We read novels to escape. To relax. To learn. To travel to the places we'd never otherwise see. To be inspired by heroines and heroes. To be challenged to appreciate our lives and the lives of others in new ways. Fiction—like science—gives us a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

You know that Cormac McCarthy won the Pulitzer Prize for literature, but you may not know that he also has an interest in mathematics and science, which he engages as a research fellow at the Santa Fe Institute. Now you can join McCarthy's colleagues from SFI as they explore themes and issues raised in The Road.

• The End of the World: Extinction and Reemergence of Life
• The Struggle for Survival: Conflict and Creativity
• The Golden Rule: Selfishness and Altruism
• Nothing But the Truth: Honesty and Deception in a Complex World
• Like Father, Like Son: Genetic Conflict, Negotiation and Shared Fate
• Man vs. Nature: Co-evolution of Social and Ecological Networks

• Oprah's exclusive interview with Cormac McCarthy
• Deeper meaning in The Road
• Cormac McCarthy on luck and money