Women - Hawaii - Fiction; Leprosy - Patients - Fiction; Kalaupapa (Hawaii) - Fiction; Molokai (Hawaii) - Fiction
Alan Brennert discusses his novel, “Moloka’i.” He begins by explaining that the island of Moloka’i near Hawaii was designated as a colony for people who had leprosy. He follows the story of a young girl who has leprosy and her struggles...
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...
Cixi, Empress Dowager of China, 1835-1908 - Fiction; Empresses - Fiction; China - History - Guangxu, 1875-1908 - Fiction
Anchee Min discusses her book, “Empress Orchid.” She begins by explaining that the book is historical fiction and follows the life of Tsu Hsi, also known as, Orchid. Orchid was born a poor girl in rural China, later she became a royal concubine...
Rapture (Christian eschatology) - Fiction; Messiah - Prophecies - Fiction; Two thousand, A.D. - Fiction; End of the world - Fiction; Millennialism - Fiction; Armageddon - Fiction
Andrei Codrescu discusses his novel, “Messiah.” He begins by introducing his main characters and explains how his book is about Christian prophecies in New Orleans. He talks about his main character, a young girl who believes the words of a...
Women - California, Southern - Fiction;
Nineteen sixties - Fiction
Ann Darby discusses her novel, “The Orphan Game.” She begins by explaining that her book is about a family who must deal with their teenage daughter’s pregnancy. She talks about the connection of the young girl to older characters in the...
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...
Catherine Lanigan discusses her novel, “The Christmas Star.” She begins by explaining the phenomenon of the Christmas Star, which happens every 30 years when the moon is aligned with Venus and Mars. She describes how her book is about a man...
East Indian American women - Fiction; Mothers and daughters - Fiction; Divorced mothers - Fiction; Dreams - Fiction; California - Fiction; India - Fiction
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni discusses her novel, “Queen of Dreams.” She begins by explaining that the book is about a woman who finds out that her dead mother was a dream interpreter. She discusses the girl's close relationship with her...
Clarence M. Agress discusses his novel, “Spring Rain.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a young girl who is Chinese and Russian and is saved by an English soldier. He talks about the Chinese opium trade, and how leaders would...
Los Angeles (Calif.) - Fiction;
Architecture - Fiction
Delacorta discusses his book, “Vida.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a man who falls in love with a young girl named Alba. He talks about his main character Vida, a housekeeper who decides to become an assassin. He describes...
Los Angeles (Calif.) - Fiction; Women journalists - Fiction; Diamond, Eve (Fictitious character) - Fiction
Denise Hamilton discusses her book, “Sugar Skull.” She begins by explaining that this book is part of her Eve Diamond crime novel series. The book’s plot follows “Los Angeles Times” reporter Eve Diamond as she investigates the murder of...
African American women - Fiction; Civil rights movements - Fiction; Young women - Fiction; Southern States - Fiction
Denise Nicholas discusses her novel, “Freshwater Road.” She begins by explaining the plot of her book about a teenage girl who joins a theater group in Mississippi during 1964. The book describes the tensions and changes that were happening...
Fathers and daughters - Fiction; Women biographers - Fiction; Remarried people - Fiction; New York (N.Y.) - Fiction; Georgia - Fiction
Eileen Goudge discusses her novel, “Blessing in Disguise.” She begins by talking about how her book is a story of two women who met when they were children and one girl’s father murders the other. She talks about how her husband is the...
Women theatrical producers and directors - Fiction; Theatrical companies - Fiction; Advice columnists - Fiction; Middle-aged men - Fiction; Young women - Fiction; Theater - Fiction; East Village (New York, N.Y.) - Fiction
Francesca Delbanco discusses her novel, “Ask Me Anything.” She begins by explaining that her book is about a young girl who moves to New York City and writes a teen advice column. Her character gives bad romance advice because her...
Francine Ward discusses her book, “Esteemable Acts.” She begins by sharing her background. She discusses how she used to be a drug addict, an alcoholic and a call girl, but then she turned her life around, graduated from Georgetown University...
Missing persons - Fiction; Arab-Israeli conflict - Fiction; Palestinian Arabs - Fiction; Jews - United States - Fiction; Los Angeles (Calif.) - Fiction
Gloria Miklowitz discusses her book, “The Enemy Has a Face.” She begins by talking about the conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian people in the Middle East. She discusses her characters in the book and how a young girl goes on a...
World War, 1939-1945 - France - Fiction; Revenge - Fiction; Betrayal - Fiction; Man-woman relationships - Fiction
Jacqueline Briskin discusses her book, “The Naked Heart.” Briskin talks about the two protagonists, Ann, an American girl, and her friend, Gilberte, the daughter of French nobility. Briskin describes the French climate during World War II and...
Lisa Fugard discusses her novel, “Skinner’s Drift.” She begins by explaining that the book is about a young girl who grows up in South Africa in the 1980s and then comes back later in life. Fugard talks about her own personal experience...
Love, Maternal - Fiction; Mothers and sons - Fiction; India - Fiction
Manil Suri discusses his novel, “The Age of Shiva.” He begins by explaining that he wrote this book from the point-of-view of a 17 year old girl who seduces her older sister’s boyfriend. The girl goes from living in a very liberal household...
Karr, Mary - Childhood and youth; Poets, American - 20th century - Biography; Teenage girls - Texas - Biography; Teenagers - Drug use - Texas; Texas - Social life and customs
Mary Karr discusses her memoir, “Cherry.” She explains how the book is the story of a girl’s sexual coming of age and is a sequel to her first memoir, “The Liar’s Club.” Karr shares the difficulties of growing up during the 1960s in...
