Society & Culture

Language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg reflects on the year 2000, what it used to mean and how it resonates today.

Moses was a leader in the Civil Rights struggle, helping to register black voters in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964. He's still a civil rights activist, though his weapon now is math. He's the director and creator of the innovative Algebra Project which opens up educational opportunities for young African-Americans. Moses established the project in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1982. Since then it's been implimented across the country, and has reached 9,000 inner city youths.

Professor of African-American studies, Gerald Early. He'll talk with Terry about the dilemma of being a middle-class African American intellectual, and how that kind of life can separate a person from the black community. His new book is "Lure and Loathing: Essays on Race, Identity, and the Ambivalence of Assimilation."

Tamra Davis is the director of the new rap satire film "CB4," which stars Chris Rock of Saturday Night Live. Davis is well-known for her work directing music videos with everyone from Sonic Youth to Bette Middler. Her first film was "Gun Crazy."

Ng's first novel, "Bone," is about three sisters brought up in San Francisco's Chinatown. One reviewer writes, "I learned a lot from "Bone" about the high cost of living in two worlds;" another writes that the story is "beautifully conceived, full of feeling and the sound of the streets."

Officer Jim Galipeau works with gangs in Los Angeles, and is currently trying to raise money for a program for older gang members. He'll talk with Terry about the truce between gangs that began last spring, just before the riots; the differences between Hispanic and Black gangs, and inner city and suburban gangs; the impact of the riots, and the possibility of riots in the future. Galipeau has been a probation officer for 27 years. He's a Vietnam vet, and when he was a teenager, he was a street fighter and drug addict.

Professor Robert Jay Lifton is distinguished professor of psychiatry and psychology and director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival at John Jay College, City University of New York. He's been studying cults and fundamentalist groups for many years. Lifton will talk about the armed cult in Waco, Texas run by David Koresh of the Branch Davidians--how typical they are, and what can be done to deal with them.

Roth is best known for his books "Goodbye, Columbus" and "Portnoy's Complaint." Since the publication of his first book, Roth has been controversial for his treatment of Jewish themes. Some readers think his satirical take is anti-Semitic. His novel "Portnoy's Complaint," a sexual autobiography of a young lawyer, was labeled obscene by some because of its descriptions of masturbation and sexual conquest.

NPR correspondent and writer Frank Browning. He has a new book about gay culture, "The Culture of Desire: Paradox and Perversity in Gay Lives Today."

Writer and professor Mary Jo Weaver teaches Religious and Women's Studies at Indiana University. Her new book is, "Springs of Water in a Dry Land." It's about the double bind that many Catholic women find themselves in, of either living within a institutionalized and oppressive church structure, or rejecting a church which is a source of spiritual enrichment. Weaver argues that it is possible for a woman to be a feminist and remain Catholic.

Maureen Corrigan reviews, "The Dialectic of Sex," by Shulamith Fireston. First published in the 1970s, it serves as an important document of second-wave feminism.

Attorney and writer Mary Frances Berry. She's a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and a professor of history and law at the University of Pennsylvania. She's written a new book about the tradition of "mother-care" in our society, the notion that women have principal responsibility for childcare.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Mad Dog & Glory," starring Robert De Niro and Bill Murray.

Former Police Commissioner of Philadelphia Willie Williams replaced the controversial Los Angeles Police Department chief Daryl Gates. Williams' challenge has been to improve the relationship between the police and the community, and to build-up morale within the force. Williams has also had to prepare the department for possible further disturbances in the community, in light of the April riots over the Rodney King verdict.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Love Field," starring Michelle Pfieffer, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance.

George is one of this country's most prominent chroniclers of black music and culture. He was the black music editor at "Billboard" for seven years and is a regular columnist for the "Village Voice." His new book "Buppies, B-Boys, Baps and Bohos: Notes on Post-Soul Black Culture," is a collection of his writings about the last two decades in Black urban culture. George also edited the book, "Stop the Violence," a collaboration of top rappers working to end black-on-black violence.

Reverend Youngblood is the leader of St. Paul Community Baptist Church in one of Brooklyn's poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods. Youngblood came to the church and turned it around from a dying institution to a thriving center for religious and community activity. It has created a school and, through innovative programs, brought young black men back into the church. St. Paul's has also, as part of a coalition with other churches, built housing in the area and replaced brothels and numbers joints. "Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church" by Samuel G.

Neely has brought a strong African-American female voice to the genre. The heroine of her debut book, "Blanche on the Lam," is Blanche White, a 40-year old housekeeper with big thighs, a wry sense of humor, and a jaundiced view of the rich. Blanche is on the lam from a 30-day jail sentence for a bad check; she can hide in plain sight, because of her invisibility as a black housekeeper. One reviewer writes though the book works well as a crime novel, it's "less about a mysterious murder. . .

Psychologist and writer Carol Tavris. Her latest book, "The Mismeasure of Woman," looks at the widespread but unacknowledged custom of defining norms according to men's bodies and behavior. Tavris shows that the real differences in gender are in power, resources, and life experiences. She also wrote a review of two books dealing with incest, called "Beware the Incest-Survivor Machine," for The New York Times Book Review. In it, she calls for a more reasoned, cautious approach to a very complicated issue. The review received a fire-storm of letters from readers.

Turturro co-starred in Spike Lee's film, "Do the Right Thing." He's a favorite of the Coen Brothers, appearing in "Miller's Crossing," and "Barton Fink." Turturro just wrote, directed, and starred in the new movie, "Mac," based on his father.