Parenting & Families

Joyce Dixson co-founded "Sons and Daughters of the Incarcerated" a group which helps children whose parents are in prison. Dixson served seventeen years in prison after being convicted of shooting her husband. She left two children behind when she went to prison in 1976. She later became the first woman to earn an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan while incarcerated. Dixson's sentence was reduced, and she was released from prison in 1993. She went directly to the University of Michigan and earned a master's degree in social work.

Laura Joplin is the younger sister of the rock legend Janis Joplin. Her new book, "Love XX Janis," was inspired by a bundle of letters Laura found of her sister's. This is the first time the letters are published. Laura is six years younger than Janis, and was 21 when Janis died. There's a new episode of the VH1 documentary series "Legends" about Janis Joplin, in which Laura reads some of the letters of her sister.

Rowlands won acclaim for her performance in "A Woman Under the Influence" and "Gloria." She collaborated with her late husband actor/screenwriter/and director John Cassavetes for thirty years. Rowlands is starring in the new film "Unhook the Stars" in which she plays Mildred, a middle-aged woman who finds herself at a crucial turning point in her life. The film was written and directed by Rowland's son, Nick Cassavetes.

Tenor saxophonist and composer, Ellery Eskelin. He's been called the most inventive American tenor player in creative music. His father, Rodd Keith, (also known as Rod Rodgers) was killed when he was struck by cars on the Hollywood Freeway after leaping or falling from the Santa Monica Boulevard overpass. Eskelin only knew his father for the first eighteen months of his life. As he grew up, Eskelin was inspired and intrigued by the continuous stories he heard about his father and his musical talent.

Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. After his mother was mysteriously strangled to death when he was ten, he grew up obsessed with crime. His life spun towards booze, drugs, theft, and jail. He eventually cleaned up his life and began writing. He has written several novels, many of which were international best-sellers, including "American Tabloid," "The Black Dahlia," and his most recent book, "My Dark Places," in which he tells the story of his mother's murder.

We'll hear from Norma Storch and June Cross, who are featured in this week's Frontline program entitled "Secret Daughter." Storch, who is white, gave up her half black child to a black couple. We'll hear from both mother and daughter as they reflect back. Norma Storch (mother) is married to actor Larry Storh who starred in the TV comedy F-Troop in the mid 1960's. June Cross (daughter) is a television producer for the PBS series "Frontline."

Film critic John Powers reviews the Lars von Trier's first English language film, "Breaking the Waves."

The former Saturday Night Live performer was best known for, Pat, the gender-ambiguous character. Sweeney took the character the big screen, but the result was a flop. When her brother was diagnosed with cancer, she took him into her home to take care of him while he was getting treatment. Her parents also moved in. Sweeney began work on a performance piece as a way to deal with the situation. Her brother eventually died, and she herself was diagnosed with cancer. She's now in remission. Sweeney's one woman show is called "God Said, Ha!"

Berube is a professor of English at the University of Illinois and is the author of the new book, "Life As We Know It: A Father, a Family, and an Exceptional Child." It's about the birth of his son in 1991, Jamie, who has Down syndrome, and how that has affected his family's life. Berube writes in the introduction, "individual humans like James are compelling us daily to determine what kind of 'individuality' we will value, on what terms, and why."

Book Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new book by Mona Simpson, about a troubled family living on a commune.

Leno talks with Terry about his life: growing up, his struggling years as a standup (with other comics like Robin Williams, Andy Kaufman, and Steve Martin), and taking over The Tonight Show. His new memoir is called "Leading With My Chin."

Commentator Dagoberto Gilb has some thoughts on his son and college.

Weston died last Friday. We replay part of our 1988 interview with his wife Jo Stafford. (Rebroadcast)

Washington Post reporter Leon Dash won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his eight part series "Rosa Lee's Story." He has turned that into the new book ,"Rosa Lee: A Mother and Her Family in Urban America." It shows Lee's day to day life in one of Washington D.C.'s poorest neighborhoods.

Former caseworker in New York City's Emergency Children's Services, Marc Parent. It was Parent's job to investigate cases of abused children during the evening and nighttime hours. He's written a new memoir about his experiences, called "Turning Stones: My Days and Nights with Children at Risk." Kirkus Reviews writes, "At once heart-wrenching and heart-lifting is this record of four years spent riding to the rescue of abused and neglected children."

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Crows Over A Wheatfield" by Paula Sharp.

Film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum reviews "She's the One," a sex-obsessed rom-com featuring Jennifer Aniston's big screen debut.

An excerpt from the NPR program "This American Life" produced by Ira Glass. This is the story of a Tom Jones impersonator produced by Jay Allison and narrated by Dan Gediman -- brother of the ersatz celebrity.

The Fresh Air classical music critic reads a new poem about his mother.

Vilar's memoir "A Message from God in the Atomic Age" chronicles three generations of self-destructive behavior: in 1954, her grandmother was imprisoned for opening fire at the U.S. House of Representatives; in 1977, her mother leapt to her death from a speeding car; and in 1988, Vilar herself was committed to a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide. Alternating between her notes from the psychiatric ward and the chronicling of the history of her family, Vilar tells of her own attempts to come to terms with her family history.