Places & Travel

President Carter has written a new book about his early days in politics, "Turning Point: A Candidate, A State, and a Nation Come of Age," Terry will talk with him about his presidency, the work he's done since he's left the office, and what he thinks about a Clinton presidency.

Maureen Corrigan reviews the New Amsterdam-based crime novel "The Dutchman," by Martin and Annette Myers, who write together under the name "Maan Myers."

New York Times reporter Chris Hedges is based in Cairo, where he covers the Middle East. Terry will talk with him about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in countries like Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, and Jordan. She'll also talk with Hedges bout being held captive at the end of the Gulf War by Saddam's Republican Guard. He was held along with NPR's Neil Conan.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Moorish Spain," by British scholar Richard Fletcher, about the often violent culture clash in Medieval times.

World Music critic Milo Miles reviews some music from India's Bollywood films. He says songs written for these movies tend to incorporate a wide array of influences, from lush strings to reggae. For a taste, Miles recommends "Dance, Raja, Dance," by Vijaya Anand

World music critic Milo Miles reviews a new collection of vintage African rumbas on the French label "African." It's part of their "Merveilles du Passe" series.

New York Times reporter Edward Gargan is in India covering the erupting conflict between the Muslims and Hindu fundamentalists. Last Sunday a symbol of India's Muslim minority --a 16th century mosque--was destroyed by Hindu zealots. Gargan, along with other British and American journalists, was brutally beaten during the chaos..

Critic Maureen Corrigan says the best she can say about Barnes's "Porcupine," about deposed communist leaders on trial in Eastern Europe, is that she "didn't not like it."

Anthropologist and documentary filmmaker David Feingold talks about the Peruvian Shining Path guerrillas, their connection to the drug trade, and their impact on the elections in Peru. His new film, "Washington/Peru: We Ain't Winning," is about U.S. efforts to stop the drug flow from Peru.

Anastasia is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. His beat is the Mafia; most recently he's been covering the Robert Simone trial where the prosecution rested its case today. Simone was attorney for Philadelphia mob boss Nicky Scarfo and has been accused of crime activity, attempted extortion and participating in discussions of murder. Simone was turned in by a government informant.

World music critic Milo Miles reviews "Mambo" by Remmy Ongala, which features polyrhythmic folk sounds and smart lyrics about the social issues affecting his home country of Tanzania.

Film critic John Powers reviews the new movie about interracial friendships and relationships. He says the film's message is remarkably different from Spike Lee's recent "Jungle Fever," which explores similar themes.

Writer Jack Beatty has written a biography of four-time Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, called "The Rascal King." Curley, an Irish-Catholic, is a Massachusetts legend, having run in 32 elections, serving as governor, congressman, and mayor. While Curley could be dismissed as an old-fashioned machine politician, Beatty portrays him as a forerunner of the modern entrepreneurial politician.

Lessing is the author of more than thirty books, including, "The Fifth Child" and "The Golden Notebook." She grew up in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), but was exiled for twenty-five years when she began to speak out against the oppressive white-ruled government. Lessing has just written a new book, "African Laughter," a personal story about the trips she took to Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1992.

Reporter Douglas Franz of the Los Angeles Times. He and reporter Mark Waas first broke the story that the Bush Administration continued to guarantee loans and to export military equipment to Iraq in late 1989 even though intelligence reports warned that Baghdad was developing a nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles. The Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating an alleged cover-up by the C.I.A. and the Justice Department related to a loan to Saddam Hussein of five billion dollars in the years before the war, some of which was used to finance Iraq's arms program.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "African Laughter," Lessing's memoir of the four times she visited the country of her birth--now called Zimbabwe--and her impressions of its changing social and political climate.

Stephen Schiff reviews "Hero," directed by Stephen Frears and starring Dustin Hoffman, Joan Cusack, Geena Davis, and Andy Garcia. It's got a twisting plot reminiscent of films from the 1930s and '40s.

Pekarkova emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1985. She has worked in New York as a cab driver for four years. Her novel "Truck Stop Rainbows: A Road Novel," was published this year. lt deals with a rebellious young woman in communist Czechoslovakia who hitchhikes around the country, trying to raise money to buy a wheelchair for her invalid friend.

John Leonard reviews Ellroy's "White Jazz," the final installment of his tetralogy of crime novels. The story reveals the darkest elements of Los Angeles life in the 1950s.

Holland made the critically acclaimed and controversial film, "Europa Europa." Her latest film is "Olivier, Olivier," about a woman reunited with her son six years after he disappeared at the age of nine. Many of her movies deal with the life of Polish Jews, especially during World War II.