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President Barack Obama spoke to a joint session of Congress for the first time last night before a national audience. He outlined an ambitious plan to repair the national economy, and reemphasized his commitment to health care, and education as top priorities. But some Republicans are skeptical of Obama's agenda.

On Tuesday night, finalists for the National Book Awards read from their nominated works at The New School in New York City. The National Book Foundation will announce the winners Wednesday night.

There are countless biographies of Ernest Hemingway, but none of his beloved fishing boat, Pilar. A new book by Paul Hendrickson looks at the great writer's relationship with the boat.

Stubbs gave voice to emotion — to love, to hurt, to desire, to loneliness. Songs like "I Can't Help Myself," "Reach Out, I'll Be There" and "Baby I Need Your Lovin' " made him one of Motown's most recognizable voices. He died Friday in Detroit.

Science fiction's job is to give us a map of where we're headed. From Jules Verne to William Gibson, sci-fi authors describe their visions of the future, and how people might live in it. We ask Intel's futurist for his list of favorite sci-fi books.

The debate in Washington, says the former president, is "all about 'is the government good or bad or taxes always good or bad?' "

A dirty deed and official cover-up drive the plot in John le Carre's A Delicate Truth. The novel sets its sights on old-boy corruption and corporate criminality at the heart of the "Deep State," but critic Alan Cheuse finds this latest effort lacks the tension of le Carre's Cold War novels.

To some, Detroit may be a symbol of urban decay; but to journalist Charlie LeDuff, it's home. In Detroit: An American Autopsy, he says the city's heart beats on. "We're still here trying to reconstruct the great thing we once had," he tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies.

After the first long day of music and a big showcase, Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton, Ann Powers, and Stephen Thompson huddle up to break down the days events.

These are All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen's favorite albums of 2009, the records he looked to for comfort. This year, Bob needed songs with stories and melodies, not agitation or anger.

To Kill a Mockingbird and Valley of the Dolls have more in common than you think. In his new book Hit Lit, mystery writer James Hall argues that best-sellers from the past century share 12 features.

An accused drug dealer has turned the tables and helped prosecutors convict his defense lawyer of manufacturing evidence to help his case. The hard-nosed strategy is raising questions about whether the Justice Department is chilling the relationship between a defendant and his lawyer.