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Charles Frazier was done writing about the Civil War after his award-winning novel Cold Mountain. Then he discovered the true story of the first lady of the Confederacy.

A new book focuses on how the Adams father-son duo spent years abroad making a case for our young country — yet both saw themselves rejected in favor of more charismatic and populist rivals.

Sarah Dunant's latest novel follows one of history's most notorious families — the Borgias. But it's the small, domestic details, not the bigger picture, that captivate.

As the FDA considers whether to make birth control pills available over the counter, some are looking back at the controversial history of the development of "the pill."

Some people, unlucky in love, turn to matchmaking services. Thomas Day, an 18th century British intellectual, adopted two girls from an orphanage in order to mold them into the women of his dreams. Reviewer Cord Jefferson says Wendy Moore's history is so adroitly written it reads like a novel.

The cloud city, high in the Andes mountains, was discovered by an American 100 years ago. On the occasion of this centennial, author Mark Adams looks at the history of the site, the path taken by the adventurer who found it, and the fight over the artifacts he took.

In The Violinist's Thumb, writer Sam Kean goes inside our genetic code, looking at the stories written by the fundamental building blocks within us. The book explains things like why some people can't handle drinking coffee and why some human babies are born with tails.

The author's new memoir, Winter Journal, is a history of his body — scars, panic attacks and near-death experiences. He tells Fresh Air how he got a reputation as a dirty fighter, why he doesn't drive and how hard it was to see his mother's dead body.

The British intervened three times in Afghanistan in the 80 years up to 1919. It was the western frontier of their empire, the gateway to their most precious possession, India. They wanted to keep the Russians out. The new exhibition at the National Army Museum in London has relevance today.

Italian Paolo di Canio's appointment as coach of the struggling Sunderland Football Club has reignited an old controversy over his comment in 2005 that "I am a fascist, not a racist" in describing his political beliefs at the time. After his appointment as Sunderland coach was announced Tuesday, he said it was "stupid and ridiculous" for that statement to be raised again after his many attempts to clarify it. DiCanio had an excellent record as a player. Though he had a fiery temperament, he was also honored for sportsmanship.