Terry Gross

Journalist Eileen Welsome talks about her book, The Plutonium Files: America’s Secret Medical Experiments in the Cold War (Dial Press). The Plutonium Files is about the thousands of secret, government sponsored radiation experiments conducted on unsuspecting Americans during the Cold War. Welsome won the Pulitzer Prize for her initial research and writing on these experiments. Her book includes new facts about the Manhattan Project, the scientists who conducted the research, and the experiments’ victims.

Actress Sigourney Weaver. She made her first film appearance in a scene so short you could miss her. She played Woody Allen’s date in “Annie Hall” after he broke up with Annie. After that she made her big debut in “Alien” as Ripley, and went on to star in the other Alien films. Her other credits include: “Gorillas in the Mist,” “Working Girl,” “CopyCat.” She’s now starring in “Galaxyquest” and “A Map of the World.”

Travel writer Colin Thubron. His new book about his travels In the heart of Siberia Is "In Siberia" (HarperCollins). It's the third In his trilogy on the Russian landmass which Includes "Where Nights Are Longest" and "The Lost Heart of Asia." Thubron has also written books on the Middle East, China, and Central Asia.