Books & Literature

Weinberg received the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physics. He's the author of "The First Three Minutes," about the Big Bang. He's currently working on what he calls the "final theory," the search for the ultimate laws of nature--for the final answer to our questions about why nature is the way it is. That search is tied up with work on the Superconducting Super Collider. His new book is called "Dreams of the Final Theory,"

The daughter of Marlene Dietrich, Maria Riva. Dietrich died last May at the age of 90, with her mystique still intact. Riva has written a memoir, "Marlene Dietrich," which relies on Riva's memories and on Dietrich's letters and diaries. It's been called a "sympathetic" book about a woman who is "uncaring," and who had a complex relationship with her own sexuality. Riva also describes her mother's decline into alcoholism.

The novelist is best known for his books "Crooked Hearts," and "The Geography of Desire." His writing focuses on families, and the connections between people. Boswell's new novel is "Mystery Ride," about a failed marriage that nonetheless endures in the hearts of the couple. Boswell teaches at New Mexico State University and at the Warren Wilson Master of Fine Arts Program for Writers in North Carolina.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews "Homestead: The Glory and Tragedy of an American Steel Town," by William Serrin.

Gonzales has a new book about his love affair with flying, called "One Zero Charlie: Adventures in Grass Roots Aviation." He grew up listening to the stories his mother told of his father's last flight in a B-17 bomber over Dusseldorf in World War II. Gonzales is a commercial pilot who competes in aerobatics flying.

Johnston's memoir, "Shooting the Boh," is not only an account of her adventure going down the river dealing with leeches, waterfalls, foot rot, and moldy clothes -- it's about her onset of menopause during the trip. One reviewer writes, "A powerful adventure of the head as well as the body: not to be missed."

Baxter has a new novel, "Shadow Play," about a Faustian contract a man makes with a former classmate. Baxter has written several volumes of short stories. One reviewer writes, "Baxter is a master at creating loopy, poetic, and meaningfully unhinged psyches."

Book critic John Leonard reviews, "Snow Crash," by Neal Stephenson, a futuristic novel about virtual reality.

Chancellor of the New York City school system, Joseph Fernandez. He's been a controversial figure: he's made condoms available in the public schools, and approved a multicultural curriculum, called "Children of the Rainbow," that teaches respect for gays and lesbians. Fernandez is Puerto Rican and grew up in Spanish Harlem. He was a gang member and a heroin addict. Late,r he joined the Air Force, where he kicked the habit, and attended college on the G.I. bill.

Novelist, journalist and columnist Pete Hamill. He's written seven novels, including "Flesh and Blood," and "Loving Women." Most recently he was editor-in-chief at the New York Post. He's latest book is a memoir of the years he spent drinking, "A Drinking Life: A Memoir," (Little, Brown & Co.) Hamill quit drinking twenty years ago. One reviewer in Publishers Weekly writes about Hamill's new memoir, "This is not a jeremiad condemning drink, however, but a thoughtful, funny, street-smart reflection on its consequences."

Former Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the former Editor-in-Chief of "Connoisseur," Thomas Hoving. He's written a new book "Making the Mummies Dance: Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met is probably the richest museum in the world, with three million works of art, and artifacts that span 50 centuries. Hoving was with the Met for ten years and has been credited with transforming it from a somber monolith into a friendly and exciting place.

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra is managing editor of the CBS weekly series "Top Cops." He's written a memoir, "A Safe Place," about growing up, the son of a violent, loving, murderous, and generous father. They lived in New York's Hell's Kitchen during the 50s and 60s. Lorenzo found out at the age of 14 that his father had murdered his first wife when she threatened to leave him. Lorenzo's father went on to terrorize his second wife, beating her and Lorenzo. Yet his father also could be warm and affectionate to his family.

President Carter has written a new book about his early days in politics, "Turning Point: A Candidate, A State, and a Nation Come of Age," Terry will talk with him about his presidency, the work he's done since he's left the office, and what he thinks about a Clinton presidency.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the new first-novel by Fae Myenne Ng, about an immigrant family in San Francisco.

Rodriguez was called a traitor to his Mexican-American heritage after he published a collection of autobiographical essays, "Hunger of Memory" in 1982. He has a new book of essays, "Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father," in which he still struggles with questions about identity.

Zigler is Professor of Psychology at Yale, and one of the founders of the Head Start education program. Founded in the 1960s, it funds services for poor children. He's written a new book about the history of the program, called "Head Start: The Inside Story of America's Most Successful Educational Experiment."

Writer and Vietnam veteran Lewis Puller's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, "Fortunate Son," is now out in paperback. His father, Chesty Puller, was a famous Marine. Lewis also joined the Marines in 1967, and was badly wounded in Vietnam.

Maureen Corrigan reviews the New Amsterdam-based crime novel "The Dutchman," by Martin and Annette Myers, who write together under the name "Maan Myers."

Child Psychologist and an expert on how chronic violence affects a child's growth and development James Garbarino. He's just co-authored a new book, "Children in Danger: Coping with the Consequences of Community Violence," about the children who grow up in the "war zones" of cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Garbarino has also co-authored, "No Place to be a Child: Growing Up in a War Zone, and is president of the Erikson Institute for Advanced Study in Child Development.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the novelists newest collection of essays.