Books & Literature

Language commentator Geoff Nunberg wonders why it's so hard for writers to craft realistic, natural-sounding dialogue when we are surrounded by speech in our daily lives. He says it may take a special kind of attentiveness to hear -- and remember -- how people really talk.

Yeager broke the sound barrier flying the X-1 jet plane. The accomplishment not only helped revolutionize aviation; it put him in the public eye. He later appeared on the cover of Time Magazine and television commercials. His newly-published second memoir is called Press On!.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the novelist's new book, about historical figures who live in contemporary times. Leonard says what could have been a thoughtful meditation on the role of art in society instead turns into a narrative mess.

In the 60s, Goodwin was a speechwriter for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and later worked for presidential candidates Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy. He's written a book that looks back at that period. It's titled Remembering America.

Clarence Major is an experimental, African American writer. His latest novel, Painted Turtle: Women with Guitar -- along with his last book, Such Was the Season -- uses more conventional narrative techniques. He joins Fresh Air to discuss language and storytelling in the black community.

Book critic John Leonard says that Ingmar Bergman's lacerating new autobiography, The Magic Lantern, is an important literary text. It explores Bergman's bleak inner life as well as his philosophies on filmmaking.

Sheed wrote the text for The Kennedy Legacy, which features photographs of the late president. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his work as a critic and author. Sheed grew up interested in sports; a bout of polio turned him into an avid reader. His parents ran one of the largest Catholic publishing houses.

Edward Hirsch was an All-American football player in college -- at the same time he became interested in poetry. He talks about how insomnia, sports, and restlessness affect his life and writing. He reads several poems for Fresh Air listeners.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Roth's new autobiography, which includes imagined critiques of the author by some of his recurring characters. Leonard says it's an interesting but tiresome exploration of Roth's neuroses and thematic predilections.

The Israeli author's new novel is about a man descended from both a Jewish Holocaust survivor and a Palestinian aristocrat. While Kaniuk fought for the Israeli War for Independence, he also signed -- along with other Israeli and Arab intellectuals and artists -- an agreement advocating for Palestinian independence.

The veteran journalist is also considered one of the founders of neoliberalism. Peters says more people can, like him, do what they love for a living if they focus less on money and more on the work. By choice, Peters pays himself a modest salary--less than what many reporters make today.

Critics and network executives hated it, but fans loved Gilligan's Island; it's been on the air for twenty-five years. Show creator and writer Sherwood Schwartz -- who also wrote the Brady Bunch and My Favorite Martian -- has a new book about the program, called Inside Gilligan's Island.

Accomplished stage and screen actor Simon Callow wrote a biography of Charles Laughton, from whom he drew tremendous inspiration. Callow says Laughton's skill in part stemmed from the late actor's self-hatred and closeted homosexuality.

Book critic John Leonard says Canadian author Timothy Findley's new mystery novel, The Telling of Lies, stands out among a solid batch of recent books. Its triple twist and political intrigue makes it an excellent read.

William Novak is the go-to ghostwriter for famous people who want to publish a memoir. He's best known for Lee Iacocca's autobiography. Novak is now working with First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Kirk Douglas says that growing up in abject poverty was an advantage: he had nowhere to go but up. Often known for his tough guy roles, he also enjoys playing men who are weak, lost and vulnerable. He started his own production company to make movies he believed had depth and substance. His new autobiography looks back on his career so far.

In addition to his career as a science fiction writer, Bradbury helped design Disney's Epcot Center and the Pavilion of the Future for the 1964 World's Fair. His new collection of short stories is called the Toynbee Convector.

Book critic John Leonard says that Don DeLillo's new novel is the culmination of the author's career writing great books. The heavily-researched, well-orchestrated story posits that the JFK assassination was an elaborate plot to regain Cuba, and was intended to have been near miss rather than a successful murder.

Andrew Holleran has writes about the lives of gay men. Now that several years have passed since the height of the AIDS epidemic, he's observed a kind of resignation to mortality and changing sexuality within his community.. Holleran's new collection of essays is called Ground Zero.

Science writer James Gleick's new book is about chaos theory, which informs all scientific disciplines. This concept can sometimes be difficult to understand; Gleick says that the unpredictability of the weather serves as an excellent example.