Society & Culture

Commissioner for New York's Child Welfare Agency, the Administration for Children's Services Nicholas Scoppetta. He recently called for an expansion of foster care for the city's children, including "neighborhood based" care. Scoppetta understands well the struggles of children in foster care. As a five year old boy, he was taken out of his home in New York's Little Italy for neglect, and lived in several foster institutions for six years.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan tells us about her recent junket, a "Mystery Lover's Tour of England."

Eric Foner is the DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University. He has published numerous works on the American Reconstruction after the civil war, a period whose problems with promoting racial and economic justice in a diverse country remain relevant to America today.

Artist William Christenberry is known for his portrayal of the American South in his work. He has spent 35 years rendering images of the architecture and the landscape of his birthplace, rural Alabama, in drawings, sculptures, and photographs. His art deals with Southern heritage with both affection and aversion.

Author Patrick McGilligan talks about the subject of his new biography: film director Fritz Lang. German-born Lang was the director of many films including "Metropolis" and "The Big Heat," and his work has influenced many other filmmakers. During his life, Lang was conscious of his own power to craft his image and his past. McGilligan was able to uncover the truth behind many of the myths in Lang's life. The book, which is called "Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast." (St.

Smith's work has won acclaim in the independent film community, including awards at the Cannes and the Sundance film festivals. His new film "Chasing Amy" is the third installment of his New Jersey Trilogy, a series set in central New Jersey, where Smith grew up and still lives. "Chasing Amy," like Smith's other films, deals with the complexities of human relationships during the confusing time before adulthood with an off-beat sense of humor.

Russo gained critic's recognition for his portrayal of life in a declining upstate New York mill town with his novels Mohawk and The Risk Pool. His latest novel His book "Nobody's Fool" was adapted into a film starring Paul Newman. His latest novel is "Straight Man." It is published by Random House.

Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse talks about privacy in the digital age.

Smith is the author of the book "Private Matters," about our contradictory ideas about privacy. She's the daughter of novelist Bernard Malamud.

Film critic John Powers reviews "My Best Friend's Wedding," which stars Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Gina Berriault's new collection of short stories "Women in their Beds."

Jenkins works for the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta where he is an expert on minority issues in STDs. In 1969 he tried unsuccessfully to end the Tuskegee experiments in which 400 Alabama black men infected with syphilis went untreated for decades in an effort to understand the progression of the disease. The experiments began in1932 and were halted in 1972. Now Jenkins manages a program that provides medical coverage to the men who were part of the experiment and their families.

Film critic John Powers reviews "Ulee's Gold" starring Peter Fonda.

Actress and model Isabella Rossellini talks about her famous parents, actress Ingrid Bergman and filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, and her own career. She has acted in numerous films including "Blue Velvet," and she was the spokesmodel for Lancme cosmetics company. Her new book about her life is entitled "Some of Me." (Random House)

Film critic John Powers reviews Peter Greenaway's new film "The Pillow Book."

Garfield has reported on the oddities of America for "All Things Considered" and in his syndicated column. His new book "Waking Up Screaming from the American Dream" (Scribner) is a collection of stories about the bizarre measures people have taken to live the American dream.

Ingrid Labarbiera is the mother of Amy Barbiera, the subject of the HBO documentary "Heart of a Child." The film documents a year in the life of four year old Amy, who at such a young age had a heart/double lung transplant, and then seven months later another double lung transplant. Amy later died. The film's producers are Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon. "Heart of a Child" airs Thursday, June 12 at 8 PM on HBO.

Berliner has focused much of his work on the dynamics of families. His newest film "Nobody's Business" is a documentary about his father, Oscar Berliner. This critically acclaimed film reveals the ongoing conflict between Alan Berliner, who obstinately works to complete the film, and his father, who is scornful of the project. It will premiere on PBS on June 3, as a part of the Tenth anniversary season of "Point Of View."

Radio producer David Isay and reporters LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman. The new book "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago," (Scribner) is compiled from interviews by Jones and Newman conducted at the Ida B. Wells housing project in Chicago, where they live. These are the same two boys who worked with Isay on the acclaimed documentaries, "Ghetto Life 101" and "Remorse: the 14 stories of Eric Morse."

Bill Ayers is probably best known as a leader of the 1960's radical group the Weatherman. It was the militant arm of the Students for Democratic Society movement. But now Ayers focuses his efforts to reform the nation's schools and its juvenile court system. His latest book "A Kind and Just Parent" (Beacon Press) is a close look at Chicago's Juvenile Court system. Ayers is a professor at University of Illinois at Chicago.