Michael
Judge, The
Dance of Time: The Origins of the Calendar Have
you ever wondered why we celebrate New Year's Day on January
1st? Or what the origins of Halloween are? Or why the birth
of Christ is celebrated in Winter? Author Michael Judge wondered
too and wrote a book describing all of our feasts and festivals
and where they came from.
Joseph
S. Nye, The
Power Game: A Washington Novel In Washington,
power reigns supreme. When a quiet academic from Princeton
moves to Washington to become an Under Secretary of State,
he quickly finds that power politics can be seductive and
destructive. We'll also discuss his latest non-fiction book
called Soft
Power : The Means to Success in World Politics, about
the ability of governments to use attraction and influence
to achieve their goals. Professor Joseph S. Nye is the former
Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Patrick
Smith, Ask
the Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel
Patrick Smith is an airline pilot with a passion for airplanes
and air travel. He shares that passion with readers of his
weekly column for Salon.com called "Ask the Pilot."
In his new paperback book, he answers common - and not so
common - questions about commercial flight. The book is available
in paperback.
Soheir
Khashoggi, Mosaic
Soheir Khashoggi is a bestselling novelist highlighting women's
issues living in the Arab world. In her latest novel, Khashoggi
turns her attention to the issue of spousal kidnapping. Dina
Ahmed is a successful business woman living in New York City.
But when she returns home one day to discover that her six-year-old
twins have vanished, Dina is forced to accept the terrible
truth: Her husband, Karim, has taken the twins to his homeland
of Jordan to raise the children with his family there.
November
2004
Bob Edwards,
Edward
R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism
Bob Edwards anchored National Public Radio's flagship morning
program "Morning Edition" for nearly 25 years. Currently
he hosts the daily program called "The Bob Edward's Show"
on XM Satellite. He's written a new book about the "patron
saint" of his profession. Edwards discusses
the tremendous impact Murrow had on radio and TV newscasts.
George
Friedman, America's
Secret War: Inside the Hidden Worldwide Struggle Between America
and its Enemies
George Friedman is the founder and chairman of Stratfor, a
private, global intelligence company. In his new book,
he describes what he sees as the real reasons the Bush
administration went to war in Iraq, and our relationship with
Iran and Saudi Arabia. Friedman also explains why he thinks
Pakistan will be America's next military target.
Rabbi
Harold Kushner, The
Lord is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-Third Psalm
The 23rd Psalm is perhaps the best known book of the Bible.
Rabbi Harold Kushner examines each line of the Psalm and explains
why many people find it especially calming and comforting;
and how others can as well. Rabbi Kushner's newest book, on
this psalm is now available in paperback. He's also the author
of the best seller "When Bad Things Happen to Good People."
Richard
Fortey, Earth:
An Intimate History
In his new book, Richard Fortey, senior paleontologist at
the Natural History Museum in London takes a tour of the world's
most interesting geological sites. From Pompeii to Hawaii
to the Alps, he describes how mountains are made, and how
islands can disappear. Fortey shows how human culture and
natural history are rooted in our deep geological past.
October
2004
Max Frankel,
High
Noon in the Cold War: Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cuban Missile
Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis has been called the closest the superpowers
ever came to nuclear war. Veteran newsman and winner of the
Pulitzer Prize Max Frankel was there reporting on the crisis
for the New York Times more than forty years ago. He takes
a look back at the people, the times and the motivations for
the crisis in his new book.
Nuclear
Proliferation
Both George Bush and John Kerry agreed during their first
debate that Nuclear Proliferation is the greatest threat facing
the United States. A panel of experts discuss the threat from
rogue states. As well as Pakistani scientist AQ Khan and his
proliferation network, and the threat from unsecured nuclear
weapons and materials.
Stephen Rademaker, Assistant Secretary of
State for Arms Control Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of The
Arms Control Association
Alexandra
Robbins,Conquering
Your Quarterlife Crisis: Advice from Twentysomethings Who
Have Been There and Survived
Most people have heard of the mid-life crisis, but author
Alexandra Robbins insists that there is a quarterlife crisis
that equally afflicts people in their twenties. Her new book
describes the angst many young people feel when transitioning
to modern adulthood, and practical tips and solutions from
other young people who have overcome those same problems.
Mary
Roach,Stiff:
The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Author Mary Roach offers a guide to what your body could
do after you die. In her new book, she describes all the surprising
things that human cadavers have done in the past and continue
to do to make the lives of the living better.
Esmeralda
Santiago,The
Turkish Lover
Esmeralda Santiago is one of today's preeminent Latina authors.
Her new 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 and self-discovery
that ultimately leads to her graduation from Harvard University.
September 2004
Howard
Dean,You
Have the Power: How to Take Back Our Country and Restore Democracy
to America
The former Governor of Vermont took the country by storm when
he became the unexpected front-runner of the Democratic Presidential
primaries. Months after his fall from front-runner, Dr. Dean
remains an inspiring figure for the voters and activists who
joined his confident, Internet-savvy campaign. Howard Dean
discusses his campaign, his support for John Kerry and the
goals of his own group, Democracy for America.
Sut
Jhally,Hijacking
Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire Co-producer
and Executive Director of the Media Education Foundation joins
Mimi to discuss his new movie. The documentary asserts that
a radical fringe of the Republican Party used the trauma of
the 9/11 terror attacks to advance a pre-existing agenda to
expand American power globally by means of military force.
Larry
Kane,Ticket
to Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 & 1965 Tours That Changed
the World
The Beatles have been called the world's
greatest rock band. Forty years ago, in 1964, they arrived
in America to record-breaking concerts and hysterical fan
reactions. One American journalist, Larry Kane, travelled
with them throughout their first two tours. He discusses the
Beatles as a musical phenomenon, and as the four regular guys
they were. The book is available in paperback.
Also,
Focal Point film critic Sean
O'Connell reviews the new movie Sky Captain.
Elinor
Levy,The
New Killer Diseases: How the Alarming Evolution of Germs Threatens
Us All
Since the 1970s, more than thirty new diseases have arisen.
From mad cow disease to SARS to West Nile Virus. Old scourges
like plague and tuberculosis have reemerged in more dangerous
forms. Immunologist Elinor Levy discusses the new epidemics,
the threat of bio-terrorism, and what we can do to protect
ourselves. The book is co-authored by Mark
Fischetti.
Marcia
Millman,The
Perfect Sister: What Draws Us Together, What Drives Us Apart
Sisterhood is one of the most complicated relationships a
woman can have. Social psychologist and best selling author
Marcia Millman has spent the last two years interviewing sisters
around the country, exploring the dynamics of their relationships.
She examines how these complex bonds are formed and how they
keep changing throughout life, for better and for worse.
August
2004
Dennis
Ross,The
Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East
Peace
Ambassador Dennis Ross, the chief Middle East peace negotiator
in the administrations of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton,
has been the one American at the center of the struggle for
peace between the Arabs and Israelis. In his new book, Ross
recounts the peace process in detail from 1988 to the breakdown
of talks in early 2001 that prompted the second Palestinian
Intifada. He explains why Middle East peace is so difficult
to achieve.
James E. Rogan,Rough
Edges: My Unlikely Road from Welfare to Washington
As a child, James Rogan dreamed of going to Congress. He eventually
achieved his dream, but on the way had a few bumps on the
road. As the illegitimate son of a cocktail waitress and bartender,
he was initially raised by his grandparents in San Francisco's
hardscrabble neighborhoods. As a young man, he bartended at
biker bars and strip joints to pay for law school.
Alzheimer's
Disease
Over 4 million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
This debilitating disease robs people first of their memories
and then finally their lives. Caretakers of family members
with Alzheimers often suffer just as much from the emotional
and financial burden. Author David Shenk and scientist Susan
Molchan discuss the science, the emotions and the impact of
the disease on individuals and their families.
Anonymous,
Imperial
Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror
In his second book, an anonymous senior CIA
official explains why he thinks U.S. policies are making us
less safe and what needs to be done to start winning the war
on Islamic terrorism. He discusses the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq and their likely impact. The CIA allowed publication
of this book, contingent upon the author's anonymity. His
first book is called "Through Our Enemies Eyes."
Also,
Focal Point film critic Sean
O'Connell reviews the new movie Collateral.
July
2004
Molly Ivins,
Who
Let the Dogs In?: Incredible Political Animals I Have Known
In her career retrospective, best-selling author and political
columnist Molly Ivins takes a look back at her forty years
covering American politics. She comments on everything from
Texas politicians to Rush Limbaugh. She's the author of "Bushwhacked"
and "Shrub." Her columns are seen in over 300 newspapers.
Mark Dow, American
Gulag: Inside America's Immigration Prisons
Author Mark Dow takes a look inside America's immigration
prisons. Many immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. are detained
and sometimes abused and humiliated in detention centers and
prisons. Some detainees can wait for years before given a
chance to see a judge, or be deported back to their country.
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. He then left the life of espionage
for the life of a diplomat. Lilley 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 new memoir.
Stephen Schlesinger,
Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations
The United Nations was formed after the devastation of World
War II to ensure that nations could resolve disputes peacefully.
In his new book, authorStephen Schlesinger
discusses the tumultuous founding of the United Nations and
the conflicts and compromises that made it what it is today.
Also, Focal Point
commentator Victoria
Zackheim discusses her grandmother's influence
in her life.
June
2004
Mario M. Cuomo,
Why Lincoln Matters: Today More Than Ever
Former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo discusses the wisdom
of Abraham Lincoln in his latest book and how it can be applied
to our current challenges as a nation. The Governor also weighs
in with his own views of current events, and his years of
public service.
Wendy Swallow,
The Triumph of Love Over Experience: A Memoir of Remarriage
Ten years after her divorce, Wendy Swallow had become comfortable
in her life as an independent single mother. She'd even bought
a new house. Then Charlie, a divorced father came along and
the two decided to marry. In her new memoir, Wendy Swallow
discusses the challenges and triumphs of remarriage, and creating
a new blended family.
John Pollack,
Cork Boat
As a boy, speechwriter John Pollack had two very different
dreams. He wanted to work in the White House; and he wanted
to build a boat made entirely of wine corks. In this surprising
and inspiring memoir, Pollack describes how he – literally
– put a cork in his political career to pursue his more
unconventional childhood fantasy, and still wound up achieving
both of his goals.
Also, Focal Point commentator Victoria
Zackheim discusses the highs and lows of an author
book tour.
May
2004
Micheal J.
Durant, In the Company of Heroes: A True Story by Michael
J. Durant
While flying a mission over Somalia in 1993, Blackhawk helicopter
pilot Michael Durant was shot down. A fire fight ensued at
the crash site and a severely injured Durant was the only
survivor. Facing certain death at the hands of an angry mob,
he was instead whisked away and held captive for 11 days.
This is the personal story behind the movie Black Hawk
Down in Durant's own words.
Clea Koff,
The Bone Woman: A Forensic Anthropologist's Search for
Truth in the Mass Graves of Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo
Despite much international outrage at atrocities committed
in Rwanda or Bosnia, the question remains: how, after the
fact, can we help give a voice to victims and their families?
For Clea Koff, it is the dead who can still call out their
murderers. Koff is a forensic anthropologist and has served,
since the age of 26, on several UN missions and exhumed thousands
of bodies. In her new book she details her experiences –
and lets us see her way to help victims to be heard.
Simon Sebag
Montefiore, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar
Behind every inhuman act, there is the all-too-human individual
who perpetrated it. This is part of the lesson of Simon S.
Montefiore's new biography of Joseph Stalin, the outcome of
the author's exhaustive research in newly opened Russian archives
and intensive interviews with descendants of Stalin's inner
circle. The book sheds new light on the social dynamics -
the humanity - of Stalin and the men and women around him.
April
2004
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.
