Terry Gross

Former New York Times crime reporter Selwyn Raab provides a history of New York City's organized crime in his book, Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. The book is now out in paperback. This interview originally aired on Sept. 18, 2005.

Actor Greg Kinnear stars in the new film Fast Food Nation, based on the non-fiction book about the fast food and meatpacking industries. Kinnear's other films include Little Miss Sunshine As Good As It Gets, AutoFocus and Nurse Betty. KINNEAR got his start as host and executive producer of Talk Soup on E! Entertainment. He subsequently hosted his own late-night talk show, Later with Greg Kinnear.

Cookwise, a practical guide to culinary mysteries and kitchen science, won the 1998 James Beard Award for Food Reference & Techniques. The book's author, culinary expert Shirley Corriher, has a new DVD, Kitchen Secrets Revealed. With Thanksgiving upon us, she offers useful turkey tips. This interview originally aired on Nov. 24, 1997.

Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards has edited a book, Home, in which both public figures and lesser-known professionals reflect on the places where they grew up. The former senator currently lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., and campaigned for Democrats in advance of last week's midterm elections. He talks about the Kerry-Edwards campaign and his thoughts on his own possible presidential bid in 2008.

Journalist Julian Dibbell talks about his book Play Money: Or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot. He explores the world of online role-playing games, where hundreds of thousands of players log on to operate fantasy characters in virtual environments. One of the most popular games, World of Warcraft, has six million subscribers.

In his new book, Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine, Richard Sloan examines the claim that prayer and religion can heal the sick. Using the scientific method, he shows that there is no compelling evidence that religion can actually cure medical ailments.

Michael Gordon, chief military correspondent for The New York Times, was recently in Iraq. He discusses efforts to stem the violence in Baghdad, and the prospects for change in American policy. His recent book is Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq.

TV and film director John Rich has directed some of the most well-known shows in TV history, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gunsmoke, All In the Family, Barney Miller Good Times and Newhart. His film credits include Wives and Lovers and Roustabout starring Elvis Presley. Rich's new memoir is Warm Up the Snake: A Hollywood Memoir.c

Former athlete and president of the World Anti-Doping Agency Richard Pound talks about his new book, Inside Dope: How Drugs Are the Biggest Threat to Sports, Why You Should Care, and What Can Be Done About Them. Pound is also a 25-year member of the International Olympic Committee. In 1960, he participated in the Olympics as a swimmer from Canada.

Comedian and actor Will Ferrell talks about his new film Stranger Than Fiction. Ferrell plays an accountant who finds that his life has a voiceover that only he can hear. It turns out he's the subject of a novel, and that the writer plans to kill him. Ferrell became famous as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002, and has gone on to star in movies such as Old School, Elf and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.