Terry Gross

Philadelphia Inquirer reporters Donald Barlett and James Steele. For the past 9 days, the Inquirer has run a series of scathing front page articles by Barlett and Steele titled "America: What Went Wrong?" In it, they examine how government policies as diverse as changes in the bankruptcy laws and the sanctioning of political action committees have worked to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Singer Lesley Gore. In 1963, when she was only 16, Leslie Gore recorded one of the greatest songs in rock and roll history, "It's My Party, and I'll Cry If I Want To." Gore has stayed in the business since the 60s, and she's currently appearing at the New York City club, "Rainbow and Stars." Also, Rhino records has recently released a two record retrospective of her greatest hits.

Professor Lillian Faderman. Faderman's written a new book on the history of lesbians and lesbian life in 20th Century America. It's called "Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers." (It's published by Columbia University Press).

Actor John Leguizamo (pronounced "Leh-gwee-zamo"). Leguizamo created and stars in the hit one-man show "Mambo Mouth," based on his experiences as a Latino growing up in Jackson Heights, Queens. "Mambo Mouth" premieres on television this Saturday, on HBO's Comedy Hour.

Filmmaker Garry Marshall. Marshall produced and directed the new movie "Frankie & Johnny." He also directed last year's hit movie "Pretty Woman," and he has a long distinguished career in TV, with shows like "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley," "Mork and Mindy," and "The Odd Couple" to his credit.

Jazz musician Sonny Sharrock. He's been called America's leading free jazz guitarist. His new album is called "Ask the Ages." (It's on Axiom records).

Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. In his new book, "The Samson Option," Hersh contends that Israel has had a secret nuclear arms program for years, had those arms aimed at the Soviet Union for years, and was ready to fire those weapons at Arab capitals during the recent Gulf war. Hersh's previous book, "The Target Is Destroyed," looked at what really happened when Korean Airlines flight 007 was shot down near Japan.

Comedian Bill Cosby. Cosby talks about his TV show, his early years doing stand-up comedy, and his new book, "Childhood." It recounts some of his favorite stories of his youth. (It's published by Putnam).

Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela. Their new book, "A Nation of Enemies," examines how Chile, , a country with a long history of democracy, slipped into more than a decade of dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet. Constable is Latin America correspondent for the Boston Globe, Valenzuela is director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. (The book's published by W.W. Norton).

Editor Ze'ev Chafets (SHAY-fetz) of "The Jerusalem Report," a news magazine published in Israel. He's also the author of "Inherit the Mob," a comic novel about a journalist lured into the Jewish Mafia, baited by a large inheritance. Chafets will talk to Terry about his own life as an American living in Israel and about the upcoming peace talks.