Janet Leigh discusses the book, “The American Film Institute Desk Reference.” She quotes Clint Eastwood who wrote the introduction of the book, which covers film history, notable people and places, film terms and expressions, film preservation,...
Leonard Wolf discusses his novel, “The False Messiah.” He begins by explaining that his book takes place in the year 1630 and follows a real man named Shabbethai Tzevi who believed he was the second coming of the Messiah. He describes the...
Marlene Masini Rathgeb discusses her book, “Success Signs.” She begins by explaining that she started practicing astrology as a hobby and wrote this book to help others. She talks about how she was given her own radio show, and would predict...
Historical fiction - Authorship; Novelists, American - 20th century - Interviews; Michener, James A. (James Albert), 1907-1997 - Interviews
Lawrence Grobel discusses his book, “Talking with Michener.” Grobel begins by explaining that the book is a product of several interviews that took place between 1980 and 1997 between Michener and Grobel. Within these interviews Michener...
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994; Reagan, Ronald; Israel
Gore Vidal discusses his book, “At Home.” He begins by explaining how the book is a compilation of twenty-four of his essays. The essays cover a six-year span and deal with controversial topics such as his plea that the United States make...
Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974; Air pilots - United States - Biography
A. Scott Berg discusses his book, “Lindbergh.” He explains that the book is a biography of the life and career of the legendary aviator, Charles Lindbergh. Berg shares stories concerning the detailed research that he conducted in order to write...
Loss (Psychology); Self-actualization (Psychology)
Judith Viorst discusses her book, “Necessary Losses: The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies and Impossible Expectations that All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow.” She says she studied at a psychoanalytic institute and talks about great...
Alvin Toffler discusses his book, “War and Anti-War.” He begins by explaining that the book deals with the topics of war and peace. He argues that the way humans go about obtaining wealth often leads to war. He points to the relation between...
United States - Foreign relations - 1981-1989; United States - Politics and government - 981-1989 - Decision making; United States - Politics and government - 1981-1989; Presidents - United States - Biography; Reagan, Ronald
Richard Reeves discusses his book, “President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination.” Reeves begins the interview by explaining that the book is a literary portrait of President Ronald Reagan. To research Reagan and his presidency, Reeves utilized...
New Orleans (La.) - Fiction; Free African Americans - Fiction; African American men - Fiction; January, Benjamin (Fictitious character) - Fiction
Barbara Hambly discusses her book, “Graveyard Dust.” She begins by explaining the local history of New Orleans, which serves as the backdrop for her novel. Hambly details the racial and cultural history of the antebellum period and the world in...
United States - Social conditions - 21st century; Popular culture - United States; Men - United States; Women - United States; Feminism - United States; Man-woman relationships - United States; Sex role - United States
Maureen Dowd discusses her book, “Are Men Necessary?: When Sexes Collide.” The book is a compilation of nine essays. In each essay, Dowd examines the current state of feminism from a different angle. She explains that the book covers a plethora...
Bart Kosko discusses his book, “Noise.” He begins by explaining that the book examines the phenomenon of noise and its scientific history. Kosko discusses how noise occurs at every level of the physical universe, ranging from the big bang to...
Mark Barondess discusses his book, “What Were You Thinking??” He begins by explaining that he wrote the book with the intention of being candid about the realities of marriage and divorce. He shares his opinions on topics such as prenuptial...
Dr. Robin Cook discusses his book, “Seizure.” He begins by detailing the plot of the novel, which deals with the topic of stem cell research. The main character of the book, Lowell, is a professor at Harvard who decides to develop his own...
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’...
Advertising - Fashion; Clothing and dress - Erotic aspects; Clothing and dress - Symbolic aspects; Women’s clothing - History; Lingerie – History
Jill Fields discusses her book, “An Intimate Affair.” She begins by explaining that the book examines twentieth-century women’s history via the history of twentieth-century lingerie. To research the book she explains how she examined fashion...
Public schools - United States - Case studies; Gretchen Whitney High School (Cerritos, Calif.)
Edward Humes discusses his book, “School of Dreams.” He begins by explaining that the book is an exploration of successful American schools. To write the book Edward Humes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, spent a year at Gretchen Whitney...
Jesus Christ - Example; Jesus Christ - Person and offices; Christianity - Forecasting
Harvey Cox discusses his book, “When Jesus Came to Harvard.” He begins by explaining that the inspiration for the book originated from an undergraduate course he taught at Harvard about moral decision making called “Jesus and the Moral...
Motion picture actors and actresses - United States - Biography - Dictionaries; Silent films - United States - History and criticism
Anthony Slide discusses his book, “Silent Players.” He begins by explaining that he first became interested in silent films in the 1960s. He then explores some of the actors and actresses that he writes about in his book, including May Marsh,...
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...
