Conduct of life - Humor; Self- destructive behavior - Humor; Health - Humor
Adam Wasson and Jessica Stamen discuss their book, “The Self-Destruction Handbook.” They begin by explaining that there are plenty of books that help readers to avoid self-destructive behavior and that is why they decided to help those who want...
World War, 1939-1945 - Music and the war; Berlin, Irving, 1888-1989. This is the Army
Alan Anderson discusses his book, “The Songwriter Goes to War.” He begins by explaining that after he was inducted into the army he was assigned the duties of a production stage manager and first sergeant of the detachment “This is the...
College teachers - Fiction; Loss (Psychology) - Fiction; Class reunions - Fiction; First loves - Fiction
Alan Lightman discusses his book, “Reunion.” He begins by explaining the plot, which follows the protagonist Charles who is a middle-aged professor at a second tier liberal arts college who magically witnesses a replay of his senior year of...
Boys - Fiction; Men - Fiction; Los Angeles (Calif.) - Fiction
Alan Rifkin discusses his book, “Signal Hill.” He begins by describing how living on the outskirts of Los Angeles inspired his stories. He talks about children of divorced families and the psychological trauma that they can grow up with. He...
Reproductive rights; Abortion, Legal - ethics; Freedom; Public Opinion; Sexual Behavior
Alexander Sanger discusses his book, “Beyond Choice.” He begins by explaining his family history and how he is the grandson of women’s activist Margaret Sanger, and he was the president of Planned Parenthood in New York City. He discusses...
Guevara, Ernesto, 1928-1967 - Fiction; Cuban American women - Fiction; Illegitimate children - Fiction; Mothers and daughters - Fiction; Americans - Cuba - Fiction; Revolutionaries - Fiction; Women - Cuba - Fiction; Birthmothers - Fiction; Miami...
Ana Menéndez discusses her novel, “Loving Che.” She begins by describing the use of photography in her book to give the story a non-fiction quality. She explains that “Loving Che” is about a young girl in Miami who wants to get to know...
Andrew Dornenburg discusses his cookbook, “The New American Chef.” He begins by explaining that American cuisine today includes many worldwide influences from different cultures. He specifically looks at the cuisines of Japan, Italy, Spain,...
Dixon, Thomas, 1864-1946; Dixon, Thomas, 1864-1946 - Film and video adaptations; Dixon, Thomas, 1864-1946 - Political and social views; Motion pictures - United States - History - 20th century; Authors, American - 20th century - Biography; Film...
Anthony Slide discusses his book, “American Racist.” He begins by explaining that his book chronicles the life and films of Thomas Dixon. He discusses how being born during the reconstruction period in the South shaped Dixon’s attitude and...
United States - Politics and government - 2001-; Fanaticism - United States; Right-wing extremists - United States; Political corruption - United States; Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946- - Ethics; Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-
Arianna Huffington discusses her book, “Fanatics and Fools.” She begins by explaining how she tried to use humor and satire in her book in an effort to engage readers and to try to avoid being “preachy.” She stresses the power of words and...
Corporate power; Organizational behavior; Success in business
Art Kleiner discusses his book, “Who Really Matters.” He begins by explaining the importance of a core group, an inner circle of elite members who make an organization run. He talks about several strategies for running a company, and that the...
Ben Sherwood discusses his novel, “The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a boy who makes a promise to his brother on their deathbeds to take care of each other. He talks about how his main...
Dating (Social customs) - Fiction; Skis and skiing; Ski resorts - Fiction; Short stories
Benjamin Weissman discusses his book of short stories, “Headless.” He begins by explaining that he divided the book into 4 parts and did the illustrations for each section too. He describes one of his stories “Marnie,” and talks about how...
Reagan, Ronald; Reagan, Nancy, 1923-; Presidents - United States - Biography; Actors - United States - Biography; Governors - California - Biography; Presidents’ spouses - United States - Biography
Bob Colacello discusses his book, “Ronnie and Nancy.” He begins by explaining that Nancy Reagan’s real name was actually Ann Francis and she was originally named after her aunt, but from a young age she was called Nancy. Colacello then...
Bridget Hughes discusses her book, “The Paris Review.” She begins by sharing that prior to George Plimpton’s death and her promotion to editor she had been a managing editor for "The Paris Review" and worked directly with Plimpton putting the...
Motion picture industry - Fiction; Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Fiction
Bruce Wagner discusses his novel, “Still Holding.” He begins by explaining that he grew up in Hollywood, CA and writes stories that explore the culture and heritage of the area. He describes the psychology of celebrity stalkers, look-a-likes,...
Murder - California - Case studies;
Deleon, Skylar, 1979-;
Hawks, Jackie, d. 2004;
Hawks, Thomas, d. 2004;
Homicide - California - Case studies
Caitlin Rother discusses her book, “Dead Reckoning.” She begins by explaining that her book is a case study about a murder in California. She talks about how Skylar Deleon killed Thomas and Jackie Hawks by throwing them off their yacht and...
Apartment houses - Fiction; Rich people - Fiction; Socialites - Fiction; Upper East Side (New York, N.Y.) - Fiction; Park Avenue (New York, N.Y.) - Fiction
Carrie Karasyov discusses the novel she co-wrote with Jill Kargman called, “The Right Address.” She begins by explaining that the book is about a newly married couple who moves into the most expensive apartment complex in New York City. She...
Parent and adult child - Fiction; Fathers and daughters - Fiction; Middle class men - Fiction; Middle-aged men - Fiction; Suburban life - Fiction; Air pilots - Fiction; Long Island (N.Y.) - Fiction
Chang-rae Lee discusses his book, “Aloft.” He begins by explaining that his book is about middle-aged people who suddenly find themselves unhappy with their lives. Martinson asks Lee to read a passage from the book about couples who fight...
Sinatra, Frank, 1915-1998; Singers - United States - Biography; Actors - United States - Biography
Charles Pignone discusses his book, “The Sinatra Treasures.” He begins by explaining how he met Frank Sinatra and became the president of his fan club. He talks about how his book is not a biography but rather a collection of memorabilia from...
Rap (Music) - History and criticism; Rap (Music) - Social aspects; Hip-hop; Hip-hop - Influence; Hip-hop - Social aspects; Hip-hop - United States
Cheryl L. Keyes discusses her book, “Rap Music and Street Consciousness.” She starts by describing the early history of rap and hip-hop music by explaining how it’s a combination of Caribbean beats with a traditional African...
