Benjamin Weiser,
A Secret Life: The Polish Officer, His Covert Mission,
and the Price He Paid to Save His Country
From behind the Iron Curtain, a colonel in the Polish army
smuggled over 40,000 pages of information to the CIA during
the 1970s. But behind those dramatic feats, Ryszard Kuklinski
did not think of himself as a CIA agent, but as someone serving
his own country. His constant struggle to balance loyalties,
principle, and family in his efforts to lead a secret life
is documented in this book with unprecedented detail and sensitivity.
Chuck
Pfarrer,Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL
Former Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer recounts his eight years in
America's premier Special Ops force. He discusses the harsh
delails of SEAL training - and some of the many missions he
participated in, including Beruit, Lebanon and the stand-off
during the hijacking of the Achille Lauro. Along with the
professional challenges, Pfarrer details the toll his work
took on his personal life.
Caroline
Leavitt, Girls in Trouble: A Novel
In Caroline Leavitt's eighth novel, she explores open adoption.
When she and her husband began the process of an open adoption,
Leavitt spoke to birth mothers from around the country. Their
stories deeply affected her. In the novel, Sara is a sixteen
year old honors student and pregnant. She selects an older couple
to adopt her baby and wants to stay involved with them and the
child. But once the baby is born, the stress of sharing pushes
everyone to a breaking point.
March
2004
Hans
Blix, Disarming Iraq
The former director of the UN inspection Commission gives
his account of the search for weapons of mass destruction
and the events leading up to America's invasion and occupation
of Iraq. Hans Blix discusses the inspections process and the
lessons learned.
Lois
P. Frankel, Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101
Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabatoge Their Careers
Many women that were brought up to be "nice girls" find themselves
over-looked when its time for promotions. Career coach Dr. Lois
Frankel identifies unconscious mistakes women make in the office
that are holding them back. Dr. Frankel also offers practical
advice on improving your chances of getting that corner office.
February
2004
David
Bornstein, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs
and the Power of New Ideas
Social activists working to transform their visions of a better
world into reality may have more in common with an innovative
CEO than you might think. “Social Entrepreneurs” are people
who display the same creativity and drive in working for change
that a business entrepreneur uses to work for profit. David
Bornstein looks in-depth at this phenomenon by profiling nine
inspiring people and their struggles, setbacks, and triumphs.
Kenneth
Cole, Footnotes: What You Stand For Is More Important Than
What You Stand In
Kenneth Cole has been a leader in the fashion industry for 20
years—and is famous not just for designing products to make
people look good, but also for his ad campaigns designed to
make people think. Cole created a company that is about more
than just selling shoes, and has run provocative ads on issues
such as AIDS, homelessness, and gun control. In Footnotes,
Cole reflects on the history of his company, his causes, and
his commitment to each.
Anchee
Min, Empress Orchid: A Novel
The Last Empress of China - the longest reigning female ruler
in China's history. She has been described in Chinese textbooks
as a woman of "evil and intrigue" and is one of the most reviled
women of Chinese history. Author Anchee Min uses historical
fiction based on intensive research—even smuggling documents
out of the Forbidden City—in order to reconstruct much of
the truth about the life of Empress Orchid (Tzu Hsi) and the
realities of politics and gender in late 19th century China.
Christopher
Phillips, Six Questions of Socrates: A Modern-Day Journey
of Discovery Through World Philosophy
Author Christopher Phillips travels around the globe to ask,
as Socrates did many years ago, what is virtue, courage, goodness,
piety, justice and moderation. He holds socratic dialogs in
elementary schools, prisons, mental health facilities and
on the street. He encourages the participants and the reader
to ask themselves these basic questions in search of human
excellence.
January
2004
President
Jimmy Carter, The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary
War
In The Hornet's Nest, Jimmy Carter brings to life
the Revolutionary War as it was fought in the Deep South.
At the heart of the novel is Ethan Pratt, who moves with his
wife from Philadelphia to North Carolina and then to Georgia.
The story chronicles the progress of the war in the South
on the miliary and political fronts, as well as in the lives
of everyday people.
December
2003
S.
Mitra Kalita, Suburban Sahibs: Three Indian Families and
Their Passage from India to America
Immigration is a personal experience, not just a topic in
debates over border control, educational access issues, or
security. In a fascinating and intimate portrait of three
very different families who came to the suburbs of New Jersey
from India, journalist Mitra Kalita explores the affects the
move has had on their lives, the growth of their influence
in their new neighborhoods, and the impact of this exchange
on America as a whole.
Christians
of the Middle East
Many people among the American public as well as the media
neglect the indigenous Christians living in the Arab world.
These Christians are often caught in the cross-fire of the
Isreali-Palestian conflict as well as the rise of anti-Americanism
and Islamic fundamentalism. A panel discusses the state of
Christians of the Middle East today, and the prognosis for
their future.
Charles Sennot - European Bureau Chief of the Boston
Globe and author of The Body and the Blood: The Middle
East’s Vanishing Christians and the Possibility for Peace
Gabriel Habib - Former General Secretary, Middle
East Council of Churches Jennifer Cate - Program Manager, Hands Along
the Nile Development Services
Michael
Dirda, An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland
Pulitzer Prize winning literary critic Michael Dirda describes
his youth in the small working-class town of Lorain, Ohio.
He discusses his early love of reading and how in an impoverished
household, his love affair with books would flourish. Michael
Dirda has been a writer and senior editor for the Washington
Post's Book World for over 25 years.
November
2003
Alec
Klein, Stealing Time: Steve Case, Jerry Levin and the
Collapse of AOL Time Warner
In January 2000, AOL and Time Warner announced their impending
merger. The Y2K bug may not have caused global havoc, but
disaster seemed to follow the 2 companies at every turn. In
his new expose of the personalities and motivations behind
the merger, award winning journalist Alec Klein reveals how
AOL’s shady advertising deals and corrupt accounting practices
combined with a pattern of arrogance and greed across the
leadership of both firms led to the collapse of the ‘deal
of the century.’
Patricia
Stacey, The Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and
Mind of a Child Threatened with Autism
Seven year old Walker Stacey is a normal, happy and well-adjusted
boy. But, as a baby and young child, he was diagnosed with
Sensory Integration Disorder- a neurological disorder that
would eventually lead to autism. His mother Patricia Stacey
tells the extraordinary story of Dr. Stanley Greenspan's 'floor
time' technique and her and her husband's personal sacrifice
that would save their son from becoming autistic.
C.
David Heymann, The Georgetown Ladies Social Club: Power,
Politics and Passion in the Nation's Capital
Katherine Graham, Evangeline Bruce, Lorraine Cooper, Pamela
Harriman and Sally Quinn all had one thing in common: They
all wielded enormous political power through the social gatherings
they could summon. In his newest and bestselling book, The
Georgetown Ladies Social Club, David Heymann details the politics
and personalities of five influential women and their huge
impact on the US political scene.
October
2003
Michael
Wood, Shakespeare
Broadcaster and historian Michael Wood turns his attention
to William Shakespeare, said to be the greatest writer of
the English language. Equipped with archives and newly discovered
evidence, Wood takes us back to 16th century England. He investigates
Shakespeare's family, and social history, and reveals little-known
sources of inspiration that reflect Shakespeare's attitudes
on sex, race and class.
Ralph
Eubanks, Ever is a Long Time: A Journey into Mississippi's
Dark Past
Racial divisions still undercut much of American life, and
many past wrongs are only now coming to light. Ralph Eubanks’
new book explores a now defunct secret state government commission
in Mississippi set up in 1956. Its mission was to keep files
on and harass civil rights activists in efforts to maintain
racial segregation. Eubanks writes compellingly of his own
childhood in Mississippi as well as his investigation of a
commission driven by hate.
Richard
Miniter, Losing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed
Global Terror
Investigative journalist Richard Miniter takes a critical look
at the Clinton Administration's handling of the threat from
Al-Qaeda. He asserts that had Clinton taken a more aggressive
approach to dealing with Bin Laden
, the devestation of September 11 could have been avoided.
Kristin
Ohlson, Stalking the Divine: Contemplating Faith with
the Poor Clares
A practical journalist turns her investigative skills upon
an order of cloistered Catholic nuns in Cleveland—and finds
herself exploring her own struggles with faith. The Poor Clares
have devoted themselves to continual prayer for the sorrows
of the world. Kristin Ohlson talks about what she learned
from the nuns about belief and doubt in the context of a rapidly
changing world.
Ann
Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, No Horizon is So Far: Two Women
and Their Extraordinary Journey Across Antactica
When expolorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen became the first
women to cross Antarctica, they were fulfilling a life long
dream. But, as former school teachers, they wanted to inspire
children to pursue their own dreams. Through modern technology,
over 3 million school children in over 65 countries followed
their journey. Listen as Ann and Liv describe their 1700 mile
trek while pulling sleds wieghing 250 pounds each.
Bernard-Henri
Levy, Who Killed Daniel Pearl?
Who was behind the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street
Journal reporter Daniel Pearl? French author Bernard-Henri
Levy believed the killing was more than a random terrorist
act, and began his own investigation. Levy journeyed across
3 continents on the trail of what he believes was Pearl’s
last story--uncovering links between the Pakistani Secret
Service and Al-Qaeda.
Your
Cup of Coffee
Coffee is seen by some as a mark of civilization, but the
price of a good espresso drink or bag of coffee can be high—and
the real cost may be the increasing impoverishment of coffee
farmers in developing countries. We hear from the author of
The Devil’s Cup about the history of coffee and that it has
been both demonized and glorified throughout history. An expert
from Oxfam America argues that the current dynamics of the
coffee trade are simply too exploitative to tolerate. Stewart Lee Allen - Author, The Devil's
Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee
Liam Brody - Coordinator of the Coffee Program at
Oxfam America
August
2003
Gavin
Weightman, Signor Marconi's Magic Box: And the Amateur
Inventor Whose Genius Sparked a Revolution
In a high-profile demonstration of his new technology, a young
Italian sent one of the first-ever wireless text messages
to the Queen of England—in 1898. The history of the technology
behind our cell phones and radios is intertwined wth the life
of its major inventor, Guglielmo Marconi—and the story of
the development of each is full of drama and intrigue.
Email
Spam
Do you know what’s in your inbox? Unsolicited bulk emails
continue to flood cyberspace and the amount alone may already
seem overwhelming. At this point, roughly 50% or all email
is Spam. But beyond the cost to your peace of mind, spam is
also costing you and Internet Service Providers money. A panel
discusses the state of Spam today, and new legislation to
combat it. Andrew Barrett - Executive Director, The
Spamcon Foundation
Jeannemarie Devolites - Delegate of the 35th District
of Virginia
The
Conflict in Sudan
2 million people have died and 4 million have been displaced
in Sudan's most recent conflict. For war-ravaged Sudan, current
talks may offer the best chance for peace in years. However,
as this lively exchange shows, peace might be only the first
step toward resolving the country's political, racial and
religious tensions. Ambassador Abdel Bagi Kabeir of Sudan
spars with human rights experts Jemera Rone and Penn Kemble
as they discuss the complex roots and impact of these tensions. Penn Kemble - Senior Scholar at Freedom House
Jemera Rone - Counsel and Sudan Researcher, Human
Rights Watch
Amb. Abdel Bagi Kabeir - Deputy Chief of Mission,
Embassy of Sudan
July
2003
Toby
Young, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People - A Memoir
Ever wondered how best to crash an Oscar party, offend celebrities
and co-workers in a variety of ways, or attract as few dates
as possible? In his nationally bestselling book, How to
Lose Friends and Alienate People, British writer Toby
Young discusses these and other secrets of failure in a hilarious
send-up of his years in New York working for-and being fired
from-Vanity Fair magazine.
Martha
Ackmann, The Mercury 13 - The Untold Story of Thirteen
American Women and the Dream of Space Flight
In 1961, there was a secret program to test women for space
flight--13 passed, some with better scores than the men of
Mercury 7. In The Mercury 13, Martha Ackmann tells
the story of these women, their dream of space, and the sexist
attitudes at NASA and the White House that kept them grounded.
Then, Wally Funk, the youngest of the Mercury 13, joins us
to describe her experiences and to explain how she has kept
that dream alive.
The
Global AIDS Pandemic
AIDS is a global pandemic—in some locations, it has wiped
out whole generations. Robert Bilheimer and
Jamila Paksima discuss their recent documentary
films; each bringing a human face to this impersonal killer.
In A Closer Walk, Academy Award nominee Robert Bilheimer
tells stories from 4 continents and explores the role of poverty
and politics in spreading the disease—as well as the simple
approaches that can stop it. Jamila Paksima won a Pew International
Fellowship to produce Why the Children, a look at
the alarming rise of child rape in South Africa in response
to myths about cures for AIDS.
Clyde
Prestowitz, Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the
Failure of Good Intentions
Has the US become a Rogue Nation? In his book, Clyde Prestowitz
illustrates the increasing alienation that America faces if
it continues on its present course of raw power and unilateralism.
He describes current global sentiment towards the US and the
nature of global interdependence that makes this so important.
Laney
Salisbury, The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs
and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic
In 1925, a deadly diptheria epidemic gripped Nome, Alaska
as a ring of solid ice gripped the coast--and a fresh supply
of diptheria serum was desperately needed. Only dog sled teams
could bring the serum in from the railway nearly 700 miles
away, and they had only a matter of days. In The Cruelest
Miles, Laney Salisbury details the courageous efforts
of man and dog that saved a town.
Alex
Kershaw, The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate
D-Day Sacrifice
In the aftermath of a successful D-Day, the people of Bedford,
VA found they had suffered the most losses in a single day
of any American town during World War II. British author Alex
Kershaw talks about the story that was in part inspiration
for the movie, Saving Private Ryan. His book profiles
the remarkable people of Bedford and highlights some of the
stories and reflections of strength and loss.
Juman
Kubba, The First Evidence: A Memoir of Life Under Saddam
Hussein
The first evidence of the brutality and oppression of Saddam
Hussein's regime is explored in Juman Kubba's new book. She
describes the suffering her family endured during the rise
of the Ba'ath Party to power in the early '70s. She discusses
in detail her family’s fear and cruel punishment when her
father, a successful professional from a high-profile family,
discovered the direct involvement of Iraqi authorities in
the notorious Abu Tubar serial killings that rocked Baghdad.
Ralph
Schoenstein, My Kid's an Honor Student, Your Kid's a Loser:
The Pushy Parent's Guide to Raising the Perfect Child
The newest American lunacy, explored in Ralph Schoenstein's
new book, is push-parenting: the drive by many parents to
turn their pre-nursery darlings into super kids and put them
on the fast track for Harvard or Yale - or the Menninger Clinic.
Many young children are cracking under the pressure to become
Einsteins, DaVincis, or even better. American parents are
now sacrificing anything to make their children superior.
They are even sacrificing the children.
Kenneth
Janken, White: The Biograhpy of Walter White, Mr. NAACP
At the height of segregation, race riots, and lynch mobs in
America, Walter White led the NAACP in its fiercest battles
and helped define the course of the civil rights movement.
Walter White was a black man with exceptionally light skin
who often passed as white. In fact, as a young man, he became
famous for his daring exploits as an undercover investigator
of southern lynch mobs.
Richard
Heinberg, The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial
Societies
As the world’s largest consumer of petroleum, American foreign
policy is closely linked to our dependence on foreign oil.
In fact, critics of the Bush Administration say that the war
in Iraq is not about weapons of mass destruction, or a tyrannical
regime, but about oil. Richard Heinberg discusses the global
consequences of the imminent decline of cheap oil.
The
Armenian Genocide
In 1939, before invading Poland, Adolph Hitler instructed
his military to "kill without pity or mercy all men, women,
and children of polish race or language." He ended the speech
with this question: “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation
of the Armenians?” Tragically, he was right. Between 1914
and 1923, millions of Armenians were subjected to massacres,
executions, and death marches by the Ottoman Turks during
World War I. Dr. Rouben Paul Adalian, Director of the Armenian National
Institute
Barbara
Corcoran, Use What You've Got, and Other Business Lessons
I Learned from My Mom
Barbara Corcoran was blessed with something money can't buy:
an amazing mother who nurtured the unique talents in each
of her 10 kids. After failing at twenty-two other jobs, Barbara
borrowed $1,000 from a boyfriend, quit her job as a diner
waitress, and started a tiny real estate business in New York
City. Today, with over $4 billion in revenues and 1,000 salespeople
in 11 offices, the Corcoran group is New York's premier real
estate company. She credits her success to hard work, fierce
determination, and her mom's offbeat, kitchen-table advice.
A
Conversation with Author and Women's rights activist Nawal
El Saadawi
An award-winning author translated in over 30 languages, Egyptian
feminist activist Nawal El Saadawi has also been a medical
doctor, a government official, a political prisoner, and the
founder and head of a powerful women's NGO. Now she shares
some of her incredible story here. Saadawi's discussion on
her struggle to speak out against the oppression of women
worldwide is as varied as her careers-listen for an insightful
look into one woman's work to change the world.
Greg
Critser, Fat Land: How Americans Became The Fattest People
In The World
Nearly 60 percent of Americans are overweight. The surgeon
general calls it an epidemic of obesity. If it's left unchecked,
almost all Americans will be overweight by the year 2050.
Even more alarming is the growing rate of obesity among the
nation’s children, the poor and minorities. Greg Critser talks
about why we’re getting fatter and what can be done to battle
this dangerous epidemic.
Susan
McDougal, The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk - Why I Refused to
Testify Against the Clintons and What I Learned In Jail
Of all the characters of the Whitewater scandal, none served
more time in jail than Susan McDougal. Ken Starr and the Office
of the Independent Council offered her full immunity in exchange
for damaging evidence against the Clintons. Her refusal to
testify landed her in jail for contempt of court. Susan McDougal
explains why she chose jail over cooperation, and why she
refused to testify.
Lauren
Winner, Girl Meets God: On The Path To A Spiritual Life
Lauren Winner was born to a southern Baptist mother and a
reform Jewish father. Attracted to her father's faith since
childhood, Lauren officially converted to Orthodox Judaism
in her freshman year. But then she found herself increasingly
drawn to Christianity. By the end of her undergraduate career,
she had converted once again. Lauren Winner's memoir of her
spiritual journey describes her struggles to reconcile the
two sides of her religious identity as well as facing her
family, friends and fellow students.
