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Melissa Block talks to bluegrass master Del McCoury and his son Ronnie. Del McCoury got his big break in the early 1960s, when he was hired by legendary bandleader Bill Monroe to sing tenor and play guitar. McCoury started his own band a few years later. The group's current lineup includes two of his sons, Ronnie on Mandolin and Rob on banjo. The Del McCoury Band has a new CD called Del & The Boys.

NPR's David Molpus profiles the new band Mofro as part of our series on emerging Southern Artists. The band's music has been described as "juke joint," but along with the funky beat there's an environmental message about Florida's disappearing swamplands. The band's co-founder, John J.J. Grey, says his music is a good way to groove and get a point across.

NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg talks with first lady Laura Bush about the joys of reading. Mrs. Bush announced yesterday the creation of a National Book Festival and the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries. The first lady says she is taking on the problem of aliteracy -- people who can read, but don't. She shares stories about her own reading habits and her favorite book.

Since the 1800s, Montana has been mandolin country. Ten musicians from Bozeman together produce a dramatic sound - they call it the "Montana Sound" - inspired by the freedom and open spaces of their home state.

What's on America's summer reading list? All Things Considered asked listeners around the country -- including a rancher, a nuclear engineer, a retiree and an elementary school student -- what theyre reading this summer. Their choices range from best-selling fiction to the history of Egyptian mythology. (2:15) The Dying Ground, by Nichelle Tramble is published by Random House. The music comes from the CD's Sweet Tea, by Buddy Guy, on Silvertone Records Ltd. and I am Shelby Lynne, by Shelby Lynne from Island records.

Children with severe mental disabilities often need expensive treatment or round-the-clock supervision. NPR's Joanne Silberner profiles one family that had to give up custody of their child because they could not afford the care he needed.

Noah Adams travels to Southwestern Virginia to talk to people there about the pain-relief drug OxyContin. Now is the best selling narcotic pain medication in America, the drug has proven to be highly-effective for many users, but OxyContin is also being abused for fun and profit, and reports of overdoses and addiction to the drug have been steadily increasing.

Host Bob Edwards has the story of Holland Island, and the man who is trying to save it. Like many Chesapeake Bay islands, Holland is slowly being lost to rising tides and erosion. The island was once home to more than three hundred people, but now most of its buildings are underwater, and the rest will probably follow. But its 71-year-old owner Stephen White is fighting that fate.

As part of the Changing Face of America Series, NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports on the way the power to sue has changed both companies and consumers. The number of lawsuits filed hasn't really gone up, but more people are becoming comfortable with them as a way to attack the companies they see as irresponsible or dangerous. And the threat of litigation has businesses on the defensive.

Morning Edition scoots over to the West Coast this week, broadcasting from NPR's Los Angeles bureau. As part of his series on L.A., John Ridley, NPR commentator and writer of film, television and novels, takes a road-eye view of the city's car culture.