Books & Literature

Award-winning historian Michael Beschloss just co-authored a new book, "At the Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War." He and co-author Strobe Talbot were in contact with officials in both American and Soviet governments, and in NATO. They show the close tie between George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, which "eventually caused both men to lose touch with their domestic constituencies."

George is one of this country's most prominent chroniclers of black music and culture. He was the black music editor at "Billboard" for seven years and is a regular columnist for the "Village Voice." His new book "Buppies, B-Boys, Baps and Bohos: Notes on Post-Soul Black Culture," is a collection of his writings about the last two decades in Black urban culture. George also edited the book, "Stop the Violence," a collaboration of top rappers working to end black-on-black violence.

Neely has brought a strong African-American female voice to the genre. The heroine of her debut book, "Blanche on the Lam," is Blanche White, a 40-year old housekeeper with big thighs, a wry sense of humor, and a jaundiced view of the rich. Blanche is on the lam from a 30-day jail sentence for a bad check; she can hide in plain sight, because of her invisibility as a black housekeeper. One reviewer writes though the book works well as a crime novel, it's "less about a mysterious murder. . .

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews "Flaubert - Sand: The Correspondence," translated by Francis Steepmuller and Barbara Bray. It's a collection of the more than 400 letters between French writers Gustave Flaubert and George Sand.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Monnew," a novel by West African writer Amadou Kourouma. It imagines the history and politics of a fictional country based on Kourouma's native Ivory Coast.

Book critic John Leonard remarks on the fourth anniversary of the death-sentence that sent writer Salman Rushdie into hiding. He says that, despite support from the literary community, Rushdie has been unfairly mocked by critics and journalists.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews the new memoir, "H.L. Mencken: My Life as Author and Editor," edited by Jonathan Yardley. It's based on papers the author instructed to keep sealed until 35 years after his death.

Rollin's 1976 best-selling book about surviving breast-cancer, "First, You Cry," is being reissued. She lost one breast to cancer in 1975; in 1984, she had the other breast removed. Rollin also wrote the book, "Last Wish," about helping her mother -- who was dying from ovarian cancer -- to die.

Wu Ningkun, author of a new personal and political memoir, A Single Tear, talks about surviving three decades of Communist rule in China. Wu was born in China, went to college in the United States, and returned to China in 1951 with hopes that the new Communist regime would benefit his country. Instead, he was labeled counter-revolutionary for teaching works by Western authors and sentenced to serve time at various labor camps and prisons. He now lives in the United States with his family.

Weinberg received the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physics. He's the author of "The First Three Minutes," about the Big Bang. He's currently working on what he calls the "final theory," the search for the ultimate laws of nature--for the final answer to our questions about why nature is the way it is. That search is tied up with work on the Superconducting Super Collider. His new book is called "Dreams of the Final Theory,"

The daughter of Marlene Dietrich, Maria Riva. Dietrich died last May at the age of 90, with her mystique still intact. Riva has written a memoir, "Marlene Dietrich," which relies on Riva's memories and on Dietrich's letters and diaries. It's been called a "sympathetic" book about a woman who is "uncaring," and who had a complex relationship with her own sexuality. Riva also describes her mother's decline into alcoholism.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews "Homestead: The Glory and Tragedy of an American Steel Town," by William Serrin.

The novelist is best known for his books "Crooked Hearts," and "The Geography of Desire." His writing focuses on families, and the connections between people. Boswell's new novel is "Mystery Ride," about a failed marriage that nonetheless endures in the hearts of the couple. Boswell teaches at New Mexico State University and at the Warren Wilson Master of Fine Arts Program for Writers in North Carolina.

Gonzales has a new book about his love affair with flying, called "One Zero Charlie: Adventures in Grass Roots Aviation." He grew up listening to the stories his mother told of his father's last flight in a B-17 bomber over Dusseldorf in World War II. Gonzales is a commercial pilot who competes in aerobatics flying.

Johnston's memoir, "Shooting the Boh," is not only an account of her adventure going down the river dealing with leeches, waterfalls, foot rot, and moldy clothes -- it's about her onset of menopause during the trip. One reviewer writes, "A powerful adventure of the head as well as the body: not to be missed."

Baxter has a new novel, "Shadow Play," about a Faustian contract a man makes with a former classmate. Baxter has written several volumes of short stories. One reviewer writes, "Baxter is a master at creating loopy, poetic, and meaningfully unhinged psyches."

Chancellor of the New York City school system, Joseph Fernandez. He's been a controversial figure: he's made condoms available in the public schools, and approved a multicultural curriculum, called "Children of the Rainbow," that teaches respect for gays and lesbians. Fernandez is Puerto Rican and grew up in Spanish Harlem. He was a gang member and a heroin addict. Late,r he joined the Air Force, where he kicked the habit, and attended college on the G.I. bill.

Book critic John Leonard reviews, "Snow Crash," by Neal Stephenson, a futuristic novel about virtual reality.

Novelist, journalist and columnist Pete Hamill. He's written seven novels, including "Flesh and Blood," and "Loving Women." Most recently he was editor-in-chief at the New York Post. He's latest book is a memoir of the years he spent drinking, "A Drinking Life: A Memoir," (Little, Brown & Co.) Hamill quit drinking twenty years ago. One reviewer in Publishers Weekly writes about Hamill's new memoir, "This is not a jeremiad condemning drink, however, but a thoughtful, funny, street-smart reflection on its consequences."

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra is managing editor of the CBS weekly series "Top Cops." He's written a memoir, "A Safe Place," about growing up, the son of a violent, loving, murderous, and generous father. They lived in New York's Hell's Kitchen during the 50s and 60s. Lorenzo found out at the age of 14 that his father had murdered his first wife when she threatened to leave him. Lorenzo's father went on to terrorize his second wife, beating her and Lorenzo. Yet his father also could be warm and affectionate to his family.