From the new movie documentary "Hoop Dreams," young basketball player Arthur Agee and film director Steve James. The movie traces the lives of Agee and his friend William Gates for five years as they try to follow their dreams of rising from inner city Chicago to play in the NBA. James is the director, producer and co-editor of the film.
World music critic Milo Miles reviews the new collection of singles recorded for Sam Cooke's R&B label. Miles says the only problem with it is the high price.
Gilb was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for his collection of short stories, "The Magic of Blood." In his new novel, "The Last Known Residence of Mickey Acuna," he tells us more about life in the poor Chicano community of the Southwest.
TV dramas are becoming wildly popular again. Critic David Bianculli says two stand out from the rest: "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "Picket Fences."
Harvey Kravits and Jack Treatman are coffee experts. Kravitz is a coffee consultant. Treatman is the co-proprietor of Old City Coffee in Philadelphia. They talk about coffee beans, coffee history and the coffee culture.
Anne Maguire and her son Patrick were part of the Maguire Seven, the family who was wrongfully arrested in 1974 on suspicion of manufacturing bombs for the Irish Republican Army. The family was tortured, tried, convicted, and jailed, and was not reunited for eleven years. Anne spent eight years in prison; Patrick spent four after being convicted at the age of 13. Anne has written a book about their experience, called "Miscarriage of Justice."
Benben is co-starring in the new movie, "Radioland Murders," as a radio scriptwriter trying to save his marriage. He also stars in "Dream On," the HBO comedy series. "The New York Times" has called his "Dream On" character "an adult Charlie Brown," with "offbeat charm."
Wideman is the author of "Fatheralong: A Meditation on Fathers and Sons, Race and Society," which explores his relationship with both his father and his son. Wideman's earlier book, "Brothers and Keepers," tells of his relationship with his brother, who, like his son, was convicted of murder. He is also the author of novels and short stories, and is a professor of English literature.
Twenty-five years ago, most of the middle class wasn't involved in Wall Street affairs, and investments were for the rich. Now that's changed, in what financial journalist Joseph Nocera calls "a money revolution." Nocera has written "A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money Class." The book explores how the middle class became involved in the stock market, largely, he says, through the rise of credit cards, mutual funds, and discount brokerage houses.
Actor Raul Julia died this morning, after a stroke last week. His films include "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Moon Over Parador," "Tequilla Sunrise." and "Romero." He also starred in "The Addams Family" series, as Gomez, the patriarch. He had a long career in musical theater as well, including "The Three-Penny Opera," "Nine," and "Man of la Mancha." We replay our 1989 interview with him.
Wilson has spent most of his life studying ants and other insects, and has written a number of books on the subject. He co-authored the critically-acclaimed "The Ants," with Bert Holldobler. The pair have just published a sequel to that work, "Journey to the Ants." Wilson has also written a memoir, called "Naturalist."
Writer Laurie Garrett has been a science reporter for NPR, New York "Newsday," "Omni," and other publications. She wrote the new book, "The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance." It explores the emergence of new infectious viruses like AIDS and Ebola, and the new strains of known diseases that are resistant to many treatments. Garrett examines the conditions that favor the spread of these microbes and looks at possible solutions to stop the diseases.
