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More than half of all employed people worldwide work off the books. And that number is expected to climb over the next decade. Investigative journalist Robert Neuwirth examines how the underground economy works in his book, Stealth of Nations.

"Poetry holds the knowledge that we are alive and that we know we're going to die," poet Marie Howe tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. One of Howe's most famous poems, "What the Living Do," was recently included in The Penguin Anthology of 20th-Century American Poetry.

Why do gruesome stories draw us in? What is it about tales that chill us that we can't stay away from? Author Bruce Machart doesn't have the answers, but he does have three recommendations of books that explore the depths of human depravity.

The editor of Newsweek offers some required reading on the gap between the Tea Party and the Republican establishment — and talks about the "Yes We Cain" issue of Newsweek, featuring Republican Herman Cain. "Herman Cain is surprising everybody," Brown says.

The wait has been long and the predictions many, but according to Christian broadcaster Harold Camping, the enlightened will finally be called home on Oct 21. Author Rhoda Janzen offers three redeeming suggestions to help you prepare for the upcoming apocalypse.

Moby-Dick is a difficult book to read. But the author of a new book about the Melville classic says it's worth it to make the effort.

Fallon is thankful for slow walkers, people named Lloyd and the word "moist." The comedian and host of Late Night collects more than 100 nuggets of gratitude in his book Thank You Notes. He talks with Terry Gross about giving thanks and doing impressions.

Science-fiction writer Jack Finney would have turned 100 this month. Critic Maureen Corrigan says he had a knack for tapping into our shallowly buried psychological anxieties. At its core, Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers is about how our loved ones inevitably change — and it is as sad as it is scary.

It might be the Heartland of America, but writers from the middle of the country are often overlooked. An Iowa resident herself, author Jennifer Wilson recommends the best books from that cold, comforting place known as the Midwest.

Clean up is under way in cities around the world after a weekend of protests. Tens of thousands of people turned out to protest, among other things: greedy bankers, inept politicians, government austerity cuts and the growing gap between rich and poor.