Books

David Marc considers his new book about classic sitcoms as a kind of autobiography: each show he reviews reminds him of the time in his life when he first watched it. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the history and politics of television comedy, especially in how it restricted the roles of women and people of color.

Mathematician John Allen Paulos joins Fresh Air to discuss how people often lack the ability to evaluate the size of objects and the magnitude of different phenomena. He believes numeracy should be taught in primary schools in order to combat this deficiency.

Martin Bauml Duberman was personally selected by Robeson's son to write about the legendary African American actor and activist. Duberman says he brought to bear own experiences in the theater and as a gay man while working on the book. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his research, as well Robeson's political activity and the effect government surveillance had on his mental health.

William Whyte says that dense, urban areas foster social interaction and a sense of belonging. His bases his claim on research dating back to the 1960s. His new book, which outlines his findings, is called Cities.

The essayist and novelist's new book, called AIDS and Its Metaphors, examines the discourse surrounding the disease. Sontag is a cancer survivor; a previous book about language and sickness is titled Illness as Metaphor. She joins Fresh Air to talk about how cancer changed her thinking and made her a more compassionate person.

Historian Lawrence Levine's new book examines the split between high and low culture. He argues that one should look at cultural horizontally -- rather than vertically -- in order to see how different kinds of art and media interact with each other, and are consumed by different social groups.

Thomas Maeder's mother and father were both psychologists. Inspired by his own experience, Maeder interviewed dozens of other children of mental health workers to gain insights into their family life. His new book, Children of Psychiatrists and Other Psychotherapists, presents his findings.

Scholar and writer Thomas Schatz has a new book about the studio era of Hollywood. While efficient, the film industry during the first half of the century limited the roles available to actors and actresses, and tightly controlled the content and style of the movies it produced.

Michael Barson's new book, Lost, Lonely and Vicious, collects promotional postcards of B movies from the late 1940s through the early '60s. He says these films were all sizzle, and were tame compared to their lurid, sensationalistic descriptions.

Writer and theologian Harvey Cox says the current rise of religious fundamentalism stems in part from a disillusionment with modern technology. He has also witnessed the increasing politicization of religious messages. Cox joins Fresh Air to discuss the current state of interfaith relations in the United States and abroad.