Allen Rucker discusses his book, “The Sopranos Family Cookbook.” He begins by explaining that the book is a real cookbook that is written from the point of view of Artie Bucco, the fictional character in the television series “The...
Iris Chang discusses her book, “The Chinese in America.” She begins by explaining that she has written other Chinese history books on the leaders of China and the silk trade. She talks about how the Chinese came to California during the gold...
Wharton, Edith, 1862-1937 - Appreciation - Fiction;
Women college teachers - Fiction;
English teachers - Fiction;
Biographers - Fiction;
Tarot - Fiction
Lynn Miller discusses her novel, “The Fool’s Journey.” She begins by explaining that her novel is about an associate professor who has an affair with the head of her department and gets fired from her job. She discusses the different jobs...
Vardon, Harry, 1870-1937;
Ouimet, Francis;
Golf - History
Mark Frost discusses his book, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” He begins by talking about one of the earliest golfers Harry Vardon and how he became the first British champion in golf. He discusses the life of another famous player, Francis...
Austin, Mike, 1910-;
Golfers - Biography - United States;
Teacher-student relationships - United States;
Swing (Golf)
Philip Reed discusses his book, “In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing: Chasing the Legend of Mike Austin, the Man Who Launched the World’s Longest Drive and Taught Me to Hit Like a Pro.” He begins by explaining that he worked with Mike...
Don Bachardy discusses his book, “Stars in My Eyes.” The book contains diary entries that were written during portrait sittings. Bachardy shares stories about Bette Davis, Alice Faye, Mia Farrow, Jill St. John, Vicente Minelli, Lawrence...
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790;
United States - Foreign relations - France;
France - Foreign relations - United States;
United States - Foreign relations - 1775-1783
Stacy Schiff discusses her book, “A Great Improvisation.” She begins by explaining the reasons Benjamin Franklin went to France to get support for the new American colonies. She talks about Franklin’s troubled relationship with his son, and...
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...
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...
Alexander, Shana;
Ager, Milton, 1893-1979;
Journalists - United States - Biography;
Musicians - United States - 20th century - Biography
Shana Alexander discusses her autobiography, “Happy Days.” She begins by explaining that she is the daughter of famous composer Milton Ager, and her mother was a screenwriter for MGM Studios. She talks about her early life and how her parents...
Roddy McDowall discusses his book, “Double Exposure, Take Four.” He begins by explaining that his book is a compilation of photographs he has taken of celebrities coupled with essays about them written by other famous people. He talks about...
Bible. O.T. - Antiquities - Fiction; Women archaeologists - Fiction; Archaeological thefts - Fiction; Christian antiquities - Fiction
Steve Shagan discusses his novel, “The Discovery.” He begins by explaining that his book is about two archaeologists who fall through a desert hole in Syria and find hidden temples. He talks about how this is a true story of how two...
Families - Fiction;
Mothers and daughters - Fiction;
Parent and adult child - Fiction
Rhea Kohan discusses her book, “Hand-Me-Downs.” She begins by explaining that her book is about four generations of women who bond through parenting and family instincts. She talks about her relationship with her own family and her mother’s...
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994; Watergate Affair, 1972-1974
Fred Emery discusses his book, “Watergate.” He begins by explaining that the book was written in conjunction with a television series about Richard Nixon’s Presidency and the Watergate scandal. He describes the Houston Plan, which allowed...
Pianists;
Pianists - United States - Biography;
Musicians - United States - Biography
Academy Award winning composer and pianist John Green discusses his life and plays selections from songs he’s composed. He begins by talking about his early life, and publishing his first song while studying at Harvard. He discusses his...
Jerry Pournelle discusses the novel he co-wrote with Larry Niven, “The Gripping Hand.” He begins by explaining that the book is a sequel to their best-selling science fiction novel, “The Mote in God’s Eye.” He talks about previous books...
Lawrence H. Schiffman discusses his book, “Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls.“ He begins by explaining that two boys who found the first scrolls in 1947, and since then eleven caves have been found in Qumran. He talks about how the caves were...
Juvenile delinquency - United States - Case studies;
Teachers - Training of - United States - Case studies;
Urban schools - United States
Mary MacCracken discusses her book, “City Kid.” She begins by explaining that her book is about her story of how she went back to college when in her 40s. She discusses the problems with age differences between her and her peers. She...
John Weitz discusses his novel, “Friends in High Places.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a young German man who finds himself immersed in the politics of the Nazi party. He talks about how the man cannot immigrate to the...
Women lawyers - Fiction;
Public prosecutors - Fiction;
New York (N.Y.) - Fiction
Sidney Sheldon discusses his book, “Rage of Angels.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a young woman who is a criminal lawyer for the mafia. He talks about the thorough research that he did for the book and how he got to...
