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December 2006

Patrick O'Donnell, We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah
Four pairs of best friends. One from each pair would be killed in the battle of Fallujah. Award-winning author and military historian Patrick O'Donnell profiles the brave marines of the1st Platoon of Lima Company, 1st Marine Regiment who fought and died in the Iraq War's fiercest battle. Then...

R. Alan King, Twice Armed: An American Soldier's Battle for Hearts and Minds in Iraq
Armed with his rifle and a Palm Pilot that contained an English translation of the Koran along with an understanding of Middle Eastern culture, King captured or arranged the surrender of almost a dozen of the most-wanted villains from Saddam's regime including several from the famous deck of cards.

Dr. Tawfik Hamid, Islamic Reformer and Educator
While studying medicine at Cairo University in Egypt, Tawfik Hamid joined the terrorist group Gamat Islamaya. He often prayed with its leader, Osama Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Al-Zawaheri. As he became disillusioned with their violent Islamist ideology, he began to advocate reform, but was forced to flee to the safety of the West. Then...

Pierre Rehov, Israeli Filmmaker, Suicide Killers
What makes a young man or woman want to blow themselves up and kill innocent people in the process? Filmmaker Pierre Rehov talks to suicide bombers themselves - some who have failed in their missions - others who are waiting for the call.

November 2006

Betsy Krebs and Paul Pitcoff, Beyond the Foster Care System: The Future of Teens
The current foster care system does practically nothing to prepare older children and teens for life beyond the system. Betsy Krebs and Paul Pitcoff founded the Youth Advocacy Center to teach teens advocacy skills and to prepare for the future as successful adults. They discuss the challenges faced by older children in the system and solutions. Then...

Dr. Robert Hill, Senior Researcher, Westat
An alliance of the five Casey organizations and the Center for Study of Social Policy commissioned an analysis on the overrepresentation of racial minorities in the foster care system, and their treatment.

Martin Sepulveda, a young man who has aged out of foster care
Martin was two when he entered into the foster care system. He aged out of the system when he turned 18. He discusses his personal experiences in and out of the system.

Louise Richardson, What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat
Louise Richardson examines terrorism, its origins, its goals; what can be expected in the future, and what can be done to prevent further attacks. She says that often times terrorists are seen as "one-dimensional evildoers and psychopaths" when in reality, many of them are rational political actors. Then...

Alex Kershaw, The Few: The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain
Alex Kershaw 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.

Linda Lawrence Hunt, Bold Spirit: Helga Esby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America
In 1896, a Norwegian immigrant named Helga Estby and her eighteen year old daughter dare to cross 3500 miles of the American continent to win a $10,000 wager. On Foot. Author Linda Lawrence Hunt describes this fascinating journey of an audacious act of courage and love of a mother trying to save a family farm. Then...

Anchee Min, Empress Orchid: A Novel
The Last Empress of China - the longest reigning female ruler in China's 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.

October 2006

Michael Lewis, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
Michael Oher was born to play left tackle, but he had barely touched a football by his sixteenth birthday. Raised by a crack addicted mother, his future looked bleak until a wealthy, loving family took him in and set him on a path leading to NFL greatness. Then...

Ken Jennings, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs
Ken Jennings, the longest-running champion on the television quiz show, Jeopardy!, discusses his experience on the show and explores the purpose of retaining so much seemingly meaningless knowledge.

Dying to Speak Out

Ian Buruma, Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance
Film maker Theo Van Gogh was murdered in cold blood in the streets of Amsterdam. Mohammed Bouyeri, an angry young Muslim, shot him then slit his throat for making a movie that "blasphemed" Islam. Dutch journalist Ian Buruma attempts to make sense of the murder that shocked Holland and the world. Then...

J. Timothy Hunt, The Politics of Bones: Dr. Owens Wiwa and the Struggle for Nigeria's Oil
"We find it most intolerable that we who sit on oil should be one of the poorest, if not the poorest , people in the country ... We, on the contrary, are chased out of our land by oil-prospecting companies and left to languish in poverty." - Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, executed by the Nigerian dictatorship in 1994.

Sarah Chayes, The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban
Former NPR foreign correspondent Sarah Chayes left reporting to help rebuild the country. She gets a close up view of Afghan politics, warlords, and the resurgence of the Taliban. Then ...

Ian Bremmer, The J Curve: A New Way to Understand Why Nations Rise and Fall
Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer says that if one graphs a nation's stability in relation to its openness, the result is a J-shaped curve. He says that often political isolation and sanctions can further strengthen dangerous regimes.

William Cope Moyers, Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption
Moyers discusses how although he grew up in a privileged and loving home he fell into drug and alcohol addiction. He dealt with years of relapses, but ultimately triumphs over this disease and is now the Vice president of the Hazelden Foundation, a non-profit treatment center for drug and alcohol addiction. Then ...

Frank Vocci, The National Institute on Drug Abuse
Dr. Frank Vocci is responsible for instituting research and development activities for medications targeted for the treatment of drug abuse. He discusses the physiological effects of prolonged drug abuse on the brain.

September 2006

Francis Collins, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
Renown scientist and once head of the international Human Genome Project argues for the possibility for the coexistence of religion and science. He discusses his journey from atheism to his faith in Christianity. Then ...

Susan Casey, The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks
Susan Casey documents the ancient creatures that roam the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco and uncovers research that gives new insight into the mysterious life of these predators.

Peter Galbraith, The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End
A former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia and expert on national security strategy talks about the failure of U.S. intentions in Iraq. He asserts that Iraq has disintegrated into three parts, Kurdistan in the north, Shiites to the south, and a chaotic Sunni dominated center. Then ...

Kayla Williams, Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army
Kayla Williams spent one year as an Arabic language specialist and offers the unique perspective of being a female in a male dominated Army.

August 2006

Tom Zoellner, The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire
A story about adventure across six continents to uncover the secrets behind the world's most controversial stone and its impact on cultures and societies around the globe. Then ...

Chris Paine, film maker: Who Killed the Electric Car?
Chris Paine documents the short life of the electric car and its recall and destruction by General Motors. He investigates the suspects and determines their guilt or innocence.

July 2006

The Criminalization of the Mentally Ill

As the father of a mentally ill son and a former reporter for The Washington Post, Pete Earley, Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness, investigates the criminalization of the mentally ill and the "insanity" of America's mental health system. Then, Jonathan Stanley, Assistant Director of The Treatment Advocacy Center suffers from bipolar disorder. After being forced into treatment, he earned a law degree and now advocates on behalf of the mentally ill.

Steven Miles, Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity and the War on Terror
Steven Miles, a physician and bioethics expert, investigates the roles doctors, nurses and medics may have played in torture and prisoner abuse in the War on Terror. Then, MG Show commentator Victoria Zackheim on hunger strikes.

Andrew Beaujon, Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock
Andrew Beaujon discusses the phenomenon sweeping American Evangelical churches. He travels the country examining the industry record labels and the bands of Christian music.

Peter Beinart, The Good Fight: Why Liberals - and Only Liberals - Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again
New Republic editor at large Peter Beinart argues that America shouldn't flinch from its fight against terrorism but include international dialogue in its decision making. He explains why liberals are uniquely qualified to fight Islamic jihadism. Then...

Greg Palast, Armed Madhouse
Former corporate fraud and racketeering investigator turned investigative journalist Greg Palast takes an inside look at the actors he claims decided the 2004 presidential election, the invasion of Iraq, and who also have already decided who will win in 2008.

Barbara Leaming, Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman
Biographer Barbara Leaming delves into the British political figures that influenced the 35th president. She describers their influence on the decisions that changed the course of history and the country's future for years after his death. Then...

Anthony Arthur, Radical Innocent: Upton Sinclair
Anthony Arthur's new biography illuminates social critic and writer Upton Sinclair whose infamous book, The Jungle, led to legislation's such as the Pure Food and Drug Act.

June 2006

Fawaz Gerges, Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy
Fawaz Gerges is an academic who studied jihadism for many years, their origins and their internal rifts. He travels across the Middle East and conducts one on one interviews with jihadists examining Western assumptions and the future of the movement. He also describes his own experiences during the Lebanese Civil War. Then...

Alex Berenson, The Faithful Spy: A Novel
In a new spy thriller, CIA agent John Wells becomes the first American to infiltrate the higher ranks of al-Qaeda. Several years later, he returns to the U.S. now a devout Muslim and becomes conflicted between mission and faith.

June Cross, Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away
Award winning journalist and former TV producer June Cross in her new memoir discusses racism in America from the experience of a mixed race daughter, and her white mother's decision to have her raised by a black family. Then...

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

May 2006

Paul Rieckhoff, Chasing Ghosts : A Soldier's Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington
Iraq war veteran and now founder of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans of America spent ten months in Iraq. He describes the effects of the Bush's administration's policies and execution of the war on the troops and Iraqi civilians. Then...

Milton Viorst, Storm from the East: The Struggle Between the Arab World and the Christian West
Journalist and scholar Milton Viorst in his new book takes the reader through the historical journey of the Middle East and its current impact in Iraq.

Cupcake Brown, A Piece of Cake: A Memoir
Orphaned at the age of 11, Cupcake Brown was introduced to a life of sex, gangs, and drug and alcohol addiction. She tells of her journey of overcoming her childhood abuse and addictions. Then ...

John Crawford, The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq
During his senior year in college and soon after getting married, Crawford's National Guard unit was deployed to Iraq for one year. In his memoir, he describes what he saw and experienced on the battlefield of Iraq. Finally ...

Rachel DeWoskin, Foreign Babes in Beijing: Behind the Scenes of a New China
After being told she was "too weird to get a normal job," Rachel Dewoskin moves to China seeking adventure. She finds stardom in a Chinese soap opera that receives worldwide attention.

Greek Tenor, Mario Frangoulis
Mario Frangoulis is a multi-platinum tenor that has performed worldwide and with some of the most important European orchestras. He has lent his talents to several genres, including pop, rock and opera. His latest album is called, "Follow Your Heart." Then ...

Film maker Liz Mermin, The Beauty Academy of Kabul
New York based filmmaker Liz Mermin focuses on documentaries on social issues. In her latest film, she records the experience of a few American hair dressers who travel to Kabul and volunteer to train future hairdressers there.

March 2006

Dana Buchman, A Special Education: One Family's Journey Through the Maze of Learning Disabilities
Dana Buchman is best known for her upscale women's clothing line. But in this new memoir, she recounts the long and often difficult road her family faced when her eldest daughter was diagnosed with Learning Disabilities (LD). Then ...

Christopher Lowell, Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Organization
The TV design guru turns his attention to clutter. His newest book offers a step-by-step guide to getting organized and staying clutter-free. Then ...

The Oriental Music Ensemble, Faculty of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music
Amid the violence and tragedy in the Palestinian areas, a thriving music scene can be found at the Edward Said National Conservatory, located in the West Bank. Four faculty members join me to showcase their traditional Palestinian music and discuss the challenges of life in that area of the world.

February 2006

Gordon Chang, Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World
While the US focuses on the threat of Iran and their possible nuclear program, North Korea is practically ignored. Kim Jung Il's provocations and his nuclear program continues to advance further imperiling his neighbors and the world. Then ...

Bruce Lawrence, Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden
While much has been said about Osama bin Laden, his actual statements have never before been complied and publicly available in English. Duke University professor of Islamic Studies Bruce Lawrence has introduced and edited 24 of Osama bin Laden's newly translated public statements.

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