The Mimi Geerges Show Archives 2009

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Archives 2009

Dec 2009 |Nov 2009 |Oct 2009 |Sep 2009 |Aug 2009 |Jul 2009 |Jun 2009 | May 2009|
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December 2009

Week of December 27, 2010

Segment 1: Philanthropy from the Heart

Daughter of oil magnate H. L. Hunt, Swanee Hunt, Half Life of a Zealot became a philanthropist, and later U.S. Ambassador to Austria during the Clinton administration all while attending to the critical needs of one daughter who suffers from mental illness. She is the founding director of Harvard’s Women and Public Policy Program, and president of the Hunt Alternatives Fund.

"It is an unfair advantage that I’ve had because of my money. There’s no question. Which means I have an even greater responsibility for how I use my resources."

- Swanee Hunt

Segment 2: Caring for Caregivers

Valerie Sobel, Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation lost her teen age son to brain cancer. She was able to get through it because her family support and resources allowed her to be with him around the clock. She became determined to help single caregivers of children with life-threatening illnesses care for their children full time by relieving their financial burdens.

Week of December 20, 2009

Segment 1: MG Show Christmas Special (Segment 1)

The little lady with the big (and beautiful) voice, fifteen year old Opera star Holly Stell, Holly's Christmas sang at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington DC.

The Gospel of Matthew says that the Holy Family fled to Egypt. But what happened for the nearly 6 years they were there? Filmmaker and best selling author Paul Perry picks up their trail in his documentary Jesus: The Lost Years. See the trailer here: www.lostyears-themovie.com

Segment 2: MG Show Christmas Special (Segment 2)

How did 5 monks from Wisconsin create a $10 million internet business? By selling ink and toner without huge markups and giving the money to those in need. Father Bernard McCoy and Sarah Caniglia, Lasermonks: The Business Story Nine Hundred Years in the Making tell their remarkable story. Btw, need any ink or toner? www.lasermonks.com

Enjoy some music from Andrew T. Miller's Christmas Cantata, The Birth of Christ recorded at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Narration by actor Liam Neeson.

Week of December 13, 2009

Segment 1: When Afghanistan Became the "Other War"

While the bloodshed intensified in Iraq in 2005, attention and resources shifted away from the war in Afghanistan. It became the "other war." With America pre-occupied in Iraq, the Taliban were able to make significant gains in Afghanistan. Ronald Neumann, The Other War: Winning and Losing in Afghanistan, reflects on his time as US Ambassador there and the prognosis for success or failure in the future.

Segment 2: A Primer on the Middle East

David Aikman, The Mirage of Peace: Understanding the Never-Ending Conflict in the Middle East was the Jerusalem bureau chief for Time magazine. He's written a primer on the history and major players of the Middle East.

Week of December 6, 2009

Segment 1: The Brady Bunch Revisited - Divorce and Remarriage

With the divorce rate hovering at 50% in this country, many adults choose to remarry, with their children in tow. In this hour we discuss the impact of divorces and remarriage on the children. Ten years after her divorce, Wendy Swallow, The Triumph of Love Over Experience: A Memoir of Remarriage, had become comfortable in her life as an independent single mother. Then Charlie, a divorced father came along and the two decided to marry. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of remarriage, and creating a new blended family.

"I suddenly realized, when they're both sitting there at the kitchen table crying that, basically the other shoe had dropped. That, the first shoe was the divorce ten years earlier and the second shoe was this (her remarriage). And I had no idea it was going to have that power."

- Wendy Swallow

Segment 2: Adults on the Impact of their Parents' Divorce

Elizabeth Marquardt, Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce conducted a study of the adult children of divorced parents. She takes an in-depth look at how divorce re-shapes children's lives and the fallacy of the "good divorce."

November 2009

Week of November 29, 2009

Segment 1: The Global AIDS Pandemic (Part I)

Three individuals, who have turned their lives around to educate, advocate and care for those afflicted with the disease. Kay Warren, Dangerous Surrender: What Happens When You Say Yes to God is the wife of Pastor Rick Warren of the Purpose Driven Network. After reading a magazine article, she felt God urging her to get involved.

Segment 2: The Global AIDS Pandemic (Part II)

Kate Roberts, Founder and President of YouthAIDS was a successful advertising executive. Ten years ago, she turned her attention completely to marketing to safe behavior to youth.

Finally, John Chittick, Founder of TeenAIDS sold his business and now walks the globe talking to and educating teens about AIDS.

Week of November 22, 2009

Segment 1: Espionage and Diplomacy in Asia

James Lilley, China Hands: Nine Decades of Adventure, Espionage and Diplomacy in Asia
Ambassador James Lilley served for 25 years in the CIA in various posts around Asia and then served as ambassador to South Korea and then to China during the Tiananmen Square massacre. He discusses the past and the prognosis for the future of Eastern Asia in his memoir. Then ...

Segment 2: A Cold War Spy

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. The secret life of Ryszard Kuklinski is documented in this book with unprecedented detail and sensitivity.

"From the efforts of individuals, the strength of a nation is formed. Against which even the greatest power is powerless."

- Ryszard Kuklinski

Week of November 15, 2009

Segment 1: An American Cartoonist

Haynes Johnson and Harry Katz, Herblock: The Life and Works of the Great Political Cartoonist
With a career spanning seventy-two years and thirteen American presidents, syndicated cartoonist Herb Block (known as Herblock) drew cartoons that made complex issues seem simple and moral choices clear. His folksy cartoons focused on important issues of the time, making Americans take note of the human folly that is politics. Then ...

Segment 2: Writing to the President

Dwight Young, Dear Mr. President: Letters to the Oval Office From the Files of the National Archives
From George Washington to today, Americans have always written letters to their Presidents. Dwight Young discusses some of the more notable ones.

Week of November 8, 2009

Segment 1: From China to Chinatown

Patrick Radden Keefe, The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream describes the rise and fall of an unlikely international criminal. A middle-aged Chinese grandmother amassed a 40 million dollar fortune for smuggling people into America.

Segment 2: A Diesel Engine Woke Up My Marriage

At the age of 45, Melanie Gideon, The Slippery Year: A Meditation on Happily Ever After realized that there was more of her life behind her than ahead of her. This was her wake up call for living a fuller and more interesting life.

Week of November 1, 2009

Segment 1: Churchill's American Mother

The American mother of Winston Churchill believed he was destined for greatness. Anne Sebba, American Jennie: The Remarkable Life of Lady Randolph Churchill discusses the life and impact of the most gossiped about woman in London society.

"So, in 1940 when [Winston Churchill] picked up the reigns of power as Prime Minister, he actually knew that this was his destiny he was fulfilling. And it was his mother Jenny who gave him that confidence and certainty."

- Anne Sebba

Segment 2: Nothing Like Treachery, Adultery, and Murder to Make History Interesting

Historical biographer Alison Weir, Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England turns her attention to Isabella of France, the wife of Edward II. She seized the throne from her incompetent and unpopular husband and was known as medieval England's most notorious queen.

October 2009

Week of October 25, 2009

Segment 1: Sabatoging the Nazis

Throughout America's history, brave men and women have responded to the call of duty. During World War II, American operatives Stephen Hall and Howard Chappell were dropped behind enemy lines to sabotage Nazi supply lines. Patrick O'Donnell, The Brenner Assignment: The Untold Story of the Most Daring Spy Mission of World War II tells their story.

Segment 2: In a Time of War

In 2002, at the graduation ceremony at West Point Military Academy, President Bush laid out his argument for pre-emptive war. Bill Murphy, In A Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002 tells the stories of the first class in a generation to graduate into armed combat.

"West Point's motto is Duty, Honor, Country, and I came away with a duty to my country as well. And it is to pay attention to these people who are carrying this burden. Whether you supported the war or not. . I think it's important to pay attention to what they're doing and become involved."

- Bill Murphy

Week of October 18, 2009

Segment 1: Moms and Daughters

Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story is a dual memoir written in two voices. Sue is facing fifty and a desire to write fiction. Her daughter, Ann, has just graduated college and been rejected from grad school. Both women write about their travels to find themselves and each other.

"In the spirit of being good tourists and pilgrims, we all approached this Virgin Mary and we asked for the thing in the bottom of our heart. … When I actually stepped under the branches of this really beautiful tree and looked at her, what came out of my mouth was, ‘I want to be a novelist.'"

- Sue Monk Kidd

Segment 2: Sisters

Bestselling author and socio-linguist Deborah Tannen, You Were Always Mom's Favorite!: Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives studies people's relationships through their conversations. She turns her attention to the competition and connection unique to sisters.

Week of October 11, 2009

Segment 1: New Direction for Middle East Policy

Is Peace in the Middle East Possible?

Why has the United States consistently failed to achieve its strategic goals in the Middle East? According to David Makovsky and Dennis Ross, Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East, two experts on the region, it is because we have been laboring under false assumptions, or mythologies, about the nature and motivation of Middle East countries and their leaders.

Segment 2: The Palestinian Split

Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University discusses the split between Hamas and Fatah and the prognosis for peace between Arabs and Israelis.

Week of October 4, 2009

Segment 1: Lobbying For Dictators

If you're a dictatorial, brutal regime, don't despair. There are plenty of lobbying firms willing to improve your image in Washington. ... If the price is right. Journalist Ken Silverstein, Turkmeniscam: How Washington Lobbyists Fought to Flack for a Stalinist Dictatorship went undercover and posed as a businessman with interests in Turkmenistan. He exposes the strategies of foreign lobbyists.

"Lobbyists represent a real 4th branch of government. They’re extremely important, extremely influential. Much of what they do is hidden from public view or at least largely obscured. And so I thought, let’s get at that world, and let’s expose it."

- Ken Silverstein

Segment 2: The Other Islam

Stephen Schwartz, The Other Islam: Sufism and the Road to Global Harmony is a Sufi Muslim who believes that Sufism is the West's natural ally against radical Islam. He describes their history and beliefs.

September 2009

Week of September 27, 2009

Segment 1: A Principal's Tough Love

The public education system has been called the key to this nation's greatness. Yet urban, low-income schools struggle with closing the "achievement gap."

Ben Chavis, Crazy Like a Fox: One Principal's Triumph in the Inner City took a failing public charter school and made it into one of the highest performing schools in California. crazylikeafoxthebook.com

"Public schools have too many holidays. They only go to school 180 days. That’s not even a half a year. Now you wonder why we’re behind the rest of the world? We’re a third world country when it comes to public education."

- Ben Chavis

Segment 2: 5th Grade in the Inner City

Rafe Esquith, Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 has been a fifth grade teacher in Los Angeles inner city school for over 25 years. He's the only teacher to receive the President's Medal of Arts.

Week of September 20, 2009

Segment 1: Bill Clinton on the Couch

"Psycho-Journalism" is a term I bet you haven't heard before. Psychologist John Gartner, In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography decided to put the former President on the "couch." He reveals how Clinton's family history and upbringing impacted his behavior in the Oval Office.

"There had always been rumors about Bill Clinton being illegitimate, ever since he was born. ... I just took it a step further in terms of trying to do some detective work on discovering who his father really was."

- John Gartner

Segment 2: Thomas Jefferson on Race, Sex and Religion

It turns out that our 3rd president was quite feisty during his retirement years. Historian Andrew Burstein, Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello reveals Jefferson's relationship with his slave Sally Hemings and his views on race and religion.

Week of September 13, 2009

Segment 1: Mercenaries in Iraq

A parallel army has arisen in Iraq. Private security contractors from all over the world have come to Iraq, lured by the promise of big bucks. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Steve Fainaru, Big Boy Rules: America's Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq has been exploring the phenomenon and its impact on the war.

"Never in the history of U.S. warfare has there been the use of civilians in combat on this scale."

- Steve Fainaru

Segment 2: How to Break a Terrorist

In 2006, Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, was the most wanted terrorist in the world. Matthew Alexander, How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq describes the new interrogation methods and their tremendous success rate.

Week of September 6, 2009

Segment 1: 9/11 Special - We Will Never Forget (Part I)

There are many unsung heroes from 9/11. Like the former Navy Seal who ran into the flames of the Pentagon over and over again to save his colleagues, or the national operations manager of the FAA Command Center, who, on his very first day closed U.S. airspace and brought over 4,000 planes safely to the ground.

First. Patrick Creed and Rick Newman, Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11 tell the inside story of the fires at the Pentagon.

Segment 2: 9/11 Special - We Will Never Forget (Part II)

Then, Lynn Spencer, Touching History: The Untold Story of the Drama That Unfolded in the Skies over America on 9/11 takes us behind the scenes of the response to the attack coming from the air.

August 2009

Week of August 30, 2009

Segment 1: Second Chances - Finding Happiness at Starbucks

You've heard the expression, "when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade"? Well, Michael Gates Gill, How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else made coffee instead. Fired from his high-powered advertising job, he was broke, divorced, and diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the age of 63, he donned the green apron and black cap.

"Until after I was 60, I thought I was happy because I was six-figure income and the whole markers of success that other people said, ‘wow, you’re doing great.’ But it’s really - your own heart is your best guide to happiness."

- Michael Gates Gill

Segment 2: Second Chances - A Freshman Again

His oncologist told him to look into hospice care, but Roger Martin, Racing Odysseus: A College President Becomes a Freshman Again beat the cancer. With his new lease on life, he decided to spend a semester attending classes and rowing crew with 18 year olds. At the age of 61, he enrolled as a Freshman at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland.

MG Show commentator Victoria Zackheim on second chances.

Week of August 16, 2009

Segment 1: Human Smuggling: From China to Chinatown

Segment 2: The Slippery Year

Week of August 9, 2009

Segment 1: International Adoptions - A Mother's Journey

Adopting a child from another country is fraught with emotions on all sides. Beth Nonte Russell, Forever Lily: An Unexpected Mother's Journey to Adoption in China went to China to support a friend who was adopting a little baby girl. She wasn't expecting her friend to reject the baby and ask Beth to take her instead. She tells the remarkable story of going to China as a tourist and returning a mother.

"It blew my heart wide open. I felt that she was so deserving, not just of my love, but of just love in general. ... It was a demarcation in my life from sort of not having that heart engaged, to having it fully engaged. To the point it changed my life totally."

- Beth Nonte Russell

Segment 2: International Adoptions - A Child's Journey

Hollee McGinnis is the Policy and Operations Director of the Evan B. Donaldson Institute. She was adopted from an orphanage in South Korea at the age of three. She has since been united with her birth family and leads trips of adult adoptees to South Korea.

Week of August 2, 2009

Segment 1: The Myths that Guide US Policy in the Middle East

Segment 2: The Arab - Israeli Dispute ... Is Peace Possible?

July 2009

Week of July 26, 2009

Segment 1: "Vote for Jesus: When Politics and Religion Collide"

Thirty years ago, with the passage of Roe v. Wade, Evangelical Christians entered the political fray. In the middle of it all was Frank Schaeffer, Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back. The son of the late Evangelical author and speaker Francis Schaeffer, Frank shares his personal experiences.

"I'm sorry for the part I played in that. I look back with great regret now at the fact that had it not been for my father and I and a lot people we inspired, it's very unlikely somebody like George W. would have been president for eight years."

- Frank Schaeffer

Segment 2: The Family

Then ... Jeff Sharlet, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power investigates the secretive, pseudo-Christian group that operates at the highest levels of government and industry.

Week of July 19, 2009

40th Anniversary of the First Moon Landing

Segment 1: "The Eagle Has Landed"

Ever since the launch of Sputnik in 1957, the United States was losing the Space Race against the Soviets. Then, in 1963, President Kennedy announced that we would land a man on the moon within the decade. Author Craig Nelson, Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon tells the story of the people behind mankind's greatest technological achievement. Then ...

"Here men from the planet earth first set foot upon the moon, July, 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."

- Plaque left on the moon by the crew of Apollo 11

Segment 2: Voices from the Moon

Andrew Chaikin, Voices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences spent eight years interviewing the astronauts of the Apollo program. He discusses the candid and deeply personal reflections of these men who have been at the edge of human experience.

Week of July 12, 2009

Segment 1: Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street?

Can TV be used to teach children? That simple question turned into 40 years of Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Oscar and all their friends on Sesame Street. Author and journalist Michael Davis, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street tells the inside story.

"Sesame Street, within, I mean really weeks when it debuted in ’69 … it became a national phenomenon."

- Michael Davis

Segment 2: Talking Vegetables

Bob and Larry are cult heroes in the vegetable world. But it wasn't always like this. In 1990, one man had a dream. Phil Vischer, Me, Myself and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables is the creator of VeggieTales a Christian video series that has sold over 50 million copies.

Week of July 5, 2009

Segment 1: Invisible Women

Qanta Ahmed, In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom a doctor, was raised and educated in the UK. She spent two years in Saudi Arabia working at a hospital. She describes the surprising women she met and how they live under oppressive laws.

"This is not a judgment on veiling. Veiling I think is always the choice of the Muslim woman to make. … This should be a personal choice. The objection I have, which is very intense, is to the fact that the question of women’s choice is removed from this."

- Qanta Ahmed

Segment 2: On the Runway

At the age of 16, Cheryl Diamond, Model: A Memoir took her perfectly proportioned self to New York City to become a high-fashion model. She takes us behind the scenes of the sometimes ugly business of modeling.

June 2009

Week of June 28, 2009

Segment 1: The Conflict in Kashmir

Kashmir, one of the most beautiful places on earth, is the backdrop of a 20 year old bloody conflict. The area is ruled by India but is majority Muslim. Islamic militants drove out the Hindu minority, abolished women's rights and constantly battle Indian security forces. Journalist Justine Hardy, In the Valley of Mist: Kashmir, One Family In a Changing World has lived and worked in Kashmir for the past two decades. She describes how the conflict has impacted the locals and the devastation of the 2005 earthquake.

"If you think of a 20-year period, there’s a whole generation of young people now who have been born since the insurgency began. So, when their parents talk to them of the time before … I think a lot of those kids think, ‘I don’t really believe what mom and dad are saying anymore.'"

- Justine Hardy

Segment 2: US Foreign Policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Daveed Gartenstein Ross is the Director of the Center for Terrorism Research at The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He discusses the war in Afghanistan and the current situation in Pakistan.

Week of June 21, 2009

Segment 1: How Was the Great Pyramid Built?

How the Great Pyramid was built is one of history's most enduring mysteries. But that puzzle may now be solved. Egyptologist Bob Brier, The Secret of the Great Pyramid: How One Man's Obsession Led to the Solution of Ancient Egypt's Greatest Mystery describes how this question obsessed French Architect Jean Pierre Houdin - And how he discovered the solution.

"As an architect, he said, what made sense was that the pyramid was built from the inside out. … The ramp is inside the pyramid. It’s still there, hidden, after 45 centuries, waiting to be discovered."

- Bob Brier

Segment 2: Modern Egypt and the Immigrant Experience

Then, Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany, became an international sensation with the publication of his novel, The Yacoubian Building. His latest , Chicago: A Novel is set in the Windy City and shows the complex lives of Egyptian students and expatriates living in America. He discusses modern Egypt's struggle for modernity, tolerance and democracy.

Week of June 14, 2009

Writer, Stephen J. Cannell

One of America's most prolific writers, Stephen J. Cannell, Cold Hit: A Shane Scully Novel has created or co-created 40 television shows including The A-Team, Wiseguy and Greatest American Hero. In his latest novel, Detective Scully takes on California's director of Homeland Security and the USA Patriot Act. Then ...

Life and Legacy of Henry Ford

Henry Ford was one of america's greatest businessmen. Historian Steven Watts, The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century discusses his life and contribution to the auto industry and American society. He also discusses Ford's controversial and troubled legacy.

"Ford is primarily important in American history because of the kind of vision of a consumer culture that he put forward in early 20th century America. I think he understood sooner and better than just about anyone - mass production depended on mass consumption."

- Steven Watts

Week of June 7, 2009

FDR: The Man, The Myth, The Grandpa

One of the most beloved Presidents of modern times, FDR lead the country through the Great Depression and World War II. His eldest grandson, Curtis Roosevelt, Too Close to the Sun: Growing Up in the Shadow of my Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor was three years old when he moved into the White House. He offers a personal view of his famous grandparents. Then ...

FDR's Lessons For Today

When asked what he was reading, Barack Obama said he was reading the book by independent biographer Jean Edward Smith, FDR. With his unique ability to inspire, FDR was a master at politics and became the champion of the common man.

May 2009

Week of May 31, 2009 -Graduation Special

Earn What You're Worth

Career expert Nicole Williams, Earn What You're Worth: A Wildly Sophisticated Approach to Investing in Your Career and Yourself is the founder and CEO of Wildly Sophisticated Media. She offers young women a fresh look at the their worth in the marketplace. She explains how to assess your tangible and intangible assets and put it all together to finally earn more money. Then ...

Women in the Workplace

Many women who were brought up to be "nice girls" find themselves over-looked when it's time for promotions. Career coach Lois P. Frankel, Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers identifies many mistakes women make in the office that are holding them back.

Week of May 24, 2009 - Memorial Day Special

US Military Special Ops

Today's military must protect the sea-lanes, provide disaster relief, contend with the military rise of China, fight the war in Iraq, and craft contingency plans for war with North Korea and Iran, among other responsibilities. Given unprecedented access, Robert Kaplan, Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground spent time embedded with elite military missions all over the world.

"The military has evolved into a separate caste that the public knows very little about. So because it knows very little about it, it's suspicious of it on one hand, but holds it in awe on the other hand. And this is a very uncomfortable relationship. ... Upper middle class democracies that are very prosperous lose a fighting spirit because they have more to risk."

- Robert Kaplan

The Few and the Brave

Then, Alex Kershaw, The Few: The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain, describes the American pilots who joined the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and fought in the greatest air battle recorded in history. These pilots fought to save Britain and influenced the outcome of World War II.

Week of May 17, 2009

Iranian Revolution - Personal Experiences Part I

30 years ago, in 1979, Khomeini ousted the Shah and instituted the Islamic Republic of Iran. He rounded up thousands of children and accused them of being enemies of the state. Marina Nemat, Prisoner of Tehran: A Memoir was arrested, along with thousands of other youngsters at the age of 16. She was tortured and sentenced to death but was saved at the last minute by one of her jailers.

"When you're in a place like Evin, there is no future. There's only the present and then you only have the past. So you really rely on your good memories from your home and the way your life use to be before here. And I would have done anything to protect that idea of home."

- Marina Nemat

Iranian Revolution - Personal Experiences Part II

Mano Bakh was an Admiral in the Shah's Imperial Navy. His memoir, Escaping Islam describes a very Westernized and progressive Iran. And how the speed and barbarity of the Islamic Revolution took it all away as the world watched in stunned surprise.

Week of May 3, 2009 - Mother's Day Special

Stories of Separation and Healing (Seg 1)

The relationship between mothers and daughters is one often fraught with both pain and tenderness. This is the story of two of those relationships. The first is June Cross, Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away. She is an award winning journalist and former TV producer. In her memoir, she discusses race relations in America from the experience of a mixed race daughter, and her white mother's decision to have her raised by a black family.

Stories of Separation and Healing (Seg 2)

Then, Devyani Saltzman, Shooting Water : A Memoir of Second Chances, Family and Filmmaking who, after her parents' divorce, chooses to live with her father. In her memoir, she describes the healing of her relationship with her mother, internationally acclaimed filmmaker Deepa Mehta, during the shooting of the controversial film, "Water."

April 2009

Week of April 26, 2009

You've Come a Long Way Baby

So far, there have been twelve women to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari Maathai, Unbowed: A Memoir was the first environmentalist and the first African woman to win the prize. Her work on behalf of the environment and human rights earned her jail time, beatings and death threats.

"I remember when the Nobel Peace Prize was announced. For the first few weeks there, I would go into the streets and I would be mobbed by women, especially young women. And they would be crying, because they could not believe that a woman would achieve that. That was for me very satisfying."

- Wangari Maathai

An Exclusive Club

Judith Hicks Stiehm, Champions for Peace: Women Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize discusses some of the other extraordinary women who have won the Prize including Mother Teresa, Aung Sun Suu Kyi, and Sherin Abadi.

Week of April 19, 2009

What Would Muhammad Do? (WWMD)

Many Muslims around the world take the example of Muhammad as their personal code of conduct. A lively panel discusses the actions and legacy of Islam's founder, and the impact of that legacy today. Did he espouse peace and tolerance, or embrace violence and revenge?

"I don't see any reason why he would not approve of violence directed by Muslims against non-Muslims by al Qaeda and similar groups since he himself taught that non-Muslims should be invited to accept Islam or to accept second-class status within the Islamic social order and if they refuse both, then Muslims should go to war with them."

- Robert Spencer

Guests: Robert Spencer, The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion, and Daniel C. Peterson, Muhammad: Prophet of God.

Week of April 12, 2009

Segment 1: Philanthropy from the Heart

"It is an unfair advantage that I’ve had because of my money. There’s no question. Which means I have an even greater responsibility for how I use my resources."

- Swanee Hunt

Segment 2: Caring for Caregivers

Week of April 5, 2009 - Easter Special

Segment 1: The Monastic Life

The BBC television series "The Monastery" involved five non-monks living the monastic life for forty days while TV cameras tracked their progress. It was a surprise hit in the UK. The series host, Abbot Christopher Jamison, Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life says that although the rule of St. Benedict was written 1,500 years ago, its wisdom is still applicable to modern issues and troubles.

"[The program] really had a very big impact. ... I think that it struck a cord that life today has become so manic, so busy, so preoccupied with everything that's unimportant. And yet people have been convinced that they have to be preoccupied with the unimportant."

- Christopher Jamison

Segment 2: Egyptian Monasticism

An American monk and anthropologist, Father Mark Gruber, Journey Back to Eden: My Life and Times Among the Desert Fathers spent a year in Egypt's deserts studying Coptic Christian monasticism for his doctoral dissertation. His research became more of a pilgrimage as he was deeply moved and affected by the intense spirituality of the monks and Christians of Egypt.

March 2009

Week of March 29, 2009

Segment 1: Reconciling Judaism and Christianity

Lauren Winner, Girl Meets God: On The Path To A Spiritual Life was born to a southern Baptist mother and a reform Jewish father. She officially converted to Orthodox Judaism in her freshman year in college, but then she found herself increasingly drawn to Christianity. By the end of her undergraduate career, she had converted once again.

"The fact that God became a person and lived a human’s life, means, among other things, that when we are suffering, God really understands it. … because He went through it too."

- Lauren Winner

Segment 2: The Science of Love and Affection

In the 1950’s and 60’s, the scientific community discouraged affection between parent and child. Psychologists believed it would produce needy and demanding children. Pulitzer Prize winning author, Deborah Blum, Love At Goon Park: Harry Harlow And The Science Of Affection, discusses the life and work of scientist Harry Harlow.

Week of March 22, 2009

Segment 1: The Seduction of Radical Islam

How do educated, once reasonable, and peace-loving people become radical Islamists? What's the draw? Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, My Year Inside Radical Islam, A Memoir is currently a counter-terrorism expert. But, as a convert to Islam, he became increasingly radicalized. He discusses his journey into and then out of, radical Islam.

"There’s a common perception that people who come to (radical Islam) are simply distorting the faith for political gain or they’re ignorant. And that’s not always the case. And if we don’t understand the pull of the ideology, we won’t be able to do a good job of combating it."

- Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Segment 2: An American in Al Qaeda

Peggy Lowe, a reporter for the Orange County Register wrote a series of articles on the radicalization of Adam Gadahn, aka "Azzam the American." The first American to be charged with treason in over 50 years, he is currently the "spokesperson" of Al Qaeda.

Week of March 15, 2009

Segment 1: Double Life of an International Serial Killer

A flamboyant journalist writes about a killing spree - his own. Austrian Jack Unterweger was a celebrated author, journalist and playwright. He was also a serial killer. Author John Leake, Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer tells his story.

"[Jack Unterweger] was a true sadist. His sadistic desires never went away. In fact while he was in prison, without any kind of sexual outlet, they probably hightened. So he gets out of prison, he may have thought, 'I've got a lot to lose now, I will try to keep my sadistic desires in check.' But he didn't succeed."

- John Leake

Segment 2: Living to Tell About It

Federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert, The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival was kidnapped off the streets of Manhattan by gun-toting thugs on his birthday. By building a relationship with his abductors, he lived to tell his story.

Week of March 8, 2009

Segment 1: Shias on the Rise

Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future argues that by toppling Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led government and empowering Iraq’s Shiite majority, the Bush administration triggered a Shia revival that will upset the balance of power in Iraq and the Middle East for years to come.

"The Sunnis have never reconciled to having lost power. The fundamental issue is that they have not reconciled to the fact that they're twenty percent of Iraq, and most likely they will have only twenty percent of the share of power and resources in the best of circumstances."

- Vali Nasr

Segment 2: A Primer on Hizbollah

Augustus Richard Norton, Hezbollah: A Short History says that American policymakers have got it wrong. Too eager to dismiss Hezbollah as simply a terrorist organization, he says that they often miss the complexities and paradoxes of an organization that is more popular and more powerful than ever.

Week of March 1, 2009

Segment 1: Jenny Churchill, the Woman Behind the Man

"So, in 1940 when [Winston Churchill] picked up the reigns of power as Prime Minister, he actually knew that this was his destiny he was fulfilling. And it was his mother Jenny who gave him that confidence and certainty."

- Anne Sebba

Segment 2: Nothing Like Treachery, Adultery and Murder to Make History Interesting

February 2009

Spicy Latino Literature

Two of Latin America's most popular writers: Antonio Skarmeta, The Dancer and the Thief: A Novel is the author of the book The Postman that became an Academy Award winning movie. His newest book, tells the story of a petty thief, a master safe cracker and a ballet dancer in Santiago, Chile.

"As a writer, I try to be very close to my characters. I'm not there to judge them, I'm not going to teach them anything. And I don't want to prove anything through them to anybody.... And sometimes I'm suprised [at] the things they do."

- Antonio Skarmeta

Then, Esmeralda Santiago, The Turkish Lover is one of today's preeminent Latina authors. Her memoir continues the story begun in her previous books When I Was Puerto Rican and Almost a Woman. At the age of twenty-one, Esmeralda leaves her family in Brooklyn for Ulvi, an older Turkish man. Over the next seven years, she takes a journey of self-liberation that ultimately leads to her graduation from Harvard University.

Countering Terror - A New Approach

The largest police force in the country, the NYPD has created the most ambitious anti-terror operation ever organized by a metropolitan police force. NYPD officers are stationed in nearly a dozen cities around the world to spot risks before terror can reach U.S. soil again. Newsweek magazine's Christopher Dickey, Securing the City: Inside America's Best Counterterror Force--The NYPD tells their story.

"The best protection for New York City, the best protection against Muslim radicals is in the mainstream Muslim community. People who will say, ‘what do those guys think they’re doing?’"

- Christopher Dickey

25 years ago, Tawfik Hamid, Inside Jihad: Understanding and Confronting Radical Islam was radicalized while in medical school in Cairo. But when he was asked to carry out Jihad against a police officer, he refused. Now, Dr. Hamid has a unique perspective on why young Muslims are radicalized and how to defeat this cancerous ideology.

Valentine's Day: Matters of the Heart

Frank Sinatra sang that love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, but its just not that easy. John Gray, Why Mars & Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress is the psychologist that first introduced the idea that men and women are from "different planets." In this latest book he shows how we can reduce stress in our relationships.

"Almost every couple I counsel or coach, they’ll start talking about their problems. And the first thing I focus on is helping them realize that this is not about your partner, its not even about you – its about the effects of stress on you and on your partner."

- John Gray

Then ... The fact that marriage is now based on love between two people is a relatively recent phenomenon. Stephanie Coontz, Marriage A History: From Obedience to Intimacy Or How Love Conquered Marriage explains how marriage has evolved over history and the dramatic changes it has gone through.

Hey Kids, What's on the Tube?

"Sesame Street, within, I mean really weeks when it debuted in ’69 … it became a national phenomenon."

- Michael Davis

Then ...Bob and Larry are cult heroes in the vegetable world. But it wasn't always like this. In 1990, one man had a dream. Phil Vischer, Me, Myself and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables is the creator of VeggieTales a Christian video series that has sold over 50 million copies.

January 2009

Between Iraq and A Hard Place

"Never in the history of U.S. warfare has there been the use of civilians in combat on this scale."

- Steve Fainaru

Then ... In 2006, Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, was the most wanted terrorist in the world. Matthew Alexander, How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq describes the new interrogation methods and their tremendous success rate.

All the President's Women

"There had always been rumors about Bill Clinton being illegitimate, ever since he was born. ... I just took it a step further in terms of trying to do some detective work on discovering who his father really was."

- John Gartner

Then.... It turns out that our 3rd president was quite feisty during his retirement years. Historian Andrew Burstein, Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello reveals Jefferson's relationship with his slave Sally Hemings and his views on race and religion.

Undercover

Then... Stephen Schwartz, The Other Islam: Sufism and the Road to Global Harmony is a Sufi Muslim who believes that Sufism is the West's natural ally against radical Islam. He describes their history and beliefs.

December 2008

Vote for Jesus: When Politics and Religion Collide

"I'm sorry for the part I played in that. I look back with great regret now at the fact that had it not been for my father and I and a lot people we inspired, it's very unlikely somebody like George W. would have been president for eight years."

- Frank Schaeffer

The Mimi Geerges Show • P.O. Box 267 • Oakton, Virginia 22124