Books & Literature

Sontag's new historical novel "The Volcano Lover: A Romance," is a well-reviewed, best-selling book. She's best known for her intellectually rigorous essayists.

Writer Susan Trento's new book about the merging of lobbying and public relations in politics is called "The Power House." It takes a look at Robert Keith Gray and his role in this trend.

Kremlin insider Georgi Arbatov. His new book, "The System," is a memoir of his long political career as Director of the Institute for the USA and Canada, the Soviet Union's most influential foreign policy think-tank. He was not a dissident or an enemy of the system; rather, he worked within it. His book begins with his World War II career, chronicles the repressive Stalin era, the Cold War, the August 1991 coup attempt and its aftermath. He's been an adviser to every Soviet leader from Khruschev to Yeltsin.

Jamieson is the Dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. She's been called "the leading academic authority on politics and advertising" by the New York Times. She'll talk about negative campaigning by both parties, and give her take on the recent conventions. Her new book, "Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction and Democracy," is about how TV ads and speeches shape contemporary campaigns.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews "Motor City" by Bill Morris. It's his first book, and deals with the auto industry and a whole host of cultural figures from the 1950s.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan tells us about a short horror story that has haunted her through the years -- "August Heat" by W.F. Harvey.

Doyle's first book, "The Commitments," was published in 1987 and made into the hit movie of the same name, about a working-class Dublin band with soul. His inspiration for the book were the students he teaches in a north Dublin school. Doyle has continued writing about Barrytown, a mythic suburb of Dublin, and about the Rabbitte family, which has appeared in several of his novels.

Sean and Judy Barron. This son and mother have written a book together, "There's A Boy in Here," about Sean's escape from autism. Sean tells of the rigid rules he developed to control the world which had been terrifying to him since birth. Sean's parents refused to let him withdraw, and after years of interrupting his isolation, he gradually emerged. Sean has graduated from college and is pursuing a degree in occupational therapy.

Simic won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1990. He edited a new anthology of Serbian poetry called "The Horse Has Six Legs." He came to the U.S. when he was 15. He'll talk to guest host Marty Moss-Coane about poetry, growing up in Yugoslavia, andt what it's like to witness the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "When Nietzsche Wept," which he says is both high-minded and deeply entertaining with its use of real historical figures.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Susan Sontag's newest book, a long awaited return to fiction. It deals with historical figures and is written in a 19th century style. Leonard calls the novel both brilliant and surprisingly commercial.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Vaclav Havel's latest essay collection, which Leonard says is a depressing and often evasive take on the current political climate of Czechoslovakia.

Kittredge is best known for his writings about the West of the United States. He grew up on a ranch in southeastern Oregon and ranched himself for ten years. He also taught for years at the University of Montana. His new book is a memoir, "Hole in the Sky," about the land owned by his family for three generations.