Many of us first learn about war by reading about it, in stories and novels, poems and memoirs. Often in school. As part of VPR's weeklong series, Vermont Reads Bull Run and The Red Badge of Courage, we look at how war is written about in literature, and what we can learn about the experience and the truths of war by reading about it with Lea Williams, an associate professor of English at Norwich University who specializes in war literature, and Peter Gilbert, the executive director of the Vermont Humanities Council.

Also in the program, the autism insurance measure that Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law on Wednesday. Attorney Claudia Pringles explains how requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for autism will help families whose children need care.