Terry Gross

Doctor Marcus Conant. He talks to Terry about new drug therapies for AIDS patients. In the early 1980's DR. Conant was among the first doctors in San Francisco to treat AIDS cases. Now Dr. Conant heads the largest private AIDS medical practice in San Francisco. After his 1985 study on how condoms block transmission of the AIDS virus, condoms became a household word.

Washington Post investigative reporter Jim McGee has co-written with Brian Duffy the new book "Main Justice: The Men And Women Who Enforce The Nation's Criminal Laws And Guard Its Liberties." It's about the changing role of the U.S. Justice Department. As the fears of terrorism increase, Congress and the White House are giving the Justice Department more investigative powers and a wider jurisdiction which include sanctions in foreign countries.

Vachon's newest movie is "Stonewall," a fictional account of the real life 1969 uprising by gays after police stormed the Stonewall Inn in New York's Greenwich Village. Her other film credits include a string of art house hits: "I Shot Andy Warhol," "Go Fish," "Kids."

Earle's new CD is "I Feel Alright" from E-squared/Warner Brothers. He also recently had a song in the movie "Dead Man Walking" called "Ellis Unit One." His new album is called "I Feel Alright." Earle had a past as a drug user and prisoner, but has since turned his life around.

O'Donnell's book is "Getting Over Homer" from Knopf. He's has also written two other books "Elementary Education," and "Vertigo Park: and Other Tall Tales." O'Donnell also did a stint writing for TV's Saturday Night Live. His twin brother, Steve, writes for David Letterman.

Collins has managed the band Aerosmith since 1984. A former addict and in his early days with the group, he often procured drugs for the band. He later helped the members get sober and revitalize their careers. Collins believes band managers and record executives need to work with musicians to overcome the systemic use and abuse of drugs. He works in Cambridge, MA as the founder and president of Collins Management.

Mitford died of cancer at the age of 78 on Tuesday (July 23). She was considered one of the premiere investigative journalists of her day, a muckraker in the tradition of Sinclair Lewis and John Dos Passos. Her targets included the Famous Writers School, a Midwest correspondence school, and the U.S. penal system ("Kind and Usual Punishment: The Prison Business"). Mitford's most recent book, "The American Way of Birth" (1992), declares that doctors perform too many C-Sections and de-legitimize midwifery.

Allende's first work of non-fiction, "Paula," is now a bestseller in paperback. The book was inspired when her 28 year old daughter fell into an irreversible coma. It began as a letter to her dying daughter and turned into an autobiographical work telling of life from Allende's childhood in Chile to her exile in Venezuela and her move to San Francisco. Publisher's Weekly says, "Only a writer of Allende's passion and skill could share her tragedy with her readers and leave them exhilarated and grateful." (ORIGINALLY BROADCAST 5/1/95)

Puzo's new novel is "The Last Don." He is best known for "The Godfather." This new book returns him to that genre: the inner workings of the Mafia. The main character is an old man trying to secure his family's future in an era of legalized gambling, motion picture investments and the threat of government informers. His goal is threatened by familial in-fighting. The two-time Academy Award winner has also written several screenplays, including are all three Godfathers and Superman I and II.

An update on the investigation of mass graves in Srebrenica. On July 8, a six-member forensic team, coordinated and sponsored by Physicians for Human Rights, began exhuming the graves. Terry Gross talks to Dr. William Haglund, who is in Bosnia. As the lead forensic anthropologist for PHR, he and the other members of his team are working to identify bodies. Haglund is the former Chief Medical Investigator for King County, Washington and an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Washington.