Micheline Aharonian Marcom discusses her novel, “The Daydreaming Boy.” She begins by talking about why she decided to write the book from a man’s point of view during the Armenian genocide. She discusses life in Beirut in the early 1960s...
Wolff, Tobias, 1945- - Childhood and youth; Authors, American - 20th century - Biography
Tobias Wolff discusses his book, “This Boy’s Life: A Memoir.” Wolff describes his mother and their travels to the Utah uranium mines and her abusive partners. He talks about his brother, Geoffrey, and fabricating documents when he was...
African American neighborhoods - Fiction; Color blindness in children - Fiction; African Americans - Fiction; Dysfunctional families - Fiction; Race relations - Fiction; Children, White - Fiction; Boys - Fiction
Andrew Winer discusses his novel, “The Color Midnight Made.” He begins by explaining that his novel is about a young boy who is a victim of child abuse and befriends a blind boy. Martinson asks Winer to read a passage from the book about how...
Problem children - United States - Biography; Hawthorne - Cedar Knolls School; Stringer, Lee
Lee Stringer discusses his novel, “Sleepaway School,” in which he recounts both his years at Hawthorne Cedar Knolls, a school for children at risk, and the years and events that landed him there. He explains how growing up poor and black in a...
Michael Chabon discusses his book, “Wonder Boys.” Martinson begins by defining the term “wonder boy.” Chabon goes on to describe the storyline and the characters, Grady Tripp, an aging wonder boy, and his student, James Leer. Chabon's...
Motion picture industry - Fiction;
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Fiction
Robert W. Cort discusses his novel, “Action!” He begins by explaining that the book covers the years between 1948 and 1998 in Hollywood. He talks about how he did research for his book at the Library of the Motion Picture Academy. He...
Women deans (Education) - Fiction;
Class reunions - Fiction;
Serial murderers - Fiction;
Adopted children - Fiction;
Cornwall on Hudson (N.Y.) - Fiction;
Reilly, Regan (Fictitious character) - Fiction;
Women private investigators - California - Los...
Mary Higgins Clark discusses her book, “Nighttime Is My Time,” and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark talks about her book, “Popped.” Mary describes how her novel is about a boy who gets bullied in high school and how people start dying...
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...
Alain Elkann discusses his novel, “Piazza Carignano.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a young Italian man who finds out that his uncle was a Fascist and a Jew. He describes why many Italian Jews went to Concentration Camps. ...
Aljean Harmetz discusses her novel, “Off the Face of the Earth.” She begins by explaining that her book is about a young boy who gets kidnapped. She talks about how her book is a suspense thriller which emphasizes the mother/child...
White, Ryan - Health - Juvenile literature;
White, Ryan;
AIDS (Disease) - Patients - Indiana - Biography - Juvenile literature;
AIDS (Disease) - Patients
Jeanne White discusses her son’s autobiography, “Ryan White: My Own Story.” She begins by explaining that her son was Ryan White, a young boy who was diagnosed with AIDS and became an activist during his life. She talks about how her son...
Williams, Jim, d. 1990;
Trials (Murder) - Georgia - Savannah;
Savannah (Ga.) - Social life and customs;
Savannah (Ga.) - History
John Berendt discusses his book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” He begins by explaining that his book is about Jim Williams, a famous Georgian who was also convicted of murdering a young boy. He discusses how he ended up in...
British - Arizona - Fiction; Fathers and daughters - Fiction; Deserts - Fiction; Arizona - Fiction
Susan Elderkin discusses her book, “Sunset Over Chocolate Mountains.” She describes the characters, Theobald, an overweight mama’s boy from England, and Jersey, an oddball that meets Theobald in Arizona. Elderkin also describes Tibor, an...
Motion picture industry - Fiction; Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Fiction; United States - Social life and customs - 20th century - Fiction
Budd Schulberg discusses his book, “What Makes Sammy Run?” He describes the character, Sammy Glick, and his life starting as a copy boy and then becoming a Hollywood screenwriter. Schulberg then talks about feminists’ views of the...
Teenagers - Maine - Biography; Camps - Maine; Maine - Biography
Mindy Schneider discusses her book, “Not a Happy Camper.” Schneider describes her time at camp and her dream of meeting a boy and getting kissed. She talks about the rigid, structured camp in Maine and a bunkmate. Schneider tells a story of...
United States - Emigration and immigration - Case studies; Honduras - Emigration and immigration - Case studies; Illegal aliens - United States - Social conditions - Case studies; Immigrant children - United States - Social conditions - Case...
Sonia Nazario discusses her book, “Enrique’s Journey.” She begins by explaining that the book is the true story of a young boy named Enrique who travels from Honduras to the United States to find his mother. Nazario explains that when Enrique...
Jews - Persecutions - Russia - History - 19th century; Jewish soldiers - Russia - History - 19th century; Jewish children - Government policy - Russia - History - 19th century; Russia - Armed Forces - Recruiting, enlistment, etc. - History - 19th...
Larry Domnitch discusses his book, “The Cantonists.” He begins by explaining the name of the book and how the cantonists were a group of Jewish boy soldiers who were forced to fight for the Russian army under Tsar Nicholas I. He then goes...
African American women - Conduct of life; Virtues; Kwanzaa
Terrie Williams discusses her book, “A Plentiful Harvest.” She begins with a story about her personal life as a successful businesswoman, and how she longed for something more. She goes into detail about how people who appear happy can feel...
Damian McNicholl discusses his novel, “A Son Called Gabriel.” He begins by talking about how the story opens on a young Irish boy named Gabriel, who gets bullied at school for playing with girls. He describes the relationships among...
Annakin, Ken; Motion picture producers and directors - Great Britain - Biography
Ken Annakin discusses his book, “So You Wanna Be a Director.” He begins by explaining how he traveled all around Europe as a child, and got his first movie role as a member of a boy’s choir. He started his film career by doing propaganda...
