This volume presents biographical information on contemporary figures making headlines in a variety of fields, including entertainment, government, literature, music, pop culture, science, and sports.

Includes index.

Content includes: Mahmoud Abbas -- Iyad Allawi -- Julia Alvarez -- Lance Armstrong -- Christian Bale -- Kristen Bell -- Carlos Beltran -- Pope Benedict XVI -- Gail Berman -- Meg Cabot -- Ryan Cabrera -- Nick Cannon -- John Carmack -- Hugo Chavez -- Richard Clarke -- Eileen Collins -- Luisa Diogo -- Sharon Draper -- Jamie Foxx -- Deborah Gregory -- Freddie Highmore -- Scarlett Johansson -- JoJo -- Cynthia Kadohata -- Hamid Karzai -- and Rem Koolhaas.