Books & Literature

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the classic compendium of health information for women--which she says is as important today as it was when it was first published two decades ago.

Young has been accused of not truly reflecting the black experience in his writing because he is not militant. Instead. Young employs humor as means of protest. He often bases his characters on parodies of white stereotypes of black people. He is most noted for his poetry and novels, but has also written musical memoirs and screenplays. His new book is "Heaven: Collected Poems 1956-1990."

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Ripley Under Water," a new crime novel by Patricia Highsmith -- her fifth featuring debonair con man Tom Ripley.

Dershowitz is one of America's most famous attorneys. He has defended Claus Von Bulow, Mike Tyson, Leona Helmsely, and many other well-known figures. Dershowitz has a reputation for being controversial and out-spoken. He refuses to align himself on the right or the left, but considers himself a civil libertarian. He has written a new book, "Contrary to Popular Opinion," which examines the most difficult legal, political and moral problems of our era.

Lessing is the author of more than thirty books, including, "The Fifth Child" and "The Golden Notebook." She grew up in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), but was exiled for twenty-five years when she began to speak out against the oppressive white-ruled government. Lessing has just written a new book, "African Laughter," a personal story about the trips she took to Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1992.

All Things Considered host Noah Adams. After dropping out of college he began his radio career as a DJ. He was also a car salesman. Adams came to National Public Radio over twenty years ago as a writer and tape editor; he started working for "All Things Considered" soon after he was hired. His new book, "Noah Adams on All Things Considered," discusses his involvement with ATC and how the show and his journalistic style have changed.

Children's book author John Scieszka's first book was "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," a retelling of the classic tale told from the perspective of the big bad wolf. He and illustrator Lane Smith have created several books under their Time Warp Trio editions. The latest is "The Good, The Bad, and the Goofy," a cowboys-and-Indians story written for boys, and "The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales," written for "hardcore silly kids."

Coontz has just written the book, "The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap." She uses historical evidence to dismantle the myths about so-called "family values." She says that many of the family problems prevelent today have always been around, and that the survival of the family depends on recognizing and dealing with diversity.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "African Laughter," Lessing's memoir of the four times she visited the country of her birth--now called Zimbabwe--and her impressions of its changing social and political climate.

Greer came into the spotlight in 1970 with her controversial book, "The Female Eunuch." Since then, she has written many books dealing with women's issues and is widely thought of as one of the forbearers of the women's movement. Her new book, "The Change," challenges accepted beliefs about female aging and menopause.

Paulsen is a prolific writer of children's books. He began writing over twenty years ago, when he was coming to terms with his alcoholism. For many years he and his wife lived in poverty in rural Minnesota. This changed when Paulsen won the Newberry Award for children's fiction in 1985 with "Dogsong." His most recent adult book is "Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass." It celebrates American farm life and recounts the activities of a multigenerational farm family.

The novelist is best known for his books for adults--A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, The Crown of Columbus, which he wrote with his wife, writer Louise Erdrich, and The Broken Cord, about his adopted son's struggle with fetal alcohol syndrome. His latest book, Morning Girl, is for children. It's about the Taino, the 15th century Native Americans Columbus first encountered

Maureen Corrigan, who is a lapsed Catholic herself, reviews the book Catholic Girls, a collection of essays by other lapsed Catholics. The writers' feelings about being raised Catholic range from nostalgic to angry.

Williams is a a writer and naturalist-in-residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History. Born a Utah Mormon, Williams has written several books about the environment and the West, such as "Coyote's Canyon" and "Earthly Messengers." Her most recent book, "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place," concerns her mother's unsuccessful battle with cancer and the flooding of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge by the rising Great Salt Lake waters.

After nine years of stand-up comedy, Reynolds wrote a one-man show based on his life, called "Only the Truth is Funny." After ten months of sold-out shows, he was discovered by the agents to Woody Allen and David Letterman. He then moved his show to New York City. His new book is based on his solo show.

Pekarkova emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1985. She has worked in New York as a cab driver for four years. Her novel "Truck Stop Rainbows: A Road Novel," was published this year. lt deals with a rebellious young woman in communist Czechoslovakia who hitchhikes around the country, trying to raise money to buy a wheelchair for her invalid friend.

Kirn was raised a Mormon on a Minnesota farm, and has been an editor for "Vanity Fair" and "Spy" magazines. His first collection of stories, "My Hard Bargain," was published two years ago. His most recent book, "She Needed Me," is about religion and redemption.

Professor of Political Science John Schwarz of the University of Arizona has just co-written a new book called "The Forgotten Americans: Thirty Million Working Poor in the Land of Opportunity." The authors challenge conventional wisdom: they found that the working poor are neither uneducated nor unskilled, that they encompass all age, ethnic, and racial groups in the U.S.; and that the situation can't necessarily be blamed on declines in domestic manufacturing or decreases in industrial productivity.

John Leonard reviews Ellroy's "White Jazz," the final installment of his tetralogy of crime novels. The story reveals the darkest elements of Los Angeles life in the 1950s.

Judis was a radical in the Sixties, and came to appreciate the intellectualism and dialogue in the conservative movement, a topic he pursued as a journalist. He considers the current splintering of that movement, and where President Bush fits in.