Books

David Levy is an amateur astronomer. He's discovered 21 comets, both as an amateur and as part of a professional team. He recently discovered the comet that will crash into Jupiter on July 16th, and the comet is named after him. In a Smithsonian magazine article, he called this comet "the most cataclysmic event observed in our solar system since the dawn of civilization." Levy is a contributor to many astronomical magazines, and is the author of numerous books on astronomy.

James Glab is an airline industry reporter, who is a contributing editor of "Travel and Leisure," "Frequent Flyer" and "Travel Weekly." He recently co-wrote "Rapid Descent," (Simon and Schuster) that looks at how the airline deregulation law, which promised better service and lower airfares, led to chaotic airline fares and deteriorated customer service.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews E.L. Doctorow's new novel, "The Waterworks."

Author/Attorney Stephen Goddard. His new book is "Getting There: The Epic Struggle between Road and Rail in the American Century" (Basic Books). Goddard's interest in trains began as a boy in the 1940s. At that time the regulated railroads were fighting back against the subsidized highways by creating luxurious trains with fancy dining cars that boasted elegant crystal on the tables.

Authority on complementary cancer treatments Michael Lerner. His book is called "Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer" (The MIT Press).

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews, "A Map of the World," by Jane Hamilton.

Journalist Martha Honey. She worked as a freelance journalist in Costa Rica from 1983 to 1991. Her clients included Times (London), The Nation, ABC television, and National Public Radio. In 1984, she and her husband, Tony Avirgan were covering a press conference called by contra leader Eden Pastora Gomez, when a bomb exploded killing three journalists, and injuring dozens of other people, including Pastora, who was the intended target. (Tony Avirgan was also one of the people injured.) Honey and Avirgan and other journalists set out to find the person(s) responsible.

Dr. Stuart Levy is a professor at Tufts University Medical School, and has just written a book, "The Antibiotic Paradox: How Miracle Drugs Are Destroying the Miracle," (Plenum). This book looks at the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are resulting from over-prescription of antibiotics. Dr. Levy is recognized internationally as an expert on resistance and as a critic of the widespread misuse of antibiotics. He is also president of the International Alliance for Prudent Use of Antibiotics.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews: "Kay Boyle: Author of Herself," by Joan Mellen.

Columnist, commentator and "mad economist" Julianne Malveaux. Her new book "Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: Perspectives of a Mad Economist" (Pines One Publishing) is a compilation of her newspaper columns. She's also a commentator on PBS and CNN. Malveaux says everything is economic from gender relations to job applications to toxic waste. The issues, she says, are issues of "who has and who doesn't, who will and who won't." Malveaux likes to incite, inspire and make people think.