Society & Culture

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "BAD, or the Dumbing of America," by Paul Fussell. In his book, Fussell decries the decline of quality and taste in everything from movies to education. (It's published by Summit Books).

Comedian Bill Cosby. Cosby talks about his TV show, his early years doing stand-up comedy, and his new book, "Childhood." It recounts some of his favorite stories of his youth. (It's published by Putnam).

Composer, director, and writer Elizabeth Swados. She's written a memoir about her family, "The Four of Us." Much of it has to do with her brilliant but schizophrenic brother, Lincoln, and how his illness affected the family. Her brother became a street person, and later died. (published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

Veteran standup comedian Henny Youngman. Youngman has a new memoir, called "Take My Life, Please." (It's published by Morrow).

The Spider-Man and Hulk creator spoke to Fresh Air in 1991 about coming up with Spider-Man, inventing new sound effects for his comics and why superheroes have colorful costumes.

World music critic Milo Miles checks out "Samba," writer Alma Guillermoprieto's (geair-mo-prer-toe) new book on Brazil's most famous musical form, and how it pervades Brazilian life and culture.

We get several views on this weekend's Clarence Thomas proceedings...
First, feminist and Time magazine essayist Barbara Ehrenreich (air-rike) gives her views.

Then Terry talks with Wall Street Journal reporter Michel McQueen about what African Americans think of the hearings.

Finally, we talk with Philadelphia's two editorial cartoonists: Tony Auth (rhymes with "broth") of the
Philadelphia Inquirer, and Signe Wilkinson of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Journalist Susan FaludiI ("fah-lude-ee"). Her new book, "Backlash," looks at how the gains women made as a result of the feminist movement are being reversed and undermined. (It's published by Crown).

The Thomas hearings leads linguist Geoffrey Nunberg to wonder, is it "HAIR-ess-ment" or "heh-RASS-ment"?

Maureen Corrigan reviews "Low Life," by Luc Sante (pronounced "luke sahn-tay"). The book explores the every-day existence of New Yorkers a century ago.

Writer Jake Lamar. In his new memoir, "Bourgeois Blues," Lamar examines the issue of race in his life, and in American society. (published by Summit Books).

Musician and conductor JoAnn Falletta. Falletta is conductor of the Bay Area Women's Philharmonic in San Francisco, which is dedicated to finding and playing music by women that was previously undiscovered or unrecorded. Falletta has a PhdD from Juilliard.

Writer and critic Doris Grumbach. In her new memoir, "Coming Into The End Zone," Grumbach chronicles the 70th year of her life, faces the specter of her impending death, as well of the deaths of several of her friends due to AIDS. (It's published by Norton).

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Sexual Personae," Camille Paglia's (pag-lee-ah) controversial analysis of the sexes.

Economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett. Hewlett's new book, "When The Bough Breaks," argues that the United States is guilty of shocking neglect of its' children, both poor and affluent. Hewlitt also shows how that neglect is actually costing the nation billions of dollars. (It's published by Basic Books). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Writer Norman Rush. Rush has a new novel, called "Mating." It's a comic romance that takes place in Botswana in the 80s. The novel builds on Rush's critically acclaimed collection of stories, "Whites." Rush himself served as the Peace Corps director in Botswana between 1978 and 1983. ("Mating" is published by Knopf). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Chinese writer Jung Chang. She was born in China but left in 1978 to study. She now lives in England. Her book, "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China," (published by Simon & Schuster). It's the story of Jung Chang, her mother, and her grandmother Chang's grandmother was born into feudal society, whose feet were bound at the age of two; she was a concubine at 15. Chang's mother grew up under Japanese occupation, was a part of the Communist-led student underground, and later a heroine of the revolution.

Writer David Rieff (pronounced "reef"). he's the author of the new book, "Los Angeles: Capital of the Third World,"(published by Simon and Schuster). He'll talk to Marty about the recovery movement, the proliferation of such self-help books as "Healing the Child Within," and "Choice-Making for Co-dependents," and the popularity of such pop-psychology gurus as John Bradshaw.

Author and Educator and activist Jonathan Kozol.

Writer David Rieff (pronounced "reef"). his new book, "Los Angeles: Capital of the Third World," looks at how the millions of poor immigrants that have come to the Los Angeles area in the past two decades have changed the shape of that city...changing it from the "City of Dreams" that's long been L.A.'s popular image, to a much poorer, problem-ridden,and diverse, place. Rieff says something similar is in store for many other American cities. (The book's published by Simon and Schuster).