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Jon Stewart says the 'fragility of leaders' is the real threat to humor

Jon Stewart accepts the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Scott Suchman/The Kennedy Center hide caption

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Scott Suchman/The Kennedy Center

Culture

Jon Stewart says the 'fragility of leaders' is the real threat to humor

Jon Stewart is honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center. The former host of The Daily Show was praised for revitalizing political satire and for his activism.

Jon Stewart says the 'fragility of leaders' is the real threat to humor

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In The Lines Of Ocean Vuong, Echoes Of His Family's Past In Vietnam

Viet Cong soldiers going into battle near Hue during the Vietnam War, circa 1968. Years later, the war shaped how Ocean Vuong grew up. Three Lions/Getty Images hide caption

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Three Lions/Getty Images

Books

In The Lines Of Ocean Vuong, Echoes Of His Family's Past In Vietnam

Award-winning poet Ocean Vuong speaks about his new book Night Sky with Exit Wounds, which weaves growing up in America with his family's memories of a war-torn Vietnam.

In The Lines Of Ocean Vuong, Echoes Of His Family's Past In Vietnam

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Twain's 'Letter From Santa Claus,' A Gift For All Ages

A trade card from the 1880s depicts a Santa Claus figure in a bird-themed sleigh pulled by reindeer as they are about the land on a rooftop to deliver presents from the huge sack of gifts. Getty Images hide caption

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Opinion

Simon Says

Twain's 'Letter From Santa Claus,' A Gift For All Ages

In 1875, Mark Twain wrote a letter to his 3-year-old daughter from Santa Claus. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on a father's love for his daughter at Christmas time.

Twain's 'Letter From Santa Claus,' A Gift For All Ages

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'Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise' Educates But Doesn't Entertain Its Readers
Hachette Book Group

Review

Book Reviews

'Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise' Educates But Doesn't Entertain Its Readers

Fresh Air

Oscar Hijuelos' posthumously published novel chronicles the friendship between Mark Twain and explorer Henry Morton Stanley. Maureen Corrigan says the book lacks the magic of Hijuelos' best work.

'Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise' Educates But Doesn't Entertain Its Readers

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Book News: Ursula K. Le Guin Steals The Show At The National Book Awards

In her speech Wednesday night in New York, Ursula K. Le Guin declared, "The name of our beautiful reward is not profit. Its name is freedom." Robin Marchant/Getty Images hide caption

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Robin Marchant/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Book News: Ursula K. Le Guin Steals The Show At The National Book Awards

In a ceremony that saw both icons and newcomers honored, it was a fiery speech by the science fiction legend that had attendees talking. Also: A Jonathan Safran Foer book gets adapted to ballet.

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