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Frank Calabrese Jr. On Opening His 'Family Secrets'()
January 4, 2013 Frank Calabrese Jr. wrote a memoir about bringing down his father's murderous Chicago crime family. In Operation Family Secrets, Frank detailed how he helped the FBI convict his father of several murders by wearing a hidden wire and taping his father's conversations. His father died Christmas Day.
The 'Life And Liberation' Of A Black Female Metal Fan()
January 4, 2013 Writer Laina Dawes has loved heavy metal ever since she got her first Kiss album at age 8. But the metal community hasn't always loved her back, as she explains in her book What Are You Doing Here?
From Puberty To Pop Culture: What It Means 'To Be A Woman'()
January 3, 2013 In How To Be A Woman, British columnist and critic Caitlin Moran describes her journey — thus far — through womanhood. She shares stories of the awkwardness of puberty, and the perils of fashion, career, marriage and childbirth. Along the way, she explores what it means to be a feminist today.
Self-Perception Partly To Blame For Fewer Woman Chefs()
January 2, 2013 Audie Cornish talks to food writer Charlotte Druckman about her book Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen. Women chefs are often overlooked, with men dominating restaurant kitchens and receive most chef accolades. For her book, Druckman sought out women chefs from all over the country to find out how and why they do what they do.
Wisdom Watch
Dyn-O-Mite! Comedian Jimmie Walker Talks Showbiz()
January 2, 2013 Comedian Jimmie Walker is best known for his Good Times sitcom character J.J. Evans. But there's more to Walker than just laughs. For Tell Me More's Wisdom Watch series, host Michel Martin talks with Walker about his long career in showbiz, detailed in his memoir, Dyn-O-Mite: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times.
Lessons For The Modern World From The Societies Of 'Yesterday'()
January 1, 2013 In his new book, The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond argues that traditional societies have much to teach the modern world about different ways to eat and stay fit, and how to raise children and resolve conflicts.
Books
A Child Of The Slums Becomes A 'Queen' Of Chess()
December 31, 2012 Phiona Mutesi grew up in one of the roughest slums in Uganda. Her days were spent focusing on survival, until she discovered chess. She's now on her way to becoming a world-class chess competitor. Host Michel Martin speaks with Mutesi, her coach Robert Katende, and Tim Crothers, who chronicles her story in his new book, The Queen of Katwe.
Books
Diana Vreeland's Rise To 'Empress Of Fashion'()
December 31, 2012 Diana Vreeland had a troubled childhood; her mother often told her she was ugly. But she later became editor-in-chief of American Vogue and one of the country's most revered fashion icons. Her life is captured in the new biography, Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland. Host Michel Martin talks with author Amanda Mackenzie Stuart.
Death Of The (Predatory) Salesman: These Days, It's A Buyer's Market()
December 31, 2012 In his new book, To Sell Is Human, Daniel H. Pink describes how access to information has empowered buyers and dramatically changed the sales landscape. Caveat emptor — buyer beware — is still good advice, Pink says, but so is caveat venditor — seller beware.
Book Reviews
Author Ben Fountain's Book Picks For 2013()
December 30, 2012 Ben Fountain's first novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, was nominated for the 2012 National Book Award. He's well-read for 2013, so we thought we'd ask him what to look forward to in the book world.
History
The Renaissance Man Who Got It All Wrong()
December 28, 2012 In A Man of Misconceptions: The Life of an Eccentric in an Age of Change, John Glassie writes of 17th-century Jesuit priest and scientist Athanasius Kircher, a renaissance man who studied magnetism, Mount Vesuvius, even the blood of plague victims. The only problem? His theories were often wrong.
Book Challenges Kids With Science-Based Mysteries()
December 28, 2012 Move over, CSI and NCIS, there's a new game in town. Authors Eric and Natalie Yoder share some of their 'One Minute Mysteries' that can be solved with logic and knowledge of science — and without the aid of a magically fast DNA lab or improbable photo enhancement software.
'The Book Of Gin' Distills A Spirited History()
December 28, 2012 From medieval medicine to 18th century English "crack," gin has come a long way. But according to Richard Barnett, author of The Book of Gin, now is "the best time in the last 500 years to be drinking" it.
Tamari Greens, Miso Yams: Chef Gives Vegans Multicultural Flavor()
December 28, 2012 Chef and author Bryant Terry is on a quest to popularize the plant-based, vegan diet. Inspired by his own family's roots, his latest project involves blending African- and Asian-American cuisines.
Books
Margaret Atwood's Brave New World Of Online Publishing()
December 27, 2012 Charles Dickens wrote many of his greatest works in serial form, but serial publishing has fallen by the wayside since his day. Now, it's being revived online, and Margaret Atwood is publishing a future-dystopia novel called Positron in installments via the literary website Byliner.
