Books

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews the new biography "Thomas Paine: Apostle of Freedom," by Jack Fruchtman, Jr.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel "A Feather on the Breath of God," about a second-generation immigrant born to Chinese and German parents.

Editor-in-Chief of Billboard Magazine Timothy White has written a new book that traces the evolution of the "myth" of Southern California through the lens of the Beach Boys and the Wilson family. It's called "The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience."

Biologist Edward Golub's book "The Limits of Medicine," explores the history of medical advances and argues that medicine's new goal should be to extend health, not life span. There will be no "magic bullet" for today's major illnesses like there was for earlier scourges like polio, smallpox and diphtheria, he says. Golub was a professor of biology at Purdue University for twenty years and a director of research in the pharmaceutical industry for five years.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "The Paperboy," a new novel about from Pete Dexter. She says its sole flaw is the lack of complex women characters.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Patricia Meyer Spacks' new book called "Boredom: The Literary History of a State of Mind," published by the University of Chicago Press.

Theologian Harvey Cox. His new book is "Fire From Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-first Century." It is estimated that by the year 2010, there will be more Pentecostals than all other non-Catholic Christians put together. Cox traces the growth of the religion from its origins in a converted stable in Los Angeles in 1906 to its present membership of 410 million worldwide.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews "Kind Relations" by Robert Liddell. She says Liddell is the only male writer who reminds her of Jane Austen.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan has a holiday round-up of some of her favorite books of the year, including two newly published books, "Inspector Imanishi Investigates" by Seicho Matsumoto, and "The Folding Star" by Alan Hollinghurst.

Writer and former "New York Times" advertising columnist Randall Rothenberg's new book is "Where the Suckers Moon." He follows Subaru's ad campaign from start to finish, from choosing a new ad agency to the finished commercial's debut during the Superbowl.