Pratt's book of poetry, "Crime Against Nature," was chosen by the Academy of American Poets as the 1989 Lamont Poetry Selection. Many of her poems are about being a lesbian, and losing custody of her two sons when she came out. Pratt just won the Hammett/Hellman Award, given by the Fund for Free Expression.
Chilton was a teenage rock star in the late 60's as the singer with the group the Box Tops. Their major hits included Cry Like a Baby and The Letter. Chilton went on to found the group Big Star. Their two albums in the early seventies, Number 1 Record and Radio City are highly acclaimed but were commercial flops. Chilton has continued a solo career.
Book critic John Leonard reviews a biography of Paul Scott, who wrote the Raj Quartet, which includes the Jewel in the Crown. The book is written by Hilary Spurling. Leonard knew Scott personally, and says the book does justice to his tragic life.
Journalist Ari Goldman is the religion correspondent for The New York Times. He's written a new book, "The Search for God At Harvard," about the year he took off from his job to attend the Harvard Divinity School. It details his experiences there and how they affected his own faith as an Orthodox Jew.
Bok is the author of several books on the ethics of lying and keeping secrets. Her newest is a memoir about her mother, the Nobel Prize-winning Alva Myrdal, who was called the most modern woman in the world.
Maureen Corrigan reviews the debut album by the Washington, D.C.-based female singing trio, Betty. She admires their complex take on femininity, especially in light of Madonna's dominance.
Soviet emigre David Gurevich is the author of "From Lenin to Lennon," a memoir about growing up in the 1960s. As a young person in Russia, he became an enthusiast of American pop culture.
Part two of the Frank Smyth interview. He is a freelance reporter who has worked for the Village Voice and CBS News. He and photographer Gad Gross were traveling with the Kurds in Iraq when they were pursued by Iraqi soldiers--Smyth was captured and Gross was killed.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews, "Backdraft," the new film about firefighters by director Ron Howard. Schiff says it's full of cliches, but genuinely moving in its portrayal of heroic masculinity.
Smyth is a freelance reporter who has worked for the Village Voice and CBS News. He and photographer Gad Gross were travelling with the Kurds in Iraq when they were pursued by Iraqi soldiers--Smyth was captured and Gross was killed.
Attorney and consumer advocate Carl Oppedahl has compiled a Consumer Reports Book, "The Phone Book: How to Get the Telephone Equipment and Service you want and Pay Less." He joins Fresh Air to share his tips for how to choose a phone carrier and optimize call quality.
The Fresh Air language commentator explains his neologism "cacophomism." It's the opposite of euphemism, and describes all those words that make something sound worse than it is.
Animator John Canemaker's new book is "Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World's Most Famous Cat." The cartoon character was well known on television, but was as famous as Charlie Chaplain during the silent film era.
Television critic David BianculliI reviews Henry Kissinger's guest spot on CBS This Morning. Apparently, the former secretary of state gave a weather report.
Terry talks with two labor leaders about the proposed affiliation between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the National Writers Union: Phil Wheeler is the district director of the UAW; Jonathan Tasini is President of the National Writers Union.
Dees co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center and has been involved in civil rights cases for years. In 1988 he made legal history when he fashioned a seven million dollar verdict against the Klu Klux Klan that effectively bankrupted the group. He has a new memoir out, called "A Season for Justice: The Life & Times of Civil Rights Lawyer Morris Dees."
Book critic John Leonard reviews the latest novel by Czechoslovakian writer Milan Kundera. He's the author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," and "The Book of Laughter & Forgetting."
