Government & Politics

Film critic John Powers reviews "Face Off," which stars Nicholas Cage and John Travolta.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new Clare Boothe Luce biography, "Rage for Fame."

Mary Anne Hunter, the president of the Fair Hill Burial Ground Corporation. A member of the Quaker community, Hunter led the Quaker community in the restoration of the burial ground, which had fallen into disrepair and had been taken over by drug dealers. North Philadelphia itself has the highest murder rate in the city. Community activists have sought to make Fair Hill a place where people can go safely to enjoy a clean, green space and to visit an historical landmark in which historically important people, such as abolitionist Lucretia Mott, are buried.

Community activist Peaches Ramos has been working to rid the neighborhood of drug dealers. She lives across from Fair Hill and has led community efforts to clean it up and make it safe.

Teacher Ron Whitehorn has also involved himself and his students in the restoration of Fair Hill. A teacher at the Julia De Borgeos Middle School, Whithorn has tried to help urban children overcome the odds and add to their own community. He is joined by 12 year-old Sofia Gonzales, a student who has been active in the program. She is tired of the image of North Philadelphia as an urban wasteland and wants to prove that she lives in a neighborhood where people care.

Steve Lopez was an award-winning columnist for the "Philadelphia Inquirer" for twelve years. In his novels, Lopez confronts political corruption and greed as he did in his columns. His new novel is called "The Sunday Macaroni Club" (Harcourt Brace and Company). Lopez is now Senior Writer-at-large for Time Magazine.

Magubane has been photographing life in South Africa for over 40 years, depicting the reality of life under Apartheid, including the Soweto uprising and the Sharpeville massacre. He was the first black South African to win a photography prize in his country. But he also endured 586 days in solitary confinement, six more months in jail, and five years of "banning" in which he wasn't allowed to work. He's published 11 books.

Earlier this year, 75 year old South Carolina resident Mary Moran had the unique opportunity to go to Sierra Leone with other members of her family. Moran's mother had taught her a song in an African language which had been in the family since an ancestor had been brought over from Africa two hundred years ago. In 1989, through the efforts of anthropologist Joseph Opala and ethnomusicologist Cynthia Schmidt, it had been discovered that this song, composed in the Mende language, was still sung by certain villagers in Sierra Leone.

Alibhai-Brown describes her family's experience as Asians in Uganda in her autobiography "No Place Like Home." (Virago Press) Alibhai-Brown's family, like many others, was forced out of East Africa by president and military leader Idi Amin, twenty-five years ago. Alibhai-Brown moved to England and earned an degree in English at Oxford. Her freelance work is now published in the "Guardian," the "Observer," and the "Independent."

Priscilla Hayner, a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute, New School for Social Research, has been studying truth commissions. She is the author of numerous articles on the subject and is now working to complete a book. She will discuss the importance of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Author Mark Behr talks about his experience spying on his peers as a college student for the South African government and his subsequent public confession of his actions. His novel "The Smell of Apples" (Picador USA) is the story of a young boy growing up in South Africa at the time of apartheid and it explains how a person could be convinced that apartheid is a morally legitimate form of government.

Radio producer David Isay and reporters LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman. The new book "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago," (Scribner) is compiled from interviews by Jones and Newman conducted at the Ida B. Wells housing project in Chicago, where they live. These are the same two boys who worked with Isay on the acclaimed documentaries, "Ghetto Life 101" and "Remorse: the 14 stories of Eric Morse."

The Harvard Law School professor's new book examines race and the criminal justice system, "Race, Crime, and the Law." In his research, Kennedy, finds that African-Americans have suffered more from being "left unprotected by law enforcement authorities than from being mistreated as suspects or defendants."

Lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, Marcia Clark. She has since stepped down as Prosecutor in the Office of the Los Angeles District Attorney. She has a new memoir about the trial and her experiences: "Without a Doubt" (Viking).

The New York Times' Howard French talks about events in Zaire. Over the weekend talks began between Zaire's president Mobutu Sese Seko and the rebel leader trying to overthrow him, Laurent Kabila. Talks have halted over a disagreement between the two: Mobutu agreed to relinquish power but only to a transitional authority that would organize national elections. But Kabila wants power handed over to him. Meanwhile rebel forces are closing in on Kinshasa. Talks will resume in six to eight days.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the latest novel by Ward Just called "Echo House."

Royko died Tuesday at the age of 64. For more than 30 years, Royko has written a column on happenings in his native Chicago and throughout the world. Royko has earned the Pulitzer, the Mencken, and Pyle Awards. His column was carried in more than 800 papers. Royko also wrote "Boss," a best-selling portrait of Chicago mayor Richard Daley. (Originally aired 10/26/89)

Film critic John Powers reviews Paradise Road and Daytrippers.

Writer and former prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin. He's covered the O.J. Simpson trial for the New Yorker and has been a staff writer for the magazine since 1993. Now he is writing about the Oklahoma City Bombing trial and the issues it uncovers, from jury selection to victims' rights. Toobin is also a Legal Analyst for ABC's "Good Morning America" and the author of the bestselling book "The Run of His Life: The People vs. O.J. Simpson."

Palestinian psychiatrist and human rights activist Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj. He is director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and is considered an authority on the traumas experienced by children under Israeli occupation. Sarraj has been an outspoken opponent of human rights violations whether committed by Israelis or Palestinians. Recently he was detained and interrogated by Palestinian police because of remarks he made critical of the Palestinian Authority. He was released after nine days following protests by Palestinian and international human rights groups.