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A new biography suggests that the legendary escape artist known as Harry Houdini also served as a spy for the U.S. and British governments before World War I.

Author Lillian Ross talks to Steve Inskeep about her techniques and the subjects she has profiled for her work at The New Yorker, where she has been writing since 1945.

In light of Miss USA getting to keep her crown after a run of under-age binge drinking, commentator and fellow naughty girl Elizabeth Wurtzel says that going into rehab after you've seriously screwed up is the only way to show contrition in the public eye. A simple apology is not enough anymore.

India and Pakistan are warily inching towards peace, after three wars and nearly 60 years of hostility. But it's far from peaceful on the border. Each night tourists gather on either side for a competitive shouting match, complete with a choreographed military ceremony.

For some families, the holiday season is a time for compromise. Chrismukkah, a blend of Hanukkah and Christmas customs, is one of them. Ron Gompertz, author of Chrismukkah: Everything You Need to Know to Celebrate the Hybrid Holiday, talks about mixed traditions with Madeleine Brand.

Famous writers and their drinks are inseparable, despite the price some paid for the vice. Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide delves into the drinking habits of America's top writers to reveal their favorite cocktails. Steve Inskeep talks with author Mark Bailey and illustrator Edward Hemingway, the great writer's grandson.

Robert Satloff is executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. His new book, Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust's Long Reach into Arab Lands, is about the Arabs who protected or aided Jews in North Africa during World War II.

As Shanghai undergoes a radical facelift, tens of thousands of residents are forcibly displaced from their homes each year. Many say real-estate developers are conspiring with officials to seize property for little or no compensation.

Maureen Corrigan runs down her list of the year's best fiction, including a series of books set in post-Sept. 11 New York City, Richard Ford's last installment in the Frank Bascombe trilogy and fiction by two Alices.

It's the time of the year again when we're thinking about what gifts we might give to our family and friends. To our book guide Alan Cheuse, of course, "gift" means "books." Here are some of his recommendations.