Memoir

Writer Mary Gordon. Her new memoir, "The Shadow Man: A Daughter's Search for Her Father" (Random House), is about her research into her father's past. Gordon's father died when she was seven. Gordon has written several bestselling novels, including "Final Payments" and "The Company of Women."

Country music star, George Jones. He's widely acclaimed as one of the greatest country singers, but his 40-year career has also been marked by alcohol and drug abuse. He recently published his autobiography, "I Lived to Tell it All" (Villard, New York).

Center for the Houston Rockets, Hakeem Olajuwon He was born in Nigeria, and came to the United States on a basketball scholarship to attend the University of Houston. He helped the team reach the NCAA Final Four. He's written his memoir, "Living the Dream: My Life and Basketball," (Little, Brown).

The grand-daughter of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Noa Ben Artzi-Pelossof. During the his funeral Noa gave a moving tribute to the grandfather she knew as opposed to the political leader the world knew. She's written a new memoir, "In the Name of Sorrow and Hope," (Knopf).

Film editor and sound designer Walter Murch. He won an Academy Award for sound design for "Apocalypse Now." Some of the films he's edited and/or mixed are "The Conversation," "American Graffiti," "Apocalypse Now," "The Godfather (II, and III)"and "Crumb." He's written a new book about his work, "In the Blink of An Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing," (Silman-James Press, L.A.)

Writer Lawrence Shainberg. His new book, "Ambivalent Zen: A Memoir," (Pantheon) is about his years practicing Zen Buddhism, and centers on Shainberg's relationship with his Zen teacher, Kyudo Nakagawa Roshi. "Both master and student live on in this hilarious, provocative account of what being a student of Zen has been." writes Gretel Ehrlich in her review.

Joseph and Julia Quinlan. They are the parents of Karen Ann Quinlan. It's been twenty years since the New Jersey State Supreme Court issued it's landmark decision (March 31, 1976) allowing their comatose daughter to be removed from a ventilator. She then lived nine more years. The Quinlans wrote about Karen in the book "Karen Ann: The Quinlans Tell Their Story," (Doubleday-1977). In 1980 they used the proceeds from the book to open the Karen Ann Quinlan Center of Hope Hospice in Newton, New Jersey. (201)383-0115

Defense attorney Robert L. Shapiro. He put together the defense strategy and the team of high-profile attorneys who successfully defended O.J. Simpson. Eventually Shapiro was replaced by Johnny Cochran as lead attorney. And by the trial's end the team members were denouncing each other. Shapiro has written his memoir, "The Search for Justice: A Defense Attorney's Brief on the O.J. Simpson Case," (Time Warner, written with Larkin Warren).

Los Angeles prosecutor Christopher Darden. He'd been a Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office for fifteen years before being selected to be on the team that prosecuted O.J. Simpson. He's written his memoir, "In Contempt," (Regan Books, written with Jess Walter.

Reverend Al Sharpton. The controversial advocate for the rights of African Americans has written his autobiography (w/Anthony Walton): "Go and Tell Pharaoh: The Autobiography of The Reverend Al Sharpton." (Doubleday)