Books

Sheehan won a Pulitzer Prize for his best-selling book, "A Bright Shining Lie," about America's disastrous involvement in Vietnam. He was Vietnam correspondent for the New York Times during the war, and was the man who broke the Pentagon Papers story. His new book, "After the War was Over" is about his trip to Vietnam three years ago, the first time he'd been back since the fall of Saigon in 1975.

John Leonard reviews "The Emperor's Last Island," by Julia Blackburn, a history of Napoleon with frequent digressions about why that narrative is relevant to the author's life. Leonard says it's a compelling read because Blackburn herself is compelling.

The Army Major was one of few women held P.O.W. during the Gulf War. She's a physician and was on a search-and-rescue mission when the helicopter she was in was shot down by Iraqis. Five crew members were killed in the crash. Cornum and three others survived and were immediately taken prisoner by Iraqi soldiers. Cornum broke both arms and was sexually molested by one of her captors.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Susan Sontag's newest book, a long awaited return to fiction. It deals with historical figures and is written in a 19th century style. Leonard calls the novel both brilliant and surprisingly commercial.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Vaclav Havel's latest essay collection, which Leonard says is a depressing and often evasive take on the current political climate of Czechoslovakia.

In light of the current debate over abortion and "family values," critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new biography of social reformer and birth control champion Margaret Sanger, by Ellen Chesler.

Appiah is Professor of African-American Studies at Harvard. He was born in Ghana to Anglo-Ghanaian parents. His father Ghanaian and his mother British. His new book is "In My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture," a collection of essays that one reviewer calls a, "groundbreaking. . . analysis of absurdities and damaging presuppositions that have clouded our discussions on race, Africa, and nationalism since the 19th century."

Book critic John Leonard reviews Nobel Prize-winning writer Joseph Brodsky's new book of essays, "Watermark," which use Venice as a jumping-off point for a series of reflections on life.

In the first ten years of the AIDS epidemic, the Food and Drug Administration approved only two drugs to treat the disease. Yet a third drug, approved last month, took only eight months. Health economist Peter Arno's new book, "Against The Odds" tells how AIDS activists have sparked sweeping reforms of the drug approval process, and sped up access to drug development for all illnesses.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Chinese Roundabout: Essays in History and Culture," by Jonathan D. Spence. Leonard says it's an improvisatory and obsessive take on the China and the way Westerners look at it.