Health & Medicine

James Fogle was a drug addict who, along with others, robbed drugstores to feed his habit. The film Drugstore Cowboy is based on his autobiographical novel of the same name; the book wasn't yet published at the time of production. It's now in stores. Fogle is currently serving a prison sentence, and joins Fresh Air by telephone.

Jeffrey Masson was once a leading advocate of Freudian therapy. In recent years, he's condemned that type of approach. He shares his insights into conventional psychology in his new book, Final Analysis.

Medical writer Ann Giudici Fettner was celebrated by the gay community for her reporting on the AIDS crisis. She has a new book about other viral diseases called Viruses: Agents of Change.

Sidransky was born to deaf parents, though she herself is a hearing person. Her memoir, In Silence, is about their lives and how she often spoke for them.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the South African author's new epistolary novel, which uses cancer as a metaphor for apartheid. Leonard says it's baffling with a terrible beauty, that spares no one -- including blacks and white liberals.

Hopper made his film debut in Rebel Without a Cause, and played Frank in Blue Velvet. He directed Easy Rider and the new film The Hot Spot, which stars Don Johnson. Before his recent comeback, he developed a drug problem, which he's since kicked.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan talks about her admiration of Erich Auerbach, Leon Trotsky, and Fernand Braudel, writers who were somehow able to write expansive, well-researched books while in prison or exile -- without notes or access to other texts and documents.

Gray has a new piece called Monster in a Box, about the wending process of writing an as-yet unpublished, 1600 page novel, titled Impossible Vacations. He says that his autobiographical writing distances him from his real life, including his experience of pleasure.

In 1985, novelist William Styron fell into a deep depression. He documented the years he was incapacitated by the illness, and how he coped, in his new book, Darkness Visible. Looking back at his early writing, Styron believes depression informed his novels, like The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie's Choice.

Aldyn McKean and Tracy Morgan join Fresh Air to talk about their organization's recent efforts to advocate for better and more accessible health care for individuals with the diseases.

Fisher wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of her novel, Postcards From the Edge, directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Meryl Streep and Shirley McLaine. Best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars trilogy, Fisher also has a new novel called, Surrender the Pink. She is the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher.

Artists like Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan had hits with songs by John Hiatt. Despite Hiatt's success as a songwriter, he hasn't yet topped the charts as a performer. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his career, quitting drinking, and his new album, Stolen Moments.

Fresh Air's poet-in-residence shares his reflections on the memories that gave him the most intense but evanescent pleasure.

Stephen Schiff reviews the new operatic, gothic action movie directed by Sam Raimi. He says it may not live up to its lofty, Phantom of the Opera-like pretensions, but he praises the film for its comic book-like exuberance.

Mark Halliday returns to Fresh Air to recite two of his poems, about families, nostalgia, music, and memory.

Ruth Macklin is an ethicist who helped develop a new philosophical approach to patient-focused care. She advocates for the informed consent model of medical treatment, and advises doctors and medical professionals on the best way to help resolve difficult issues, especially when their desires conflict with those of the patient.

Journalist Randy Shilts just returned from the latest International AIDS Conference in San Francisco. He says there is a revitalized push for the development of new drug treatments and a vaccine. Yet there have been protests against the volunteer-based model of AIDS outreach and treatment. After eight years, Shilts plans to stop reporting on the disease.

Actor, writer, and Monthy Python member John Cleese and therapist Robin Skynner. The pair have co-written a new book, "Families and How To Survive Them."

Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz dropped out of school and went on the road at 15. He only took a few lessons on his instrument, instead learning by playing with other musicians. He's been popular in both jazz and pop. His latest album is Apasionado.

Musician and songwriter John Hiatt. Hiatt spent years writing country tunes for other performers. In the past few years he's come into his own as a performer, with several critically-acclaimed albums. His latest is called "Stolen Moments," on A&M Records.