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Novelist Marilynne Robinson takes on Christian faith and the American West in her new collection of essays, When I Was a Child I Read Books. "I find that the hardest work in the world," she writes, "... is to persuade Easterners that growing up in the West is not intellectually crippling."

Just as dozens of advertisers were abandoning Rush Limbaugh's radio show, a pro-Gingrich superPAC actually increased its ad buy on the program. Rick Tyler, a spokesman for Winning Our Future explained that Limbaugh's show reaches more of the primary voters the superPAC wants to reach than any other show.

Robert Siegel and Audie Cornish read emails from listeners about a segment on a female boxer in Flint, Michigan.

Video gaming has become a spectator sport. This weekend in New York, 32 of the world's top gamers are gathered to compete. Host Scott Simon speaks with eSports shoutcaster Mike Lamond (aka "Husky") about the growing popularity of professional video gaming.

Sony launched its new PlayStation Vita on Wednesday. The portable device is geared toward hard-core gamers and offers a lot of new technology. And after a string of tough times at Sony, the company needs this gadget to sell. Sony is trying to distinguish the Vita from the smartphones it's competing against.

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous show topics including the concept of "black cool," Jeremy Lin and "Linsanity," and which country's constitution Egypt should use as an example.

New York Timeswar correspondent Anthony Shadid, a frequent guest on Fresh Air, died Thursday after apparently suffering a fatal asthma attack in Syria, where he was reporting on the political uprising. Fresh Air remembers Shadid with excerpts from his December 2011 appearance on the show.

New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin sprang into the spotlight after he scored 27 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. Lin, who previous mostly rode the bench, has become a sensation in the U.S., particularly among many Asian Americans. Journalist Chuck Leung feels a bit conflicted about celebrating Lin's success.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Georgetown professor Daniel Byman says U.S. policy focuses too much on removing the dictator and not on filling the void left behind. He says that to help in Syria, the U.S. and its allies should train the rebels and use "tough love to cajole and reward the opposition."