Bill Yenne has written an outstanding biography, "Sitting Bull." I really liked his depiction of Sitting Bull's early life and I loved learning about the Lakota culture. It was much misunderstood by the European soldiers and settlers. So was Sitting Bull misunderstood. He was never the top military chief that we thought. But he was a true leader and his story including his warrior years and celebrity years, is very interesting.
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
About Books, September 20, 2008
Ying Chang Compestine is the author of "Revolution is Not a Dinner Party," a novel about growing up in China under Mao. It is drawn from her own childhood experiences. Ying is also well known for her interest in healthy Chinese cooking. She teaches cooking classes, sometimes on cruises, and develops recipes for the Boulder Heart Institute. Check your local library for her cookbooks. The one I like is called "Secrets of Fat-Free Chinese Cooking."
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
About Books, September 13, 2008
Tana French, author of "The Likeness," grew up in Ireland, Italy, the United States and Malawi and chose Dublin as her home when she reached adulthood. I read her first thriller, "In the Woods," and was so excited to have the opportunity to interview her for her second. French has created a group of characters that inhabit a Dublin detective squad. Rob Ryan was featured in her first novel; Cassie Maddox in her second. The story involves the murder of Cassie's physical double. Cassie assumes the victim's character and goes undercover to live in the victim's college house in order to discover who the murderer is. Tana was a delightful person to talk to and I look forward to her third novel.
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Thursday, September 4, 2008
About Books, September 6, 2008
Thomas Foster, a professor of English at the University of Michigan, has written "How to Read Novels Like a Professor." I think it's a valueable and important book for both readers and writers. After a brief history of the novel, Foster talks about opening lines, character, voice, place, endings and much more. Along the way he has interesting "laws" like the Law of Character Clarity and the Law of Shutting Doors. All of this has changed for the better the way I read novels.
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
About Books, August 30, 2008
Gregory Gibson, a book collector and dealer, is the author of "Hubert's Freaks," the story of another rare book dealer, Bob Langmuir. Bob starts collecting black Americana and learns about a Times Square freak show called Hubert's at a trunk show sale. In the trunk that Bob buys he discovers never-before-seen photographic prints by Diane Arbus. Bob's adventures in book dealing, combating depression, interviewing freaks and validating the Arbus photos make for one heck of a read.
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Friday, August 22, 2008
About Books, August 23, 2008
James W. Douglass, author of "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters," has a long interest in peace. For the past twleve years he has been researching the deaths of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy and Malcolm X. This is the first book with more to come. Douglass is very upfront with his belief that Kennedy's death was organized by the CIA because of Kennedy's wish to end the Cold War by dialoging with the likes of Khruschev and Castro. He supports his argument with extensive research (100 pages of footnotes). Douglass believes that by revealing this urge to kill the dream of peace, we can better pursue peace today.
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Friday, August 15, 2008
About Books, August 16, 2008
Georgeanne Brennan, author of "Pigs in Provence," began a love affair with food and France when she and her husband moved there in the 1960's. They raised goats and a pig and sold fresh goat cheese. The book is a loving account of Brennan's decades of French experience of the rural life and rural citizens of Provence interspersed with recipes. I recently made the tomato tart and it was wonderful!
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm
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