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In a new book about the constitutional separation of church and state, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills insists that that separation was meant as "the great protector of religion, not its enemy." That hasn't stopped fervent believers from challenging the concept.

In The Secret History of the War on Cancer, environmental-health expert Devra Davis warns that we're ignoring dozens of cancer-causing chemicals, like asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, and dioxin. She writes that, like the tobacco companies, the chemical industry has managed to obfuscate the carcinogenic dangers of chemical and other toxic waste.

Paintings from the Revolutionary War provide historians with as much insight as the written word, author David McCullough says. In a new illustrated version of his best-seller 1776, he catalogues a sometimes flawed but earnest visual record of America's birth.

Robert Frank often wonders such things as: Why are milk cartons square? He solves the conundrums in everyday life using basic economics. Some of the findings are in his new book The Economic Naturalist.

Sarah Percy, professor of International Relations at Oxford University in England, discusses the kinds of services provided by private security companies like Blackwater USA, and how their rules regarding the use of force apply.

Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, is taking steps to smooth his way for re-election. He has named a successor as army chief — a role he will surrender. The election is a precursor to the real battle for Musharraf to hold power after the return of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

On the second anniversary of the playwright's death, Michele Norris talks to two actors from the Broadway production of his final play, Radio Golf.

Fresh Air's book critic reviews Run, the latest novel from best-selling Bel Canto author Ann Patchett. Run, about a Boston family, a disputed legacy, and the aftermath of an accident on a snowy night, is Patchett's fifth novel.

When book editor Arthur Levine invited author Ruth Ozeki to team up with nine other writers to create a new novel, she thought he was nuts. The literary tag team came up with Click, the story of a globe-trotting photojournalist as viewed from a variety of perspectives.

The Supreme Court's new term begins just as one of the justices tells his life story. In a new autobiography, called My Grandfather's Son, Clarence Thomas unapologetically recounts the battle over his nomination in 1991.