AIDS (Disease) - Social aspects - Tennessee - Johnson City; Physicians - Tennessee - Johnson City - Biography
Abraham Verghese discusses his book, "My Own Country: A Doctor's Story of a Town and its People in the Age of AIDS." The non-fiction story is about his experiences as a doctor in Johnson City, Tennessee and dealing with his patients who...
Amy Wallace discusses the book she co-wrote with her family, “The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People.” She begins by explaining how she collected information on the quirks and peculiarities of famous people, and decided to make a book out of...
Stanwyck, Barbara, 1907-1990;
Motion picture actors and actresses - United States - Biography
Axel Madsen discusses his biography, “Stanwyck.” He begins by explaining the early life of actress Barbara Stanwyck, including her sudden rise to fame. He talks about meeting her and how her personality differed from her on-screen persona. ...
Blair, Betsy, 1923-2009; Motion picture actors and actresses - United States - Biography
Betsy Blair discusses her book, “The Memory of All That.” She begins by describing the beginning of her career in New Jersey dancing in a chorus line. It was during this time in her life that she met, then choreographer, Gene Kelly whom she...
Women - India - Calcutta - Fiction; Sisters - Fiction; Calcutta (India) - Fiction
Bharati Mukherjee discusses her book, “Desirable Daughters.” She begins by describing the plot of the book, which focuses on the lives of three Indian sisters, two of whom live in the United States and one in Bombay, India. Mukherjee explains...
Davis, Sammy, 1925-1990; Entertainers - United States - Biography
Burt Boyar discusses the life of his friend Sammy Davis Jr. and talks about Davis’s autobiography, “Sammy.” Boyar describes how he and his late wife Jane decided to contribute new material to “Sammy” after the death of their long-time...
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...
Rogers, Roy, 1911-1998; Rogers, Dale Evans; Rogers-Barnett, Cheryl, 1940-; Actors - United States - Biography; Singers - United States - Biography
Cheryl Rogers-Barnett discusser her autobiography, “Cowboy Princess.” She begins by explaining that she is the daughter of television stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. She was adopted from Roy’s first marriage but grew up in the household...
Children of interfaith marriage - Germany - Biography;
Jews - Germany - History - 1933-1945;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) - Germany - Personal narratives;
Germany - Biography
Cynthia Crane discusses her book, “Divided Lives.” She begins by explaining how she studied in Germany and wanted to interview people who were half Jewish and half Christian. She describes her own personal experience finding out that her...
Dale Peck discusses his novel, “The Law of Enclosures,” that describes his life. The book opens with two characters, Beatrice and Henry, who met in college, and are completely in love with each other. It continues on with the story of their...
Dan Fesperman discusses his book, “The Warlord’s Son.” He begins by sharing that what fascinated him the most about the tribal wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, of which he writes, is the timelessness of it. He explains the role and life of a...
David Ebershoff discusses his novel, “Pasadena.” He begins by describing the setting of his book and how he wanted to represent California’s rural and industrial history during the Depression Era. He introduces his characters: German...
Henry VIII, King of England, 1491-1547 - Marriage; Marriages of royalty and nobility - Great Britain - History - 16th century; Queens - Great Britain - Biography; Great Britain - History - Henry VIII, 1509-1547 - Biography
David Starkey discusses his biography, “Six Wives.” He begins by explaining the history of Great Britain’s king Henry VIII, and talks about how his book is being turned into a television film. Starkey begins by talking about Henry VIII’s...
United States - Biography; Kennedy family; Fitzgerald family
Doris Kearns Goodwin discusses her book, “The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys.” Goodwin begins by explaining that the book is an analysis of two immigrant families, their rise to power, how they became political dynasties, and the marriage that...
Mothers and daughters - Fiction; Women novelists - Fiction; Ireland - Fiction
Edna O’Brien discusses her book, “The Light of Evening.” She talks about Ireland’s fertility and her relationship with her mother and the influence of writing and literature in her life. O’Brien also discusses the impact of success on a...
Jong, Erica; Authors, American - 20th century - Biography
Erica Jong discusses her autobiography, “Seducing the Demon.” She begins by talking about how she wrote her famous book, “Fear of Flying.” She talks about how she wrote that book during graduate school, and discusses people’s responses...
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Fiction; Motion picture industry - Fiction
Gigi Levangie Grazer discusses her novel, “Maneater.” She begins by talking about the inspiration for her book and how she takes notes while having lunch with her friends in Hollywood. Martinson asks Grazer to read a passage from the...
Harold S. Kushner discusses his book, “Overcoming Life’s Disappointments.” He begins by explaining that he is a rabbi and a marriage counselor at his synagogue. He talks about God’s promise to never abandon his people in difficult times. ...
Marriage - United States; Family - United States; United States - Social conditions - 1980-
James Q. Wilson discusses his book, “The Marriage Problem: How Our Culture Has Weakened Families." Wilson talks about cohabitation and the likelihood of divorce for individuals who cohabit before marriage. He also discusses the children of...
Communism;
Anti-communist movements;
Anti-communist movements - United States - History
John Stockwell discusses his book, “Red Sunset.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a couple who has a troubled marriage while living in Africa. He talks about how he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and his connections...
