John Eliot discusses his book, “Overachievement.” He begins by discussing how he served as a consultant to Rice University’s Baseball team who won the National Championship in 2003. He explains that as the team’s consultant he helped the...
Marijuana industry - California - Fiction; Businesspeople - California - Fiction; Park, Mungo, 1771-1806 - Fiction; Discoveries in geography - Fiction; Explorers - Fiction; Africa, West - Fiction; United States - Social life and customs - 20th...
T. Coraghessan Boyle discusses three of his books, “Greasy Lake & Other Stories,” “Water Music,” and “Budding Prospects: A Pastoral.” In “Greasy Lake & Other Stories,” Boyle asks what would it have been like if Dwight D. Eisenhower...
Joseph Maciariello discusses his revised edition of Peter Drucker’s book, “Management.” Maciariello shares that he was Peter Drucker’s colleague at Claremont Graduate University. He says good intentions are simply not enough and that one...
Marshall, Thurgood, 1908-1993; United States. Supreme Court - Biography; Judges - United States - Biography; Civil rights workers - United States - Biography
Juan Williams discusses his book, “Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary.” He says he interviewed Marshall in 1989 and part of 1990. Williams talks about quality neighborhood schools and desegregation and believes separate but equal is...
African American families - Fiction;
African American women - Fiction;
Mothers and daughters - Fiction;
Cane River Region (La.) - Fiction;
Louisiana - Fiction
Lalita Tademy discusses her novel, “Cane River.” She begins by explaining that her book is based on the story of her ancestors who were enslaved in Louisiana. She talks about the different generations of women who were all raised in the same...
World War, 1939-1945 - Washington (D.C.); World War, 1939-1945 - Personal narratives, American; Washington (D.C.) - History
David Brinkley discusses his book, “Washington Goes to War.” Brinkley talks about the singer, Marian Anderson, and the protests of Howard University students. He then describes Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency and the Unites States’...
Leora Krygier discusses her book, “When She Sleeps.” She begins by explaining the plot of the book and introducing the American and Vietnamese characters. Martinson asks Krygier to read a passage from the beginning of the novel. Krygier then...
McCourt, Frank; High school teachers - New York (State) - New York - Biography; Irish Americans - Biography
Frank McCourt discusses his autobiography, “Teacher Man.” He begins by explaining that he wrote the bestselling book, “Angela’s Ashes,” and talks about the importance of writing about one’s own life. He discusses how he got his...
John Allen Paulos discusses his book, “A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market.” He begins by discussing how people advertise stocks on the Internet. He talks about his decision to write the book after being involved in the WorldCom scandal,...
Hal Ackerman discusses his book, “Write Screenplays that Sell: The Ackerman Way.” Ackerman says screenwriting takes a lot of time and effort and that stories come from the character’s desires. He talks about the accomplishments of some of...
Denny Miller discusses his book, "Didn't You Used to Be What's His Name?" He shares that he played football while he was in the military and that a theatrical agent handed him his card while he was a furniture mover. Miller says he was given...
Freedman, Eleanor, 1924-1974; Hatkin family; Jews - New York (State) - New York - Biography; Cancer - Patients - New Jersey - Highland Park - Biography; Bronx (New York, N.Y.) - Biography; New York (N.Y.) - Biography; Highland Park (N.J.) -...
Samuel Freedman discusses his book, “Who She Was.” He begins by discussing his reasons for writing the book. He shares that his mother died when he was a teenager and he later decided to research her life because he did not know that she had...
Susan Orlean discusses her book, “The Orchid Thief.” She begins by explaining that it is illegal to collect wild orchids ever since the CITES treaty was signed, which declared orchids endangered. She then explores the idea of creating life by...
Plath, Sylvia - Fiction; Hughes, Ted, 1930-1998 - Fiction; Americans - England - Fiction; Mother and child - Fiction; Authors’ spouses - Fiction; Separated people - Fiction; Women poets - Fiction; Storms - Fiction; Poets - Fiction; London...
Kate Moses discusses her book, “Wintering.” She begins by explaining that the book is a novel about Sylvia Plath and her life. Moses explores the difficulty of being both an artist and a mother and how Plath struggled to balance these two roles...
Presidential candidates - Fiction; Assassination - Fiction; Intelligence service - Fiction; Political crimes and offenses - Fiction
Gary H. Grossman discusses his novel, “Executive Actions.” He begins by explaining the role of Russian sleeper agents in America and how many have stayed in the United States after The Cold War. He also talks about how Andropov University set...
Leadership - Moral and ethical aspects; Leadership - Psychological aspects; Power (Social sciences); Immorality
Jean Lipman-Blumen discusses her book, “The Allure of Toxic Leaders.” She begins by talking about her teaching position at the Peter Drucker School of Business at the Claremont Graduate University. She explains how people are naturally drawn...
Treatments (Motion pictures, television, etc.); Motion picture authorship; Television authorship
Michael Halperin discusses his book, “Writing the Killer Treatment.” He begins by explaining several ways a screenwriter can adapt a novel into a film, and how characters can be altered from the book to the movie. He talks about his personal...
Sally Hemings, an American scandal (Television program)
Tina Andrews discusses her book, “Sally Hemings, an American Scandal.” She begins by explaining that Sally Hemings was one of Thomas Jefferson’s slaves and the two had a love affair and 5 illegitimate children together. Andrews talks about...
East Indians - Malaysia - Fiction; Immigrants - Malaysia - Fiction; Upper class families - Fiction; Malaysia - Fiction
Preeta Samarasan discusses her novel, “Evening is the Whole Day.” She begins by explaining that this is the revised version of the book she published while she was a writing student at the University of Michigan. She talks about how she...
Labor unions and communism - United States - History; Labor unions - Political activity - United States; United States - Politics and government
Maurice Zeitlin discusses his book, “Left Out.” He begins by talking about his career as a sociology professor at University of California at Los Angeles. He discusses the CIO, Congress of Industrial Organizations, which was a group of unions...
