"Clueless" is a Lot of Fun.

Lucy Grealy had cancer in her jaw as a child, for which she underwent 5 years of treatment. The surgery and other therapy left her disfigured. Over the next 15 years she had about 30 reconstructive operations. Her memoir Autobiography of a Face is about her illness, and about the pain from feeling ugly, which she says made cancer seems minor in comparison. Her memoir is expanded from an article which won a National Magazine Award when it was published in Harpers. (Originally aired 9/26/94)

Edmund White has written about American gay culture for over two decades. White, who himself is gay, discusses the loss of a lover to Aids. White says he has tested positive for HIV. His essays chronicle the gay rights movement from the 1969 Stonewall riots to the present. His newest book, Skinned Alive was published last month by Knopf. White's next book is due out in November titled Our Paris: Sketches from Memory.