Society & Culture

Jazz French horn player Willie Ruff. Ruff's new autobiography, "A Call to Assembly," chronicles his childhood in the South, his enlistment in the army in 1946, his gaining admission to Yale, and his decision to pass on a career in classical music and follow a life in jazz. (It's published by Viking).

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "The Adventures of Amos and Andy," writer Melvin Patrick Ely's look at the comedy series, and the controversy it caused.

Language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg discusses watching words "head for obscurity."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new movie "Boyz N the Hood," about gang violence in L.A.

Book critic John Leonard reviews two collections of essays about Africa; "African Silences" by Peter Matthiessan and "Maneaters Motel" by Denis Boyles.

We talk with Jodi Jacobson, senior researcher at the World Watch Institute, and the author of a new report on the state of women's health around the world.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Wall to Wall," Mary Morris' memoir of her travels through China and the Soviet Union.

Maureen Corrigan reviews film maker John Sayle's new novel, "Los Gusanos."

Journalist Ron Powers. Powers new book, "Far From Home, " examines the decline of the small town in America. To illustrate the point, Powers profiled the decline of Cairo, Illinois and Kent Connecticut.

Martin ("Mar-teen") Sánchez-Jankowski, a professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, lived among ethnically diverse street gangs in New York, Boston and Los Angeles from 1978 to 1988. His observations are contained in his new book, Islands in the Street: Gangs in American Urban Society (Univ. of Cal. Press).

Athlete and journalist Mariah Burton Nelson. After the passage of Title IX, Nelson played women's basketball in college and in the Women's Pro Basketball League. Her new book, "Are We Winning Yet?" examines the state of women's sports in America today.

Williams' new book, "The Alchemy of Race and Rights," is her personal reflection on racism in American life and society.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan discusses one aspect of married life that still causes controversy: a bride's decision whether or not to change her name.

Tan's debut novel, "The Joy Luck Club," was a huge critical and commercial success, earning Tan a nomination for the National Book Award. She has a new novel, called "The Kitchen God's Wife," which draws explicitly from her mother's experiences as a Chinese immigrant and survivor of an abusive relationship.

Writers Lindsy Van Gelder and Pamala Robin Brandt. They're the co-authors of "Are You Two...Together?" It's a gay and lesbian travel guide to Europe.

Vasquez's new movie, "Hangin' With The Homeboys," is a semi-autobiographical movie about growing up in the South Bronx. He talks to Terry Gross about relations between Latinos and African Americans in his neighborhood; Vasquez is biracial, and is part of both traditions.

Adair's new documentary, "Absolutely Positive," profiles 11 people, including Adair himself, who are HIV positive. It airs this week on PBS.

Alvarez was born into a prosperous family in the Dominican Republic. When she was ten, her family moved to New York City. Alvarez's new novel, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents," is a semi-autobiographical work about the clash of cultures in her early life.

We examine the state of human rights in post-war Kuwait with Ken Roth, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch. He just returned from a nine day visit to Kuwait.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews Spike Lee's new film, about the politics of interracial dating.