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When editor Andrew Carroll first read Ryan Alexander's "The Cat," the startling imagery of the former Marine's poem took his breath away. After all, troops aren't known for readily sharing their innermost feelings — certainly not with a wide audience.

Novelist Ronan Bennett endured two stints in British prisons before he ever imagined himself a writer. He rarely writes directly about the Troubles of Northern Ireland, but the struggle against British rule is a common subtext in his work.

In a novel, Aminatta Forna writes about the effects of Sierra Leone's civil war on the country's women. She was just 11 when her father was hanged for treason in Sierra Leone and her family fled. Her story is part of a series of conversations about war and literature.

Mike Pressler was dumped as Duke's lacrosse coach when rape charges were filed against three of his players. But the charges were dropped and the prosecutor in the case was disbarred. Now, Pressler is coaching again and has written a book.

In The Araboolies of Liberty Street, Sam Swope introduced readers to the tyrannical General Pinch and Mrs. Pinch, and their "enemies," the fun-loving and free-wheeling Araboolies. A new musical based on the book debuts Saturday.

You think you hate your job? In ancient Rome or Greece, you might have been an armpit plucker, or a hairdresser who used urine and pigeon droppings to make your clients look good.

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent Tim Weiner discusses his book Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. Weiner did extensive archival research and conducted interviews with CIA insiders, including former chiefs Richard Helms and Stansfield Turner.

The food memoir now has a major shelf in most big bookstores. We asked Ruth Reichl, the editor of Gourmet magazine and the author of two food memoirs, to talk about some of her favorite books about food.

Journalist Jeff Gammage and his wife Christine have adopted two daughters from China; now Gammage, a staff writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, has written a book about the experience. It's called China Ghosts: My Daughter's Journey to America, My Passage to Fatherhood.

Muslim feminist Asra Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, recently spent a fellowship covering a Muslim woman who was building a women's mosque in India. Nomani's new book is called Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam.