Terry Gross

Hostile womanizer, crack addict, New York Times journalist — David Carr has been all of those, sometimes simultaneously. For his memoir The Night of the Gun, Carr put on his investigative-reporter hat — to reconstruct his various sordid lives.

There are 100,000 private military contractors in Iraq. Mercenary John Geddes explains why he thinks this is a good thing. His new book Highway to Hell is an account of his experiences in Iraq as a soldier for hire.

Comedian and actor Bernie Mac died on August 9 due to complications from pneumonia. Mac was one of the original Kings of Comedy, and he starred in his own sitcom. In tribute, Mac's friend and co-star Don Cheadle says, "He will be missed but heaven just got funnier."