Anne Roiphe was a National Book Award finalist for Fruitful and is also the author of Up the Sandbox. She has written for Vogue, Elle, The New York Times and other news organizations, and lives in New York City. Mary Ellen Mark hide caption

Mat Johnson is the author of several novels and graphic novels including Drop, Hunting in Harlem and Incognegro. Johnson is a faculty member at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program and lives in Texas with his wife and children. Meera Bowman Johnson. hide caption

David Cassidy, star of the television show The Partridge Family, walks down a road in London in 1974. Allison Pearson's new novel I Think I Love You tells the story of a teenage girl in love with the American pop singer. Ellidge/Ellidge/ Getty Images hide caption

Amy Chua is the author of two books on globalization and democracy and is a professor at Yale Law School. Courtesy Penguin Press/ hide caption

This undated photo shows William Trevor, author of Cheating at Canasta, Love and Summer and other collections and novels. Jerry Bauer/AP hide caption

Laura Hillenbrand is also the author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend. The book inspired the Academy Award-nominated film Seabiscuit. Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

Dinaw Mengestu is also the author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1978, he moved with his family to the United States in 1980. David Burnett hide caption

In a now famous moment during the 2008 presidential primaries, Hillary Clinton fought back tears after an undecided voter asked her how she managed to keep at it, day after day. Above, Clinton responds to a reporter's question about that uncharacteristic display of emotion. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption