Terry Gross

Tan's first novel, The Joy Luck Club, is the story of four Chinese women who gather to gossip and play mah jong, and of the rebellious ways of their Americanized daughters. The story parallels Tan's own life. Her mother left China in 1952, and Tan grew up torn between her mother's culture of the past and her American surroundings of the present. (Rebroadcast)

In celebration of Mother's Day, we replay select clips of past interview with guests talking about their mothers, including comedian Jimmy Tingle; filmmaker Paul Mazusky; author Robb Forman Dew, and writer Gary Paulsen.

We'll hear from Iqbal Riza, Assistant Secretary of General for Peace Keeping Operations for the United Nations. He talks about the UN's role in Rwanda.

Alison Des Forges is a consultant to Human Rights Watch Africa. Last month, the Rwandan Patriotic Army opened fire at a refugee camp. Human Rights Watch says 2000 people were killed. Des Forges visited the camp following the massacre. Des Forges is also the Co-Chair of the International Commission on Human Rights Abuse in Rwanda. She is a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Investigator Michael Reynolds with the Klan watch Militia Task Force, with the Southern Poverty Law Center. The task force assisted in the investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing. Reynolds outlines the beliefs of many of these right wing groups.

Two men influential in their communities: Corner West, professor of Afro-American studies at Harvard, and author of Race Matters, and Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun, a magazine of Jewish political and social commentary, and author of Jewish Renewal. They have collaborated on the new book Jews & Blacks: Let the Healing Begin.

Price's books include The Wanderers, Bloodbrothers, and Clockers, which was a National Book Critic Circle Award nominee. He was also nominated for an Academy Award in 1986 for his screenplay of "The Color of Money." His newest credit is "Kiss of Death," which stars David Caruso, Samuel Jackson and Nicholas Cage.

Hanan Mikhail-Ashrwai, former spokesperson for the PLO from 1991 to 1993. Ashrawi was the chief spokesperson for the Palestinian delegation at the Middle East peace negotiations. There are two books about her life and her role in the peace process: her personal account, This Side of Peace, and A Voice of Reason: Hanan Ashrawi and Peace in the Middle East by Barbara Victor.

Biographer Barbara Leaming has written a new biography of Katharine Hepburn, which places the actress' life in the context of her family's history: one of tragic and political importance. Katherine Hepburn's grandfather committed suicide, as did her brother. Hepburn's mother was a major figure in the radical suffrage movement, and a friend of Margaret Sanger.

We speak with two veterans about their service during World War II. Tony Varone remembers V.E. DAY 50 years ago today. He served in the 9th Infantry Division which fought in Europe. He now is Commander of VFW POST in Long Island, New York. Donald Pearce fought in Europe in the Canadian Army. Pearce kept a diary during his tour of duty. His 1965 book Journal Of A War: North-west Europe 1944-1945 chronicles the battles fought in Belgian and the Netherlands.