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David Nadelberg, author of the book, Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic and Neil Katcher, co-producer of the stage show Mortified, talk about first-hand tales of love and pain.

Former adman James Othmer spent two decades working in the ad industry as it was in the throes of a dramatic transformation. As more consumers zap commercials on DVRs and read magazines and newspapers online, Othmer has concluded that the Madison Avenue industry as he knew it is dying.

Ad man Tom Burrell calls out negative images of African Americans in the media for perpetuating the myth of black inferiority. In Brainwashed, he examines the history of the myth and how contemporary culture reinforces it.

Who is that person you've passed each day over the last few years, never knowing her name? How do we cross the class and racial boundaries in our neighborhoods and communities?

NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates talks with Scott-Martin Kosofsky about his new work, The Book of Customs: A Complete Handbook for the Jewish Year. The author researched several centuries-old guidebooks on Jewish rituals and customs to write a contemporary version for American readers.

Children's books written to include black characters have become easier to find in recent years. But have they really gone mainstream? And what does it mean to write a culturally specific children's book?

The novel Challenger Park has at its heart the story of an astronaut who find her marriage coming apart. The book gained fresh attention after the arrest of Capt. Lisa Nowak, the shuttle astronaut who allegedly attacked a romantic rival this week.

Author Mel Watkins talks about his new book that chronicles the life of the first African American movie star, Lincoln Perry, a.k.a. Stepin Fetchit, and how he became an American pop culture icon.

British diplomat and journalist Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, and later wrote about the experience in a memoir. Stewart talks about the motivation for the perilous journey across the warn-torn nation, and also about his stint as a provincial governor in post-invasion Iraq.

As layoffs spread across the country, more and more people are looking for jobs in fields that they previously wouldn't have considered. But in the recession, even those jobs — known as "survival jobs" — can be difficult to find.

For his book, The Pleasures And Sorrows Of Work, philosopher Alain De Botton observed everyday occupations. On one trip, he observed the development of a new cookie. Along the way, he looks at what makes our work worthwhile.

The recent election, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and global financial crunch all feel historic. Simon Schama looks to the past for some context in his new book, The American Future, and concludes little of it is really new.

For the first time, David Kaczynski has written about the man he grew up with, admired and ultimately alerted authorities to. His essay is part of a new collection, Brothers: 26 Stories of Love and Rivalry.

A new Census Bureau report shows that fewer Americans are relocating now than at any time in the past six decades. If you're interested in moving to a new home, but cannot because of the bad economy, tell us your story.

Author Colson Whitehead's latest novel, Sag Harbor is a coming-of-age tale about a group of friends spending a 1980s summer in a predominantly black enclave in the Hamptons. Whitehead talks about his fourth book, which has already received a string of positive reviews.

Studies say eating red meat increases your risk of cancer, but a little dark chocolate a day is good for you. Ad campaigns praise high fructose corn syrup. With so much information, how do you decide what's good for you?

NPR religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty investigates the intersection of science and faith in her new book, Fingerprints of God. She researched everything from the brain functions of Buddhist monks, to the effectiveness of prayer to heal the sick.

A satirical look at globalization in the fashion of Voltaire's Candide, the novel X Out of Wonderland by David Cates is based in part on the author's own travels. In addition to writing, Cates directs Missoula Medical Aid, a health-clinic supply program in Honduras.

Why did our universe develop in such a way that we can exist? Was it by accident or by design? And is that a question science can answer? Writer, physicist and cosmologist Paul Davies discusses his theories on how the universe came to be such a perfect environment for life.

Seventy-five years ago, delegates to the National Democratic Party Convention narrowly nominated Franklin Delano Roosevelt as their presidential nominee. Mr. Roosevelt broke with tradition by showing up in person to accept the nomination.

In 1952, Ralph Ellison introduced a new kind of black protagonist: The Invisible Man was educated and self-aware, and had a broad intellectual curiosity. He was invisible, Ellison wrote, but not insubstantial. Arnold Rampersad has written a new biography of the complex writer.

Our public schools are in serious trouble, says Rudy Crew, superintendent of one of the largest school districts in the country. Crew talks about why he feels the school system is in crisis and why education needs to be the nation's No. 1 priority.

Washington Post correspondent Glenn Kessler discusses his new book, The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy. The biography chronicles Rice's journey from a political science professor to the U.S. Secretary of State.

Dr. Lindsay Marsh says it's worth waiting until marriage to engage in sexual activity. A virgin, Marsh urges abstinence for the sake of both health and spirit and advises men and women to avoid masturbation. She runs the program "Worth The Wait," which promotes abstinence.

Tom Brokaw's new book, Boom, comes out just before the 40th anniversary of the socially and politically significant year, 1968. The former NBC Nightly News anchor says the lasting effects of the eventful time are "as vigorously debated as the era that produced them."