Terry Gross

In his new book, Character Is Destiny Sen. John McCain passes along the stories of heroes — both famous and obscure — whose values exemplify the best of the human spirit.

Husband and wife actors Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy have collaborated on the new offbeat feature Transamerica. Macy is the executive producer on the project, which features Huffman as a male-to-female transsexual who is contacted by the son she never knew she fathered.

The accepted wisdom in American politics is that the moderate center prevents either party from moving too far to the extreme. In the new book "Off Center" Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson write that the Republican Party has managed to defy this accepted wisdom.

The jazz icon turns 85 on Dec. 6. He'll celebrate with a concert in London where he will be joined by the London Symphony. There are several recent collections of his work: The Dave Brubeck Collection, which reissues five of his classic out-of-print LPs, and Dave Brubeck: Time Signature: A Career Retrospective.

Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, has a lot of experience
rounding upevotes for Republican legislation. He's the former Senate majority
leader and former House and Senate whip. He's also the author of a new memoir,
"Herding Cats."

The investigation of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff has taken many twists and turns. As investigators gauge the extent of Abramoff's influence with lawmakers of both parties, an associate of Abramoff's has pled guilty to conspiracy. Reporter Philip Shenon has been covering the case for The New York Times.

Actor Dennis Quaid's new film is a family comedy called Yours, Mine, and Ours. He first became famous for Breaking Away in 1979; he has starred in a slew of hit films since then. Quaid's resume includes The Right Stuff, The Big Easy, Innerspace, Great Balls Of Fire, Any Given Sunday, The Day After Tomorrow, and Far From Heaven.

Rock journalist Bob Spitz's new biography of the Beatles is decidedly not prettified: venereal disease, drugs, and bad business are all part of the story of the Fab Four. The book is The Beatles: The Biography.

Vatican reporter John Allen's new book is Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church. The book is billed as the first serious journalistic investigation of the highly secretive organization Opus Dei, an international association of Catholics.