Society & Culture

In light of the recent beating death of gay student Matthew Shepard, a discussion of anti-gay violence with documentary film maker Arthur Dong. In his 1997 film "Licensed to Kill," Dong interviews convicted murderers of gay men and asks them "Why did you do it?" Twenty years ago, Dong himself was the victim of a gay bashing. Dong is a Peabody Award winner and Oscar and Emmy nominated independent filmmaker. His other films include "Coming Out Under Fire," and "Forbidden City, U.S.A."

Film critic John Powers reviews "Happiness," the ironically titled new film by Todd Solondz.

Film critic John Powers reviews "Beloved" the new film adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. The film shot largely in the Philadelphia area, stars Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.

Robert McCrum suffered a stroke in 1995 at the young age of 42. He has written in detail about his experience and his recovery. Terry Gross talks with McCrum and his wife Sarah Lyall who was key in his recovery. His new book is "My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke."

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Birds of America" (Knopf) by Lorrie Moore.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel "Reservation Road" by John Burnham Schwartz. It's published by Knopf.

Reeve Lindbergh joins us to talk about life with her father. She's a writer whose memoir about her father and mother Anne Morrow Lindbergh, "Under a Wing" (Simon & Schuster) will be published in October 1998. Her other books include the children's titles "The Midnight Farm," and "The Day The Goose Got Loose." Other books include "The Names of the Mountains" and "Nobody Owns the Sky: The Story of 'Brave Bessie' Coleman."

John Powers reviews "One True Thing," adapted from the Anna Quindlen movie of the same name.

Dickey has written a new memoir about his relationship with his father, the late poet and novelist James Dickey. It's called "Summer of Deliverance: A Memoir of Father and Son" (Simon & Schuster). Dickey writes that his father was "a great poet, a famous novelist, a powerful intellect, and a son of a bitch I hated." But Dickey writes that he also loved his alcoholic, abusive father. And as an adult, he picked up his relationship with his father again, after a 20 year absence.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg considers the use of the first person pronouns to personalize everything from computers to contracts.

Film critic John Powers reviews "Next Stop Wonderland," the second, commercial effort by Brad Anderson.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Lost in Translation," a new romance set in China.

Film critic John Powers reviews "Your Friends & Neighbors."

Journalist and urban critic Roberta Brandes Gratz and an expert in downtown revitalization Norman Mintz. The two have collaborated on the new book "Cities: Back from the Edge: New Life for Downtown." (John Wiley & Sons). In the book they look at downtowns throughout the country that have come back to life and examine what revived them. Their recipe for success includes: preserving or introducing trolley traffic, developing farmers' markets, promoting short blocks, keeping government buildings downtown, and insuring citizen involvement in civic life.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg comments on how the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal has reminded us over the age-old debate over semantics. What is an inappropriate relationship? Can you have sex and still technically be a virgin?

John Powers reviews the new movies "The Slums of Beverly Hills" and the re-releass of Fellini's "Night of Cabiria."

We talk about the Chinese tradition of foot binding with photojournalist Beverly Jackson. Her new book is called "Splendid Slippers: A Thousand Years of An Erotic Tradition." (Ten Speed Press) Jackson is a collector of antique Chinese slippers, and will talk about the history, culture and implications of bound feet.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg talks about the new knowledge fad. He says terms that include the word knowledge, like "knowledge workers" and "knowledge assets" are sweeping corporate and academic America.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the newest movie version of "Lolita."

Evan Imber-Black is a family therapist who has written the new book "The Secret Life of Families: Truth Telling, privacy and reconciliation in a tell all society." (Bantam) She makes the distinction about what is a private matter and what is a secret. She is the director of program development at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City and a professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.