Vollmann's latest book, "Fathers and Crows," is a historical novel that's part of his Seven Dreams Series. It's about "the spiritually charged wars of belief" between the Iriquois and French Jesuits in Canada from the 16th to 18th centuries. He's also written about Afghanistan and prostitution.
World music critic Milo Miles surveys the work of Caetano Veloso. Miles says that, of the musician's many albums, each features both knockout songs and slow bores. But that doesn't diminish from his cultural impact -- and ever improving output.
Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "American Mythologies" by Marshall Blonsky, which seeks to recover the meaning behind the totality of American cultural production, from fast food to news anchors to pornography. Corrigan admires the project, but says Blonsky doesn't seem to like or respect his subjects.
Cage died yesterday at the age of 79. The New York Times wrote that Cage "started a revolution by proposing that composers could jettison the musical language that had evolved over the last seven centuries, and in doing so he opened the door to Minimalism, performance art and virtually every other branch of the musical avant-garde." His compositions include spoken texts, radios, toys and the sounds of vegetables being chopped. In honor of his passing, we present highlights of his 1982 interview with Terry Gross.
Michael Duffy, the White House correspondent for Time Magazine, has just co-written the book "Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush." It's the first critical assessment of the Bush presidency. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the president's political and personal convictions, and how these are brought to bear on his governing.
Sheehan won a Pulitzer Prize for his best-selling book, "A Bright Shining Lie," about America's disastrous involvement in Vietnam. He was Vietnam correspondent for the New York Times during the war, and was the man who broke the Pentagon Papers story. His new book, "After the War was Over" is about his trip to Vietnam three years ago, the first time he'd been back since the fall of Saigon in 1975.
James Adams is the Washington bureau chief for the Sunday Times of London, and former Defense Correspondent. He's written several books, including, "Engines of War: Merchants of Death and the New Arms Race." He'll talk with guest host Marty Moss-Coane about the military options in Bosnia.
Professor of Slavic Languages at the University of Wisconsin Toma Longinovic. He is Serbian, but has been in the U.S. for about ten years. He still has family in Sarajevo. He'll talk with guest host Marty Moss-Coane about the history of Muslims in the region, and about his concerns for his family.
Morris's films include, "The Thin Blue Line," a movie credited with helping to free an innocent man from death row, and "Gates of Heaven." His latest film is "A Brief History of Time," about the work and life of physicist Stephen Hawking. Hawking has ALS, a muscle-wasting disease, which has taken away much of his ability to move. But his billiant mind has been untouched by the disease. Hawking wrote a book about the birth and fate of the universe that was a bestseller, "A Brief History of Time."
John Leonard reviews "The Emperor's Last Island," by Julia Blackburn, a history of Napoleon with frequent digressions about why that narrative is relevant to the author's life. Leonard says it's a compelling read because Blackburn herself is compelling.
Rock historian Ed Ward fills us in on the whereabouts of the eccentric musician Arthur Brown, known for his sole hit, "Fire." Brown just happens to live in the same Austin neighborhood as Ward.
The Army Major was one of few women held P.O.W. during the Gulf War. She's a physician and was on a search-and-rescue mission when the helicopter she was in was shot down by Iraqis. Five crew members were killed in the crash. Cornum and three others survived and were immediately taken prisoner by Iraqi soldiers. Cornum broke both arms and was sexually molested by one of her captors.
Jose is one of the most celebrated writers in the Philippines. His new book is a novella, "Three Filipino Women." Since 1965, Jose has presided over a bookstore in Manila, a gathering place for intellectuals. He publishes "Solidarity," a forum for authors worldwide. He's also founder and secretary-general for the Philippines PEN Center. He talks about the need for a stronger national identity in Filipino writing.
Film critic Stephen Schiff says "Unforgiven" is a return to form for the director; every aspect of the movie is excellent, from the acting to the screenplay.
DiCillo's new film is a strange comedy about a untalented musician and housepainter with a ridiculously high pompadour, and a love for Ricky Nelson. Docillo created the character for a one-man show he performed in New York. Before that, he was cinematographer for two of Jim Jarmusch's early films, "Stranger Than Paradise," and "Permanent Vacation."
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two new albums, one by the Black Crowes, and the other by the former drummer for the Replacements, Chris Mars. The Crowes can't break free from their 70s influences, but Mars uses his to shape something all his own.
Executive Director for the human rights group Asia Watch, Rakiya Omaar, will talk to Terry about the situation in Somalia where war and famine are killing thousands of people. Omaar has just returned from visits at refugee camps in Somalia and Ethiopia, where resources and services are scarce.
Journalist Andres Oppenheimer is the senior foreign correspondent for The Miami Herald. He spent more than five months in Cuba researching his new book, "Castro's Final Hour," which looks into how the country has been affected by the collapse of Soviet Union, which had provided ample material support to Castro's government.