Terry Gross

The former television executive has written a memoir called "Tinker in Television." He was co-founder of the production company MTM Enterprises with his then wife Mary Tyler Moore. He left MTM at the peak of its success to become the chairman of NBC, and made it the top-rated network, with shows like "Cheers," "The Cosby Show," and "St. Elsewhere."

As a child, Lucy Grealy spent five years being treated for cancer, which left her face disfigured. She has since had over thirty reconstructive procedures and years of living with a distorted self-image. She's just written "Autobiography of a Face," her memoir about coming to terms with looking less than perfect in a society that values female beauty.

Faithfull got her start in the English music scene of 1964, when she dated Mick Jagger and had the hit song, "As Tears Go By." In the following years she had a drug addiction that almost killed her, before recovering in 1985 and releasing new albums. Her memoir, "Faithfull: An Autobiography," tells her story of highs and lows with music and drugs.

Lea started singing in the 1950s; she recorded her first album in 1955 to critical acclaim. After a hiatus from music, she made a comeback during the 70s in New York's cabaret world. This concert with Lea and pianist Tony Tamburello was recorded in 1991, in celebration of Cole Porter's 100th birthday.

China scholar Orville Schell has written nine books about China, as well as contributed to magazines and television. His latest book, "Mandate of Heaven," examines the Tiananmen Square massacre and looks at how the younger generation will come to power. He says popular culture has become the newest arena for dissent and political change.

Journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn were Beijing correspondents for "The New York Times" from 1988 to 1993. They won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. They have just written a book called "China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power." It explores the contradiction in China of a booming economy paired with terrible human rights abuses, as the country struggles to become a new world power.

British mystery writer Anne Perry is the author of 19 crime novels based in Victorian England. It was recently discovered that, forty years ago, Perry took part in a murder. She was 15 and on medication for an illness she had at the time. She went to jail for five and a half years. Her newly released 20th book, "The Sins of the Wolf" is about a nurse imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit.

Lucas was the number one draft pick for the NBA in 1976, before his career went downhill as a result of drug use. He conquered his addiction and started a recovery program for other drug-addicted athletes. He coached the San Antonio Spurs to the playoffs twice, and is now the head coach, general manager, and vice president of the Philadelphia 76ers. Lucas has just written a memoir, called "Winning a Day at a Time."

In 1990, an American Association of American Women survey found that the self-esteem of young girls plummets during adolescence. A year later, journalist Peggy Orenstein was commissioned to do a follow-up study, which resulted in her new book, "Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap." Orenstein talked to girls in two junior high schools, and examined some of the factors that influenced their feelings about themselves, including schooling, family, and class.

Comedy writer Alan Zweibel discusses his 14 year friendship with Gilda Radner. They met working on the original Saturday Night Live and teamed up to create such memorable characters as Roseanne Roseannadanna and Emily Litella. Zweibel has written a new memoir about their friendship, called "Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner: A Sort of Love Story."