Showing results by narrator "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Lawyer, former federal prosecutor and best-selling novelist Scott Turow and Lake County State's attorney Mike Waller talks about evaluating capital punishment on this edition of Fresh Air. Last month, before leaving office, Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the sentences of all inmates on Illinois Death Row. Turow served on the Governor's commission to evaluate capital punishment. Turow's latest book is Reversible Errors.

Writer Mary Karr on this edition of Fresh Air. Mary Karr, author of the best-selling memoir The Liar's Club. Her new memoir Cherry which chronicles her teen age years is now out in paperback. In a follow up to what critics call "a hard scrabble childhood," she returns to East Texas to detail her adolescence. Karr relates anecdotes of rebellion, self-doubt and sexual coming of age. The recipient of several literary awards such as the Pushcart Prize and the Bunting Award, she has published two volumes of poetry. She is the Peck Professor of English Literature at Syracuse...

Historian Alexander Keyssar and President of the California Voter Foundation Kim Alexander on this edition of Fresh Air. In his new book The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States, Alexander Keyssar examines the checkered history of our country's right to vote, and how this right was not for a time extended to certain groups of people, from propertyless whitemen, to women, immigrants, and African-Americans.

British comedian, stand-up performer, and actor Eddie Izzard on this edition of Fresh Air. Izzard is currently selling out venues in the U.S. and Canada with his new stand-up show Circle. He has won over fans with his quirky comedy and his cross-dressing. The Chicago Tribune says, "Izzard lives up to his billing. He's very bright, very fast, and very hip."

Writer Armistead Maupin on this edition of Fresh Air. Maupin is the creator of the award-winning newspaper serial turned TV series Tales of the City. His new book, The Night Listener, is his first novel in eight years. It examines the relationship that grows between a cult writer and one of his younger radio fans; critics have noted the autobiographical subtext to the story. Maupin won the 1998 Peabody Award for his work in television and has written several novels and two collections of essays. He lives in San Francisco.

Crime novelist Dennis Lehane and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson on this edition of Fresh Air. Dennis Lehane's written five novels featuring the working-class Boston private detective team of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. They include A Drink Before the War, Darkness Take My Hand, and Prayers for Rain. Lehane abandons the duo for his newest book about the affect of abduction on a group of boys. It's a thriller, Mystic River.

The creator of The Simpsons Matt Groening and writer Elisabeth Sifton on this edition of Fresh Air. Earlier this year The Simpsons celebrated its 300th episode, making it the longest running animated series on TV.

Former U.S. ambassador to Croatia Peter W. Galbraith and professor of psychiatry and psychology Robert Jay Lifton on this edition of Fesh Air. Peter W. Galbraith is now professor of national-security studies at the National War College in Washington D.C. Since the late 1980s he's been tracking Iraqi war crimes. He has also worked closely with the Kurds - who govern a small territory in Iraq. He'll talk with Terry about what a post-Saddam Iraq might look like.

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist from the Boston Globe Charlie Savage; the late Reverend Jerry Falwell; the dean of the Regent University School of Law, Jeffrey Brauch; and book critic Maureen Corrigan, on this edition of Fresh Air. Charlie Savage has been writing about a Christian law school whose graduates have become influential in the Justice Department. The school is the Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, which was founded by televangelist Pat Robertson.

Hear presidential historian Michael Beschloss and jazz critic Kevin Whitehead on this edition of Fresh Air. Michael Beschloss' new book is Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989. He takes a look at the crucial moments when a President risked his political career for the good of the country, often by taking an unpopular or controversial stand.

Film director Martin Scorsese and historian Tyler Anbinder on this edition of Fresh Air. Martin Scorsese discusses his new film Gangs of New York set in pre-civil war New York City about the street warfare between immigrant groups. It's inspired by the book The Gangs of New York published in 1927 by journalist Herbert Asbury. Tyler Anbinder has written about the Five Points neighborhood in Lower Manhattan which is the setting for Martin Scorsese's new film.

Scientist and conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz and Irish film director Jim Sheridan on this edition of Fresh Air. Dr. Alan Rabinowitz has been called the "Indiana Jones" of wildlife science. He is Director of the Science and Exploration Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society, based at the Bronx Zoo in New York. In 1985 his research in Belize resulted in the world's first jaguar sanctuary.

Drs. R. David Zangen and Radgonde Amer and novelist Alice Sebold on this edition of Fresh Air. R. David Zangen, senior pediatrician, and Dr. Radgonde Amer, an ophthalmologist at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. They are part of the group of Arab and Jewish doctors who work side by side at the hospital treating victims of suicide bombings and of the Israeli military actions. Alice Sebold's the author of the new book, The Lovely Bones.

Judith Wallerstein, an expert on the effects of divorce on children, and psychiatrist Dr. Lynn Ponton on this edition of Fresh Air. Wallerstein is the co-author of the book The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce which is based on a 25-year study following the lives of children whose parents had divorced. The book explores how the divorce of their parents decades ago continues to affect them into adulthood. She is also the founder of the Judith Wallerstein Center for the Family in Transition.

Novelist Alice Sebold and comedian and late night talk show host Jay Leno on this edition of Fresh Air. Alice Sebold's the author of the book, The Lovely Bones which will be coming out in paperback. Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan listed The Lovely Bones as one of the ten best books of 2002. Sebold is also the author of the memoir, Lucky.

Music writer Peter Guralnick, Sun Studios founder Sam Phillips (who died last night in Memphis at age 80), and guitarist and record producer Scotty Moore on this archive edition of Fresh Air. Music writer Peter Guralnick, in part one of his biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, tells much of the story of Elvis' life and people who knew him then.

Writer Sarah Waters and actor John Malkovich on this edition of Fresh Air. Sarah Waters is the author of three novels which she calls "lesbo Victorian romps." The lesbian themed books are: Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, and Fingersmith. Fingersmith was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Tipping the Velvet was made into a BBC miniseries and it will be shown on the cable channel BBC America later this month.

Journalist Floyd Norris and actor Michael Chiklis on this edition of Fresh Air. Floyd Norris is chief financial correspondent for The New York Times. He'll discuss the Bush administration's economic plan, including the tax break on stock dividends. Michael Chiklis stars as maverick cop Del Vik Mackey in the FX channel drama series The Shield. Last year, in the first year of the series, Chiklis won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The Shield is a major departure from the sunnier roles Chiklis had in his past TV shows The Commish and...

Hear the late Beverly Sills and filmmaker Werner Herzog on this edition of Fresh Air. First, classical-music critic Lloyd Schwartz pays tribute to opera singer Beverly Sills, who died Monday at the age of 78 from lung cancer. Then, we feature a 1985 interview with Sills. Also, film critic David Edelstein reviews Rescue Dawn, the first Hollywood feature film by Werner Herzog.

Palestinian lawyer and writer Raja Shehadeh and writer Michael Oren on this edition of Fresh Air. Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian lawyer and writer whose latest book is Strangers in the House: Coming of Age in Occupied Palestine. He is a founder of the nonpartisan human rights organization Al-Haq, an affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists, and author of several books about international law, human rights and the Middle East.