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In the period after the Civil War, former slaves were made promises of equality and citizenship by the federal government. Historian Eric Foner analyzes the fate of those promises in Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction.

During the Great Depression, many people fled the drought-stricken region that stretched from Nebraska to the Texas panhandle. The struggles of those who stayed are the subject of a book by New York Times reporter Timothy Egan.

Host Debbie Elliott and Chris Roberts dissect the meaning of the nursery rhyme "Little Jack Horner." It's about a real estate swindle in 16th-century England. Roberts is the author of Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme.

Poet Brian Turner served as a sergeant in the US Army's Third Stryker Brigade in Iraq. Here, Bullet, collects the poems through which he reflects the experience of war.

Steve Inskeep talks with New York Times reporter James Risen about his new book, State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. Risen first broke the news about the National Security Agency's secret eavesdropping program, and says it's illustrative of the administration's behavior in the war on terror.

Brian Walker, son of Hi and Lois creator Mort Walker, has co-edited a new book that traces the history of America's funny pages in the 20th century. Walker now writes the Hi and Lois strip with his brother, editor Greg Walker, and illustrator Chance Browne.

Tory Dent, who wrote poetry about the experience of living with AIDS, died Friday. Poet Adrienne Rich remembers her friend's life and work.

Kiran Desai is the daughter of well-known novelist Anita Desai. But she is quickly making a name for herself. Alan Cheuse reviews Desai's latest novel, The Inheritance of Loss, a novel that takes place in both New York City and northeastern India.

Many of us moved at a breakneck pace in 2005, and we're bouncing right into a new year. Writer Carl Honore takes note of a movement aimed at urging us to chill out a little. He tells Debbie Elliott about his book In Praise of Slowness.

As we reach the end of the year, U.S. poet laureate Ted Kooser joins host Melissa Block to read a reflection — in prose — on welcoming in a new year, from his book Local Wonders.