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A secretive fellowship of powerful Christian politicians includes some names that have recently been prominent in the headlines: Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts. Writer Jeff Sharlet describes the men's involvement with the Family, and discusses recent developments within the group.

Editors Greil Marcus and Werner Sollers curated this new anthology of essays about American culture

Author Walter Kirn has seen two of his seven books make it to the big screen, including a recent adaptation of his 2005 novel Up In The Air. Kirn joins host Terry Gross to reflect on his book and the great American airplane culture.

Kathryn Stockett's first novel, The Help, has become a New York Times best-seller — and it has its readers buzzing about its racial themes. She says the book is not autobiographical, even though she was raised in Mississippi with a black maid. But Stockett says criticism over how she characterizes the black maids makes her "cringe."

When writer Raymond Carver died in 1988, the Times of London christened him "The American Chekov." The epitaph has stuck. Author Susan Jane Gilman has the review of a new, 578-page biography entitled "Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life."

Food writer Nigella Lawson knows that the holiday season can be overstuffed with planning and decorating. She offers Renee Montagne two recipes — chocolate chip chili and a Christmas-y rocky road — to help keep things warm and simple.

Reviewer John McAlley selects gems from the worlds of fine art, fashion, photography, science, lit-crit and cartoons. These luxe volumes will be gracing coffee tables long after the lights and wrapping paper are gone.

2009's top works of foreign fiction, as picked by critic Jessa Crispin, feature a geography as wide ranging as their topics: genetic research, civil unrest, sibling resentment, and fairy-tale depictions of government corruption.

Critic Jonathan Hunt's picks include love stories between historical figures; fantasy and supernatural fiction that doesn't concern vampires or werewolves; and time traveling mysteries.

In 1957, a photographer moved into a building known as a hangout for New York City's top jazz musicians. W. Eugene Smith began to obsessively tape-record and photograph everything he saw and heard.