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After sailing the Antarctic Sea and traversing the deepest Tibetan gorge, Peter Heller became a "kook," or beginner surfer. It was while surfing in Huntington Beach, Calif. that he caught a glimpse of his next great adventure: a trip down the West Coast, in search of the perfect wave. In Kook he tells the story of that journey, and what he learned along the way.

Eunice Chapman won the first legal divorce in New York State in 1818. Her scandalous case pitted Mrs. Chapman against her abusive husband, who took their three children and joined the radical Shaker sect. NPR's Guy Raz talks to Ilyon Woo, author of a new book about the case, called The Great Divorce.

Wesley Brown graduated from the Naval Academy in 1949 — the first African American to do so. Others had tried, but were forced out by racism and even violence. Brown and author Robert J. Schneller, Jr., tell John Ydstie about efforts to integrate the Academy.

On Nov. 18, 1985, a new comic strip made its newspaper debut: Calvin and Hobbes. For 10 years the duo captured the imaginations of adults and children alike. Now every published panel of the strip has been collected in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.

The Japanese director won the Academy Award for Spirited Away. His latest animated work is Howl's Moving Castle. He and others talk about making serious films for audiences young and old.

As Social Security turns 70, President Franklin Roosevelt is remembered for bringing this popular government program to life. But it was Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins who led the team that created the plan for Social Security and steered it through Congress.

Literature from the "Axis of Evil,", gathers short stories and poems from countries that once received that label from President Bush — Iraq, North Korea and Iran. A CD picks up a similar theme, using lullabies from nations considered U.S. enemies.

Family members often share values and politics — but not always. For some, the nation's political divide is deeply personal. Brian Mann comes from one such family. He describes how he and his brother have agreed to try to bridge the gap.

In the book, The Perfect Stranger, author and mother Lucy Kaylin explores her relationship with her Caribbean nanny — one that she says is both complex and wonderful. She also shares other caregivers' views on their work and employers.

In Creating a World Without Poverty Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus describes how entrepreneurs with an altruistic vision can use traditional businesses to tackle the world's most pressing problems.

In Diary of a Wimpy Kid by author and illustrator Jeff Kinney, the most mundane details of a middle school student's life are uproarious. Kinney's illustrated diaries remind readers about the dramas of junior high.

In his first novel set in America, critically acclaimed author Ha Jin explores the meaning of the American dream in A Free Life. In the aftermath of Tiananmen Square, his protagonist dreams of being a poet, but soon finds himself swamped in mortgage payments and obligations in suburban Atlanta.

New Jersey food writer Laura Schenone set off on a quest to find her great-grandmother's hand-rolled ravioli recipe. Along the way, she reunites with relatives in Italy, and helps mend strained relations with others around the dinner table.

A forthcoming book by journalists Michael Isikoff and David Corn suggests that Richard Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State in 2003, may be the missing link in the story that has been called "Plamegate."

Mars Needs Moms! tells the story of Milo, a boy who re-evaluates the value of moms when Martians kidnap his mother. Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed talks about his book and the sacrifices parents make for their children.

In her new book The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science, author Natalie Angier says science doesn't have to be impossible, impenetrable or uncool.

Forty years ago tonight, the Peanuts gang made Halloween history with the first broadcast of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!. The show's producer, and the actor who played Charlie, look back.

In 1973, the Reform movement ordained the first woman rabbi in the United States — Sally Priesand. Rabbi Priesand retired this year after 25 years in the pulpit of Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, N.J. She reflects on her career and her legacy as a trailblazer for women spiritual leaders.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser for President Jimmy Carter, assesses the foreign policies of the three most recent U.S. presidents in Second Chance. He says Washington has squandered its first chance at global leadership.

A cooking magazine's family-recipe contest brought in 3,000 entries. Public television cooking host Chris Kimball says many had catchy names like "Naked Ladies with Their Legs Crossed," along with equally memorable back-stories.

Visual explorations of how the human body works have had us riveted since before Leonardo da Vinci sketched the famous Vitruvian man sometime around 1487. That fascination is the focus of what may be one of the most gruesome coffee table books ever.

Two years ago, author Mark Helprin's op-ed urging the extension of copyright protection inspired a huge online backlash. A new book is his response to the uproar, but opponents are still having their say.

One hundred years ago today, Albert Einstein finished a scientific paper that would change the world. His radical insight into the nature of light would help transform Einstein from an unknown patent clerk to a giant of 20th-century science.

Not too long ago, African-Americans played a much bigger role in baseball. In the mid-1970s, a quarter of all players were black Americans. Today, it's one in 10. Baseball historian Rob Ruck writes about how that happened in his new book, Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game.

Dai Vernon was among the most influential magicians of the 20th century, but one trick continued to elude him. His quest to learn its secret led him from one sleazy dive to another. The answer finally came in a little white house in Missouri.