

• A Child's Doctor Turns To Iraq War's Youngest Victims

  Dr. Chris Coppola was a pediatrician in the U.S. before he shipped off to Iraq. As a military surgeon, he expected to treat soldiers, but he found himself helping war-ravaged Iraqi children as well. Host Liane Hansen speaks with Dr. Coppola about his memoir, Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq.

• Growing Up With Orson Welles As Her Father

  The name Orson Welles has the power to jog millions of memories. His radio work sent the nation into a panic. Host Liane Hansen speaks with Chris Welles Feder about her new book, In My Father's Shadow, an account of her life growing up as the daughter of Orson Welles.

• Berry Bad: Threat To Trees Lurks On Holiday Tables

  Its alluring crimson fruit makes it an enduring star of the Thanksgiving centerpiece, but Asiatic bittersweet is strangling trees across New England. In many states, it's illegal to collect or move the invasive vine.

• 'The Vibrator Play': Why Yes, It Is About Exactly That

  Any short list of important young American playwrights would have to include Sarah Ruhl, who at age 35 has had work performed at major theaters around the country. She made her Broadway debut Nov. 19, with a period drama called In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play. But as Jeff Lunden reports, it's as much about intimacy and honesty as about sexuality.