| 100% | ALZARQAWI | 9 | Subject of the 2008 book "How to Break a Terrorist" |
| 45% | ROGET | 5 | Subject of the 2007 biography subtitled "The Man Who Became a Book" |
| 45% | READTHISGRIDINBRAILLE | 21 | How to get a message out of the boxes |
| 44% | ABCS | 4 | Subject of a book that goes from apple to zebra |
| 42% | APPENDIX | 8 | A section added to the end of a book |
| 42% | BIRDSANDBEES | 12 | Subject of "the talk" about sex … or a hint to the answers to the four starred clues |
| 42% | BRANDO | 6 | Subject of the 2008 biography "Somebody" |
| 42% | MLK | 3 | Deliverer of the speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," for short |
| 41% | NEHEMIAH | 8 | Book of the Bible named after a cupbearer to Persian king Artaxerxes |
| 41% | KWANZAA | 7 | Subject of the 2008 documentary "The Black Candle" |
| 41% | OLDMACDONALD | 12 | Subject of a children's song associated with the vowels in the answer to each starred clue |
| 41% | VICIOUSCYCLES | 13 | Hard patterns to break ... or a punny description of the climbs up the circled letters |
| 41% | ODE | 3 | A lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject |
| 40% | FOLIO | 5 | Sheet of paper folded to make the pages of a book |
| 40% | PELOSI | 6 | Subject of the 2008 biography "Woman of the House" |
| 40% | HISS | 4 | Subject of the book "Perjury" |
| 40% | LUTHERAN | 8 | One subject to a religious ban from the 1521 Edict of Worms |
| 40% | WAINWRIGHT | 10 | Alfred —, author of book series A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells |
| 40% | WISDOM | 6 | Subject of the Book of Proverbs |
| 40% | EARHART | 7 | Subject of the book "Last Flight" |
| 40% | CIA | 3 | Subject of the 2007 book "Sabotage" |
| 39% | H&RBLOCK | 8 | Subject of the Final Jeopardy! question that knocked out Ken Jennings after a record 74 wins ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 39% | PALIN | 5 | Subject of the 2011 book "The Rogue" |
| 39% | EDSEL | 5 | Subject of the book "Disaster in Dearborn" |
| 39% | ALVINAILEY | 10 | Subject of the 2004 book "Dancing Revelations" |
| 39% | SPUTNIK | 7 | Subject of the book "Red Moon Rising" |
| 39% | ENRON | 5 | Subject of the 2003 book "Power Failure" |
| 39% | ASEXUALITY | 10 | Subject of the Angela Chen book "Ace" |
| 39% | KARLROVE | 8 | Subject of the book "Bush's Brain" |
| 39% | PERES | 5 | Subject of the biography "Road to Peace" |