CASSETTE BOOKS 1996

National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

Washington, D.C.  1996

Nonfiction

Animals and Wildlife
Biography
Blindness and Physical Handicaps
Business and Economics
Careers and Job Training
Classics
Computers
Consumerism
Cooking
Crime
Diet and Nutrition
Drama
Education
Family
Government, Law, and Politics
Humor
Inspiration
Journalism and the Media
Literature
Marriage and Sex
Medicine and Health
Music
Nature and the Environnment
Philosophy
Poetry
Psychology and Self-Help
Religion
Science and Technology
Social Sciences
Sports and Recreation
Stage and Screen
Travel
U.S. History
Wars
Women's Concerns
World History

Nonfiction

Animals and Wildlife

All Things Bright and Beautiful
RC 39611
by James Herriot 
read by Bob Askey
3 cassettes (Reissue)
Sequel to _All Creatures Great and Small (RC 6096)_. Further
episodes in the life of a sensitive Scottish veterinary
surgeon with a rural practice in Yorkshire, England.
Herriot, now married to Helen, continues to work with
Siegfried Farnon and his apprentice brother, Tristan, and
takes a personal interest in the lives of both the animals
and the people he encounters. 1974.


The Complete Dog Book
RC 40205
by American Kennel Club 
read by Kerry Cundiff
6 cassettes
This new and revised edition includes the history and the
official standard of each of the dog breeds accepted in 1992
for registration by the American Kennel Club. The standard
addresses such factors as the dog's general appearance,
coat, color, gait, and temperament. The breeds include
sporting dogs, hounds, working dogs, terriers, toys,
non-sporting dogs, and herding dogs. Also discussed are
selection, training, breeding, and care of purebreds. 1992.


The Lives of Birds: Birds of the World and Their Behavior
RC 41184
by Lester L. Short 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
The curator of birds of the American Museum of Natural
History draws upon the latest research and knowledge on the
diverse world of birds. He discusses bird behavior from
hatchling through fledgling to maturity, including
information on diets, flying, singing, migration,
territoriality, courtship, nesting, and mating. Also
includes a chapter on the interrelationship between birds
and humans. 1993.


Living with Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect
North America's Wild Creatures around Your Home and Theirs
RC 39338
by California Center for Wildlife 
read by Bill Wallace
3 cassettes
Natural history and animal-control information about
wildlife with which humans are most likely to come into
contact. The animal is described, as is its range and
habitat, its notable behavior, and its enemies and defenses.
Humane methods are suggested for various situations in which
the animal might present a problem. 1994.


The New Complete Golden Retriever: Second Edition
RC 40278
by Gertrude Fischer 
read by Jill Ferris
3 cassettes
Longtime golden retriever breeder and columnist provides
details about the breed. Goldens (which can range from cream
to mahogany red) are participating in growing numbers in
rescue work and in guiding blind people. Discusses the
history of the breed, 1982 breed standards (which describe
the ideal dog in detail), breeding, raising puppies, care
requirements, training, and competitive showing. 1984.


The New Complete Labrador Retriever: Third Edition
RC 39681
by Helen Warwick 
read by Randy Atcher
3 cassettes
Study of the origins, development, and behavior of the
Labrador retriever. This Newfoundland breed, introduced
first in England by the nineteenth century and then to the
United States in the early 1930s, competes in both field and
show trials, is a favorite with police officers, has gained
top rank as a guide dog, and is extremely popular as a pet.
1986.


Spiders of the World
RC 39732
by Rod and Ken Preston-Mafham 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
More than 30,000 known species of spiders are in the Araneae
order of the Arachnida class. To provide a basic
introduction to this order, the authors discuss the general
physical structure of spiders; their life history; and their
mechanisms for mating, capturing prey, and defending
themselves. Also provides descriptions of a representative
sample of members of the species most likely to be
encountered and a glossary. 1984.


The Tribe of Tiger: Cats and Their Culture
RC 41278
by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas 
read by Michele Schaeffer
2 cassettes
Author of _The Hidden Life of Dogs (RC 37305)_ turns to the
thirty-five different species of cats. She explains the
evolution of cats (they come from the mongoose tribe) and
discusses their behavior and their carnivorous diet
("meat-eating alone accounts for a cat's sense of fun, of
play"). Pumas, tigers, house cats, and others are observed
in a variety of urban environments. Bestseller 1994.


When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals
RC 41191
by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy 
read by Mary Kane
2 cassettes
Although many pet owners believe that animals of all kinds
lead complex emotional lives, few scientists have
acknowledged, researched, or even speculated about animal
emotions. Attempting to bridge this gap, the authors give
many examples of animals expressing emotion including some
observations made by scientists. Bestseller 1995.

Biography

Other biographies are listed in specific subject categories,
such as literature, music, sports, stage and screen, U.S.
history, and world history.

All Things Bright and Beautiful
RC 39611
by James Herriot 
read by Bob Askey
3 cassettes (Reissue)
Sequel to _All Creatures Great and Small (RC 6096)_. Further
episodes in the life of a sensitive Scottish veterinary
surgeon with a rural practice in Yorkshire, England.
Herriot, now married to Helen, continues to work with
Siegfried Farnon and his apprentice brother, Tristan, and
takes a personal interest in the lives of both the animals
and the people he encounters. 1974.


Back Talk: Teaching Lost Selves to Speak
RC 39235
by Joan Weimer 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes
English professor and writer Weimer says she stays high by
seeing how many projects she can keep going at once. When
surgery for a back injury severely restricts her activities,
Weimer is forced to find a "different self." She is
surprised to be helped in this endeavor by the object of her
studies--nineteenth-century writer Constance Fenimore
Woolson. Some strong language. 1994.


+Barbara Bush: A Memoir
RC 38873
by Barbara Bush 
read by Jill Ferris
5 cassettes
Drawing upon her diaries, tapes, letters, and from a "very
selective memory of the early days," Barbara Bush shares the
experiences of what she calls a life of "privilege of every
kind." She writes of the first years of the Bushes'
marriage, the births of their children and the death of one,
the campaign trail, the world leaders she met, the White
House years, and of life after the presidency. Bestseller
1994.


Before Night Falls
RC 39538
by Reinaldo Arenas 
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
As a youth, novelist Reinaldo Arenas, author of _The Doorman
(RC 34085)_, supported Castro's overthrow of Batista. He
became disillusioned when his lifestyle as a homosexual
artist came under attack and he was harassed and imprisoned.
In 1980 Arenas fled to the United States, where he continued
to wage a bitter protest against Castro. Published after his
suicide in the face of AIDS. Strong language, violence, and
explicit descriptions of sex. 1993.


A Chef's Tale: A Memoir of Food, France, and America
RC 41037
by Pierre Franey and others 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
2 cassettes
A French chef reminisces about his native land and his
family and about helping to introduce French cuisine to the
American public. Franey describes how recognition for his
efforts at famous restaurants, such as Le Pavillon, led to
"The 60-Minute Gourmet" (his column in the _New York Times_)
and eventually to a public television cooking show and the
publication of several books. Includes his trademark
recipes. 1994.


Cleopatra
RC 39806
by Don Nardo 
read by Mary Kane
1 cassette
Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C., became a
legend in her own time. Her intimate relationships with
Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, two of the most powerful men
of the day, make her controversial. Noting that she was
called greedy, dishonest, immoral, and a poor ruler by some
and resourceful and an able ruler by others, the author
attempts to separate fact from fiction in this biography.
For junior and senior high and older readers. 1994.



The Creative Spirit
RC 38706
Dreams of Exile: Robert Louis Stevenson, a Biography
RC 40729
by Ian Bell 
read by Bill Wallace
3 cassettes
A nonliterary account of the author of _Treasure Island (RC
18121)_. In poor health throughout his life, Stevenson
evaded the careers his father encouraged, instead traveling
in search of healthful climates and writing of adventure and
action. He married the controversial Fanny Osbourne, who
both cared for and dominated him. 1992.



A Greater Love: Prince Charles's Twenty-Year Affair with
Camilla Parker Bowles
RC 39545
by Christopher Wilson 
read by George Holmes
2 cassettes
British journalist chronicles the Prince of Wales's
relationship with the "other woman," tracing a friendship
begun when both were single and continued after each was
married to another partner. As background Wilson fills in
details about the pastimes, social customs, and duties of
royal and other upperclass Britons, touching on the subject
of the future of the monarchy. 1994.


Heron Hill Chronicle
RC 40104
by George Reiger 
read by Barry Bernson
1 cassette
In 1970 shortly after their wedding, George and Barbara
Reiger purchased an old farmhouse on the coastal shores of
Virginia as a second home. Then, when their lives in
Washington, D.C., and New York proved to be too hectic, they
forsook their metropolitan lifestyles and moved to the farm
permanently. Reiger, a conservation editor for _Field and
Stream_, describes their life at Heron Hill, where they have
learned to live off the land. 1994.


Husband, Lover, Spy
RC 40552
by Janice Pennington and Carlos De Abreu 
read by Kerry Cundiff
2 cassettes
Janice Pennington, hostess on the TV game show _The Price Is
Right_, married German mountain climber Fritz Stammberger in
1974. In 1975, while climbing in the Tirich Mir area along
the Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russian border, Stammberger
disappeared. Years later, after Pennington had him declared
legally dead and married another man, she uncovered
startling information. Some descriptions of sex. Bestseller
1994.


I Am Roe: My Life, _Roe_ _v._ _Wade_, and Freedom of Choice
RC 40152
by Norma McCorvey and Andy Meisler 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes
In 1969, Norma McCorvey was twenty-one and pregnant. Her
mother had taken her first child when she learned Norma was
a lesbian, and Norma had given her second baby up for
adoption. Then she wanted an abortion, which was illegal in
Texas. She agreed to challenge the law as Jane Roe, which
led to the landmark _Roe_ v. _Wade_ case. She here provides
her life story. Strong language. 1994.


Laughing in the Dark: From Colored Girl to Woman of Color--a
Journey from Prison to Power
RC 40031
by Patrice Gaines 
read by Robin Miles
3 cassettes
Journalist Gaines says, "We are born perfect . . . but as we
grow, we forget. Then life becomes our journey back to
perfection." Gaines tells of rising above drugs, crime, and
an attraction to abusive men to become a prize-winning
reporter for the _Washington Post_. She wrote her story to
inspire the young people of the Washington community. Strong
language and some violence. 1994.


The Liars' Club: A Memoir
RC 41154
by Mary Karr 
read by Martha Harmon Pardee
3 cassettes
Mary Karr grew up in the small Texas town of Leechfield. Her
mother was prone to abusing alcohol and to attempting
suicide. Her father, an oil worker, spent time with
coworkers at the American Legion bar where they formed the
Liars' Club and competed to outdo one another's tall tales.
Karr discusses the difficulties she and her older sister,
Lecia, had keeping the family together. Strong language.
Bestseller 1995.


Liverpool Buttons and Homeward-Bound Stitches: Portrait of a
Master Mariner
RC 39115
by Ottmar Friz 
read by Randy Atcher
2 cassettes
Captain Friz offers an account of his life as a sailor of
the seas. Friz began his career at the age of fifteen when
he left his native Germany and set sail from Denmark on a
square-rigger. He became a U.S. citizen, served in both
world wars, and obtained the rank of master mariner before
his compulsory retirement at age seventy. 1993.


The Lives of Danielle Steel: The Unauthorized Biography of
America's Number One Best-Selling Author
RC 39488
by Vickie L. Bane and Lorenzo Benet 
read by Ronald B. Meyer
3 cassettes
Two correspondents for _People_ magazine use quotes from
Steel's books and interviews with her ex-husbands and
acquaintances to create this account. They discuss Steel's
neglected childhood, her four marriages, her nine children,
her custody battle over one child, and her many novels.
Strong language. 1994.


Mankiller: A Chief and Her People
RC 38353
by Wilma Mankiller and Michael Wallis 
read by Martha Harmon Pardee
2 cassettes
Mankiller, daughter of a Cherokee father and white mother,
left the Cherokee land of Oklahoma at ten when her family
was relocated to California. She returned to her homeland a
young divorced mother and became involved in tribal
politics. In 1985 Mankiller became principal chief of the
Cherokee Nation. She tells of her personal life, fraught
with illness, and of her remarkable career. 1993.


Mark Twain: The Man and His Adventures
RC 41051
by Richard B. Lyttle 
read by Christopher Hurt
1 cassette
Portrait of a man often cited as the quintessential American
author. Lyttle traces the life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens,
also known as Mark Twain, from his premature birth in a
frontier village in Missouri through his career as a popular
writer and a famous speaker. For junior and senior high and
older readers. 1994.


The Normandy Diary of Marie-Louise Osmont: 1940-1944
RC 41282
by Marie-Louise Osmont 
read by Cecelia Riddett
1 cassette
The author begins her diary the day that German soldiers
occupy her French chateau. A former nurse and now a
middle-aged widow, Osmont records her maternal feelings for
the younger members of the enemy forces with whom she shares
her home for four years. She reveals, however, mixed
feelings about members of the British liberation army that
take up residence after the D-Day invasion. 1994.


North toward Home
RC 39017
by Willie Morris 
read by Michael Stanton
3 cassettes (Reissue)
An autobiography of the editor-in-chief of _Harper's_
magazine. Morris traces his nonquestioning boyhood in Yazoo,
Mississippi, and his life as a college student at a state
university in Texas and as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, where
he developed a strong political and social conscience. After
a brief spell in California, Morris settles into the "Big
Cave," as he calls New York City, to try his hand at being a
writer. 1967.


Once around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography
RC 39377
by Robert Bloch 
read by Richard Davidson
3 cassettes
Science fiction writer Bloch provides a tongue-in-cheek
account of his life. His memoirs include his childhood--he
was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, it just had
somebody else's initials on it; his early written work,
which was influenced by H.P. Lovecraft; his involvement in
politics; and the making of many of his stories into
movies--especially _Psycho_. He also includes original
footnotes. 1993.


Paula
RC 39888
by Isabel Allende 
read by Suzanne Toren
3 cassettes
Novelist Allende wrote _The House of the Spirits (RC 21524)_
to say goodbye to her dying grandfather. She wrote this book
to bring her comatose twenty-eight-year-old daughter, Paula,
back to life. In case Paula has lost memories when she
awakens, Allende tells her the story of their family.
Intertwined is the story of Allende fighting to save her
daughter, until Paula finally comes to her in a dream and
asks to be released. Bestseller 1995.


Princess in Love
RC 39536
by Anna Pasternak 
read by Barbara Caruso
2 cassettes
Claims to tell the true story of Princess Diana's affair
with James Hewitt, staff captain in the palace Household
Division. They met at a party in 1986, where Diana inquired
if James, who ran the household stables, would help her
overcome her fear of horseback riding. Supposedly the two
were attracted immediately and soon developed a romantic
relationship. The author has recreated their thoughts and
conversations during a five-year period. Bestseller 1994.


Rayford W. Logan and the Dilemma of the African-American
Intellectual
RC 40438
by Kenneth Robert Janken 
read by Peter Johnson
3 cassettes
Rayford W. Logan was an African American scholar and civil
rights activist whose accomplishments were frequently
overshadowed by his tendency to create controversy. Janken
uses Logan's letters, personal papers, and unpublished
autobiography to provide an overview of black intellectual
life in early-twentieth-century America. 1993.


The Rice Room: Growing up Chinese American; From Number Two
Son to Rock 'n' Roll
RC 40310
by Ben Fong-Torres 
read by Christopher Hurt
2 cassettes
_Rolling Stone_ magazine writer and editor Fong-Torres tells
of the lasting effect of growing up in California with
Chinese parents and of the tragic killing of his parents'
number one son. Although as an adult Fong-Torres needed an
interpreter to discuss his parents' past with them, he
realizes that he has no more escaped his past than his
parents escaped China. 1994.


Soul to Soul: A Black Russian American Family, 1865-1992
RC 39509
by Yelena Khanga and Susan Jacoby 
read by Robin Miles
3 cassettes
In the 1930s, the son of a black landowner fell in love with
the daughter of white Jewish immigrants from Warsaw. To
avoid prejudice the couple emigrated from America to Russia.
Their daughter, Lily, and her African husband are the
parents of author Yelena Khanga. Khanga recently met members
of both American families. She now tells her culturally
diverse family history. 1992.


This Year in Jerusalem
RC 41454
by Mordecai Richler 
read by Ken Kliban
2 cassettes
Richler was born and raised as a Zionist in Montreal,
Canada, but he did not "make aliyah" with many of his
friends. He looks at the effect his last-minute decision not
to go to Israel has had on his life, especially in relation
to the Israeli culture he found on visits in 1962 and again
in 1992. Richler, a noted author and playwright, finds his
roots as much in his Canadian experiences as in his
Jewishness. 1994.


Times to Remember
RC 40600
by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
4 cassettes (Reissue)
First published in 1974 and reissued shortly before the
author's death in 1995. The matriarch of an extended Irish
American family recounts the joys and sorrows of her full
life, her role in aiding people with mental retardation, and
her deep faith. Kennedy also describes her role as daughter
of a congressman who became mayor of Boston, the wife of an
ambassador, and the mother and grandmother of other elected
officials, including a president. 1995.


Toulouse-Lautrec: A Life
RC 41024
by Julia Frey 
read by James DeLotel
5 cassettes
Portrait of the French painter best known for his posters of
cabaret performers. Drawing on family letters, the author
focuses on the artist's aristocratic heritage, his mentally
ill father and pious mother, his chronic illness and
physical deformity, his alcoholism, and his untimely death
at age thirty-six. Frey also speculates on probable artistic
influences, including Degas, Japanese prints, and the art
nouveau movement. 1994.


Un-American Activities: A Memoir of the Fifties
RC 40142
by Sally Belfrage 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
As a teenager in post-World-War-II America, Sally Belfrage
wanted a normal life. But with a father who was editor of
the left-wing "National Guardian" and under attack from
Joseph McCarthy, with a mother who wrote radical novels, and
with both facing deportation to Britain, it was not easy.
Belfrage writes of growing up in the 1950s and of the
problems she had as an innocent teenager who suffered guilt
by association. 1994.


Uncommon Knowledge
RC 39487
by Judy Lewis 
read by Kimberly Schraf
3 cassettes
Growing up as Loretta Young's adopted daughter, Judy finally
learns her true identity when her fianc tells her what the
rest of her world has known: she is Young's illegitimate
daughter by Clark Gable. Lewis describes her mother's life;
her own childhood, which included five months in an
orphanage; her one meeting with Gable when she was fifteen
and still unaware that he was her father; and her mother's
continuing denial of the truth. 1994.


Under My Skin: Volume One of My Autobiography, to 1949
RC 41062
by Doris Lessing 
read by Lisette Lecat
4 cassettes
Prolific author chronicles her life in South Africa and her
move to England, her home since 1949. Lessing speaks openly
about her early life, exposing details about domestic,
political, and sexual involvements, and ponders, as she does
so, how all this affected her youthful feelings and what
influence it had on her as a mature writer. 1994.

Blindness and Physical Handicaps

The Able Gardener: Overcoming Barriers of Age and Physical
Limitations
RC 40311
by Kathleen Yeomans 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
Nurse and gardener Yeomans covers general aspects of
gardening while emphasizing adaptive techniques such as
using raised beds, backsaving tools, and easy-care plants.
If the gardener is visually impaired, she suggests designing
with plants that are fragrant, textured, edible, or even
audible. Included are exercises for gardeners and mail-order
sources for plants, seeds, and supplies (including adaptive
tools). 1992.


Cassette Books 1994
RC 40203
by National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped 
read by various narrators
4 cassettes
A catalog of talking-book cassette titles produced for adult
and young adult readers during 1994. The nonfiction and
fiction sections list books by subject categories. Separate
listings identify books for young adult readers and for
foreign-language readers. 1994.


Computer Resources for People with Disabilities: A Guide to
Exploring Today's Assistive Technology
RC 40805
by Alliance for Technology Access 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
Guide to assist people with disabilities in defining needs
and making technology-related decisions that will "level the
playing field." Included are tips for making choices from a
variety of available software and hardware, a discussion
about learning to use these devices, and success stories of
those who are using assistive technology. 1994.


Directory of National Information Sources on Disabilities:
1994-95
RC 41268
by National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research 
read by Michael Consoli
7 cassettes
Alphabetical listing of organizations supplying
disability-related information, referral, and direct
services on a nationwide basis. For each organization
provides address, phone and fax, a description, users and
disabilities served, and information services. Includes a
glossary of company name acronyms, lists of databases and
directories, and a subject index. 1994.


Fitness for the Aging Adult with Visual Impairment: An
Exercise and Resource Manual
RC 38928
by Mary Alice Ross 
read by Sheena Gordon
1 cassette
A physical educator provides instructions on her program of
exercises to improve flexibility, range of motion, muscular
strength and endurance, balance, body tone, and
cardiovascular endurance. The exercises are designed for
aging adults with visual impairments, and many can be
performed from a wheelchair. The manual addresses seniors,
their families, and therapists. 1984.


I Can't Walk, so I'll Learn to Dance
RC 38962
by Carolyn Martin and Gregg Lewis 
read by Ellen Frost
2 cassettes
Carolyn Martin describes growing up with cerebral palsy. Her
schooling experiences ranged from wonderful (the Crippled
Children's School in North Dakota) to frustrating (various
special-needs classes). Her dream of being educated, free,
dignified, and a writer faltered occasionally but never
expired. "An inch at a time," Carolyn completed college and
learned to live independently. 1994.


The Journey
RC 41320
edited by Kenneth Jernigan 
read by Bruce Huntey
1 cassette
Collection of essays designed to show that if given
appropriate training and equal opportunity, people who are
blind make meaningful contributions to society. Includes
entries about Kenneth Jernigan, spokesperson for the
National Federation of the Blind; Kathy Kannenberg, math
teacher; Peggy Pinder, lawyer; and Theodore Paul Lubitz,
violinist, singer, and piano tuner. 1993.


Naturalist
RC 40091
by Edward O. Wilson 
read by Butch Hoover
3 cassettes
From the age of seven, Wilson wanted to be a scientist. Some
of his happiest times were spent exploring the creeks and
woods of Alabama and Florida. It was during one of these
trips that a fishing accident left him blind in one eye and
helped determine his career choice. Wilson looks at his
childhood, his growth as a naturalist (thanks in part to his
lifelong fascination with bugs), and the evolution of
sociobiology, a field he pioneered. 1994.


Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library
of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped
RC 40679
by Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library
Agencies 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
1 cassette
A document developed to improve library services for blind
and physically disabled persons by providing a tool for
assessing the current status of those services and for
developing long-range plans. 1995.


The Struggle of Blind People for Self-Determination: The
Dependency-Rehabilitation Conflict; Empowerment in the
Blindness Community
RC 40098
by C. Edwin Vaughan 
read by Randy Atcher
2 cassettes
The focus of this book is the struggle between people with
visual handicaps and people who work to educate and
rehabilitate them, with emphasis on those whose experiences
with visual handicaps and the rehabilitation system begin
early in life. 1993.


Successful Job Search Strategies for the Disabled:
Understanding the ADA
RC 39730
by Jeffrey G. Allen 
read by Art Metzler
2 cassettes
Allen addresses the more than forty million Americans who
are disabled, sixty percent of whom are unemployed. He
offers advice on finding a job, gives an overview of the
ADA, and discusses topics such as where jobs are,
self-assessment for a job, what to disclose regarding a
disability, interview guidelines, accommodations, and
enforcement of the ADA guidelines. 1994.


Tapping the Charcoal
RC 41029
edited by Kenneth Jernigan 
read by J.P. Linton
1 cassette
Eight personal accounts by Kenneth Jernigan and other
members of the National Federation of the Blind that
demonstrate that "blindness is not as strange as you think
it is, and it need not be as terrifying." In this volume of
the Kernel Book series, authors discuss alternative ways of
doing routine tasks and achieving dreams, the need for
normal discipline for blind children, and the process of
gaining the respect of others. 1995.


Toothpaste and Railroad Tracks
RC 40557
edited by Kenneth Jernigan 
read by Bruce Huntey
1 cassette
"Details of everyday life as blind persons live it." Members
of the National Federation of the Blind, including Kenneth
Jernigan and Mark Maurer, contribute essays. Jernigan
explains his methods of shaving and brushing his teeth.
Barbara Walker discusses her daughter's attitude about her
mother's blindness. Patricia Maurer describes learning to
read and write as a teenager in a rural community. 1995.


Vignettes: Stories from Lives with Multiple Sclerosis
RC 39087
edited by John K. Wolf 
read by Maggie Welch
1 cassette
Collection of more than 100 stories from people who either
have multiple sclerosis or know someone who does. Ranging
from several paragraphs to several pages, these vignettes
show the "pain with the humor, the love with the
hatefulness" that may affect the lives of persons with
multiple sclerosis. Includes an index of related topics.
1993.

Business and Economics

The Beardstown Ladies' Common-Sense Investment Guide: How We
Beat the Stock Market--and How You Can Too
RC 39800
by The Beardstown Ladies Investment Club 
read by Michele Schaeffer
2 cassettes
Women from the farming community of Beardstown, Illinois,
formed an investment club with three goals: education,
enjoyment, and making money. By using a conservative
approach of buying and holding only the best-performing
stocks and evaluating their portfolio monthly, the club made
a record 53 percent in 1991. Bestseller 1994.


Birthright: Murder, Greed, and Power in the U-Haul Family
Dynasty
RC 40113
by Ronald J. Watkins 
read by Roy Avers
3 cassettes
Between being expelled from medical school and starting law
school, L.S. Shoen founded the U-Haul rental company with
one wooden "junker." As it grew into a multibillion dollar
enterprise, Shoen gave shares to his many children.
Disagreements arose when offspring managed the company. They
forced Shoen out of the business, and as the feud ensued,
his son's wife was murdered. Strong language and violence.
1993.


Blood and Wine: The Unauthorized Story of the Gallo Wine
Empire
RC 39378
by Ellen Hawkes 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
4 cassettes
Two orphaned brothers, Ernest and Julio Gallo, started the
largest wine business in America in 1933 with the help of a
pamphlet borrowed from a public library. An unlikely story,
says the author, who believes that the Gallos' father was
operating a bootleg operation during Prohibition. And when
brother Joseph decided to market his own products, more
lurid family history emerged in the subsequent litigation.
1993.


Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist
RC 41155
by Roger Lowenstein 
read by John Rayburn
4 cassettes
A correspondent for the _Wall Street Journal_ offers a
portrait of Warren Buffett, a middle-class Nebraska
financial advisor who has become a billionaire by investing
in stocks. Lowenstein interviewed family, friends, and
colleagues to explain how a man with a modest yet
nontraditional lifestyle amassed his fortune. He also
describes the few mistakes Buffett made. Bestseller 1995.


Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1
RC 39627
by Karl Marx 
read by Jake Williams
10 cassettes
Originally intended as part of a six-volume work, this
volume is the only one published during the author's
lifetime. Marx examines the process of producing capital,
including the value of commodities, the circulation of
money, the role of labor and machinery in manufacture, and
the question of accumulation, particularly as it applies to
agriculture and to industry. 1867.


The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers,
Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market
RC 40551
by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema 
read by John Richardson
2 cassettes
Two business strategists focus on ways a company can become
a leader in the marketplace. The authors suggest focusing on
a single "value discipline," either the company's
operations, or the product(s), the customers' concerns.
Bestseller 1995.


The Force
RC 39619
by David Dorsey 
read by Jim Zeiger
2 cassettes
To write an American success story, Dorsey spends a year
with the Cleveland district office of the Xerox Corporation.
He focuses on Fred Thomas, head of the major accounts team.
Three years earlier Fred was ranked the corporation's best
sales manager, but this year he is worried about the
productivity of his team. Dorsey describes the problems and
the successes Fred, his colleagues, and his family encounter
during the year. Strong language. 1994.


Handbook of Key Economic Indicators
RC 40482
by R. Mark Rogers 
read by Lou Harpenau
4 cassettes
Detailed guide to the nonfinancial economic indicators
(including employment, manufacturers' orders, auto sales,
and inflation) used by financial markets in making
decisions. Rogers's reference covers how various indicators
are calculated, compiled, and reported; what causes each
indicator to change; how to interpret monthly statistics in
the press; and how one indicator can be used to project
another. 1994.


The Home Office and Small Business Answer Book: Solutions to
the Most Frequently Asked Questions about Starting and
Running Home Offices and Small Businesses
RC 40470
by Janet Attard 
read by Kerry Cundiff
4 cassettes
Business information provider to the GEnie and America
Online services offers practical solutions to hundreds of
questions about starting a small or homebased business. With
emphasis on electronic resources, Attard's approach can also
serve as a reference guide for established entrepreneurs.
Includes glossary. 1993.


How to Succeed on Your Own: Overcoming the Emotional
Roadblocks on the Way from Corporation to Cottage, from
Employee to Entrepreneur
RC 40190
by Karin Abarbanel 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
Female entrepreneurs and experts give advice and firsthand
experience on what to expect, both personally and
professionally, when forgoing a corporate career to launch a
small business. Discussed are timing the move, the emotional
stages to be expected during the change, possible traps to
avoid, and the rich rewards. 1994.


Investing for Good: Making Money while Being Socially
Responsible
RC 39013
by Peter D. Kinder and others 
read by Don Feldheim
4 cassettes
The principals of a firm that provides research to socially
responsible investment managers explain how their techniques
can help the individual investor with a similar conscience.
By following their suggestions, a person can avoid investing
in companies that manufacture weapons, test products on
animals, use environmentally unsound packaging, or exploit
minorities. 1993.


John Maynard Keynes, Volume 2: The Economist as Saviour,
1920-1937
RC 39180
by Robert Skidelsky 
read by John Horton
7 cassettes
Sequel to _John Maynard Keynes, Volume 1 (RC 24871)_.
Skidelsky picks up the story of the complex man who
abandoned a homosexual lifestyle to marry a Russian
ballerina; who mixed with bohemian friends as easily as with
his Cambridge colleagues; and who advocated spending as a
way out of the Great Depression, thus inventing deficit
spending. 1992.


Lords of the Realm: The _Real_ History of Baseball
RC 39457
by John Helyar 
read by Art Metzler
5 cassettes
An economic history of the game and how it is run by money.
A reporter for the _Wall Street Journal_ follows crucial
moves since the 1960s and shows how each financial gesture
made to players, agents, owners, and commissioners has
resulted in an increasingly profitable industry. Some strong
language. 1994.


A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money
Class
RC 40353
by Joseph Nocera 
read by Michael Consoli
5 cassettes
In 1958 mass mailings of the first all-purpose credit card
began to change the face of personal finance. Since then
many more financial products, such as certificates of
deposit, mutual funds, and automatic teller machines (ATM),
have been marketed to the middle class. Nocera traces
changes that have followed in the ways Americans shop for
investments, borrow, and save. 1994.


The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship
RC 39698
by William D. Bygrave 
read by Ray Foushee
4 cassettes
Estimating that the nation will need at least fifteen
million new entrepreneurs by the end of the century,
businessman and professor Bygrave provides guidelines for
"anyone who wants to get involved in the birth and growth of
an enterprise." Topics covered include recognizing a
high-potential opportunity, creating a business, financing,
marketing, and "harvesting" cash flows from the investment.
1994.


Snapshots from Hell: The Making of an MBA
RC 39432
by Peter Robinson 
read by Ray Foushee
2 cassettes
Writing this book was "a simple act of decency," according
to Robinson, who documents his decline from enthusiasm to
despair during his first year in pursuit of a master's
degree in business administration. He begins with the
indignity of remedial courses before he even enters the
program. The former White House speechwriter must then learn
a whole new language. While it's downhill from there, he
lived to tell the tale. 1994.


The Warren Buffett Way: Investment Strategies of the World's
Greatest Investor
RC 39493
by Robert G. Hagstrom, Jr. 
read by Robert Sams
3 cassettes
Combines biographical details with an outline of this highly
successful investor's career. The author presents examples
of how Buffett developed his investment techniques and
methods, emphasizing the decisions that produced his
spectacular performance record. Hagstrom outlines Buffett's
tenets and describes how the investor follows them.
Bestseller 1994.


Working without a Net: How to Survive and Thrive in Today's
High Risk Business World
RC 40229
by Morris R. Shechtman 
read by Robert Sams
2 cassettes
The author believes the biggest problem facing people today
is denial of the need for change. He concludes that people
must leave familiar and comfortable ways and adopt new rules
for running their lives and their jobs. Shechtman discusses
how to develop the skills needed to adapt to change, to
overcome obstacles, to view issues in a new light, and to
manage conflict. 1994.

Careers and Job Training

Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women
RC 40543
by Michael Gross 
read by Christopher Hurt
4 cassettes
Journalist writes about models, agents, photographers, and
other players in the fashion-modeling industry. Beginning
with John Robert Powers, an out-of-work actor who became an
agent in the early 1900s, Gross discusses the work and
social lives of a slew of noted people including Richard
Avedon, Lauren Hutton, Eileen Ford, and Cindy Crawford.
Strong language. Bestseller 1995.


My American Journey
RC 41549
by Colin L. Powell 
read by Jake Williams
5 cassettes
Powell shares with his fellow Americans what he believes has
been a great life. The son of immigrants, he was raised in
New York's South Bronx and was undistinguished in school.
But he found his place in life when he joined the ROTC and
the army. Powell's is a story of hard work and good luck, of
service, and of love from and for the people who helped make
the former general and Joint Chiefs chairman a popular
figure in the 1990s. Bestseller 1995.


Successful Job Search Strategies for the Disabled:
Understanding the ADA
RC 39730
by Jeffrey G. Allen 
read by Art Metzler
2 cassettes
Allen addresses the more than forty million Americans who
are disabled, sixty percent of whom are unemployed. He
offers advice on finding a job, gives an overview of the
ADA, and discusses topics such as where jobs are,
self-assessment for a job, what to disclose regarding a
disability, interview guidelines, accommodations, and
enforcement of the ADA guidelines. 1994.

Classics

The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition
RC 40424
by Anne Frank 
read by Suzanne Toren
2 cassettes
This notebook kept by a German-born Jewish girl includes
material that was omitted from the first edition in 1947.
Begun on her thirteenth birthday, the diary is a personal,
sometimes humorous, account of years spent with her family
in a Dutch attic hiding from the Nazis. After Anne heard a
radio appeal about the importance of such papers, she
expanded the scope of her entries. For high school and older
readers. 1995.


Dr. Faustus: Second Edition Based on the A Text
RC 40014
by Christopher Marlowe 
read by George Holmes
1 cassette
Classic late-sixteenth-century drama in blank verse and
prose tells the tragic history of the life and death of a
man who sold his soul to the devil. 1968.


_Medea_ and Other Plays: _Medea_, _Hecabe_, _Electra_,
_Heracles_
RC 38420
by Euripides 
read by Kimberly Schraf
2 cassettes
Contains four ancient classical Greek dramas. This
playwright, called "the most tragic of poets" by Aristotle,
dwelt on the subject of human suffering. Among Euripides'
practices were the use of the chorus for commentary and the
use of contemporary language in the speech of heroes. A
nonconformist, he was often ridiculed for his beliefs, and
late in life he left Athens forever. 1963.


_The Prince:_ A Revised Translation, Backgrounds,
Interpretations, Marginalia; Second Edition
RC 39689
by Niccol Machiavelli 
read by Roy Avers
3 cassettes
A sixteenth-century minor politician wrote this guide to the
acquisition, use, and maintenance of political power.
"Backgrounds" draws on the author's other writings to put
this noted Italian in historical perspective.
"Interpretations" is a selection of eight scholarly essays
on _The Prince_. "Marginalia" consists of eight diverse
selections related to both the author and the work. 1992.

Computers

Computer Resources for People with Disabilities: A Guide to
Exploring Today's Assistive Technology
RC 40805
by Alliance for Technology Access 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
Guide to assist people with disabilities in defining needs
and making technology-related decisions that will "level the
playing field." Included are tips for making choices from a
variety of available software and hardware, a discussion
about learning to use these devices, and success stories of
those who are using assistive technology. 1994.


The Internet Complete Reference
RC 39665
by Harley Hahn and Rick Stout 
read by John Richardson
6 cassettes
Guide to a worldwide group of information resources
available through an international computer network.
Following a general introduction, the first few chapters
explain the basics and give some technical details. The
remaining chapters need not be read in any specific order,
but can be consulted according to one's interests. Among the
many appended resources is an extensive list of Usenet
discussion groups. 1994.


Using MS-DOS 6.2, Special Edition
RC 40375
by Allen L. Wyatt Sr. and others 
read by John Richardson
9 cassettes
A tutorial to all DOS commands and utilities through MS-DOS
6.2. Designed for PC users at every level, this guide covers
DOS fundamentals, file and directory management, maximal use
of the hard drive, and control of DOS from the most basic
procedures to international communication. A reference
section provides detailed information about each MS-DOS 6
command and contains seven appendixes and a glossary. 1993.

Consumerism

A Consumer's Guide to Aging
RC 39078
by David H. Solomon and others 
read by John Rayburn
4 cassettes
Five experts give advice on aspects of aging to those over
the age of fifty. Subjects discussed include getting optimal
nutrition and exercise; maintaining emotional health;
dealing with medical care and insurance; managing personal
finances; having an active sex life; exploring housing
options; relating to family members; and joining, staying
in, or leaving the work force. 1992.


Don't Count on It! Why Your Pension May Be in Jeopardy--and
How to Protect Yourself
RC 40497
by Thomas G. Donlan 
read by Art Metzler
2 cassettes
A _Barron's_ editor discloses the fragility of the American
pension system, traces the evolution of government and
private plans, and explains regulations resulting from the
1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act. He suggests
legislative reforms, recommends ways to protect pension
benefits, and offers advice on how to build a personal
savings and investment plan. 1994.


Golden Opportunities: Hundreds of Money-making, Money-saving
Gems for Anyone over Fifty
RC 39032
by Amy and Armond Budish 
read by David Hilder
5 cassettes
A consumer affairs specialist and her attorney husband, who
wrote _Avoiding the Medicaid Trap (RC 36070)_, present tips
to ensure that older people get all the benefits they're due
from the government. Topics include calculating social
security, retiring early, timing a divorce, selling a home,
getting disability benefits, using Medicare and Medicaid,
and paying taxes. 1992.


Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New
American Culture
RC 39511
by William Leach 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
4 cassettes
History of American consumerism. The author charts the
emergence and growth of department stores late in the
nineteenth century. He explores the development of retail
marketing and suggests that its techniques, widely adopted
even by such institutions as museums and churches, offer to
Americans a seamless fantasy of the good life that is the
basis of consumer culture. 1993.


Retirement Income on the House: Cashing in on Your Home with
a "Reverse" Mortgage
RC 39736
by Ken Scholen 
read by Art Metzler
2 cassettes
For those who need more retirement income but don't want to
give up their own homes, Scholen suggests a way of cashing
in on house equity without making monthly payments: a
reverse mortgage. He describes how it works, how much money
might be obtained, risks and fees, and the different types
of reverse mortgages available. But he warns that they
aren't for everyone. 1993.


The Vitamin Pushers: How the "Health Food" Industry Is
Selling America a Bill of Goods
RC 40595
by Stephen Barrett and Victor Herbert 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
5 cassettes
A retired psychiatrist and a nutrition scientist present the
health food industry as a form of organized crime. They warn
consumers not to be taken in by what they consider devious
ploys: "phony" tests, such as hair analysis; dubious
credentials and doctoring; "fake" remedies, such as
homeopathy; and "cultism," such as macrobiotics and
naturopathy. 1994.


Your Retirement Benefits
RC 40505
by Peter E. Gaudio and Virginia S. Nicols 
read by John Rayburn
2 cassettes
The authors, both involved in financial management, provide
a detailed explanation of major retirement plans. They offer
suggestions on choosing the best plan and on what to do
while still employed. Includes numerous "action items" and
"points to remember" to help get the most benefits out of a
retirement plan. 1992.

Cooking

The American Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook,
Volume 1
RC 40204
by Kitty and Lucian Maynard 
read by Patricia McDermott
7 cassettes
After the authors discovered their first bed and breakfast
by accident, they began to seek them out on future trips. In
this volume they include recipes from more than 500 inns and
bed and breakfast homes throughout the fifty states. Along
with each entry is a brief description of the inn as well as
the address and telephone number. Recipes range from
appetizers to desserts. 1987.


The American Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook,
Volume 2
RC 40206
by Kitty and Lucian Maynard 
read by Patricia McDermott
9 cassettes
A cookbook and comprehensive guide to bed and breakfast
establishments in the United States and Canada. Entries are
grouped alphabetically by state and province and by city
within each. Each entry contains a practical description of
the accommodations, plus historical information, if
applicable. More than 1,800 recipes featuring regional
specialties follow travel particulars. 1990.


+The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cookbook
RC 39877
read by Jamie Horton
1 cassette
More than seventy-five shrimp recipes from _Southern Living_
and reflections ("Bubba was my best good friend, and even I
know that's something you can't just find around the
corner") from a Winston Groom novel that became a popular
movie about a very simple, very likeable person--_Forrest
Gump (RC 38876)_, who started the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
Includes shrimp dishes to bake, barbecue, boil, fry, saute,
and combine with sauce or slaw. Bestseller 1994.


A Chef's Tale: A Memoir of Food, France, and America
RC 41037
by Pierre Franey and others 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
2 cassettes
A French chef reminisces about his native land and his
family and about helping to introduce French cuisine to the
American public. Franey describes how recognition for his
efforts at famous restaurants, such as Le Pavillon, led to
"The 60-Minute Gourmet" (his column in the _New York Times_)
and eventually to a public television cooking show and the
publication of several books. Includes his trademark
recipes. 1994.


Domesticity: A Gastronomic Interpretation of Love
RC 39023
by Bob Shacochis 
read by Bob Kuhn
2 cassettes
The author, a columnist for _GQ_, provides a "prose stew" of
comments on life with his live-in companion, Miss F., and on
cooking gastronomical treats that prove the way to a woman's
heart is through her stomach. While Miss F. goes to work
each day, Shacochis stays home to write and cook in order to
supply their basic needs for love, security, and food.
Includes about seventy-five recipes. Some strong language.
1994.


Fields of Greens: New Vegetarian Recipes from the Celebrated
Greens Restaurant
RC 39674
by Annie Somerville 
read by Patricia McDermott
3 cassettes
The chef of the Greens Restaurant in San Francisco provides
recipes for "lighter, leaner, simpler" vegetarian dishes.
Examples are ravioli filled with eggplant, roasted garlic,
and romano cheese; leek and olive tarts; and warm black
beans with chilies and cilantro. Notes throughout help in
selecting ingredients and encourage using organically grown
vegetables. 1993.


The Joslin Diabetes Gourmet Cookbook: Heart-Healthy,
Everyday Recipes for Family and Friends
RC 41252
by Frances Towner Giedt and Bonnie Sanders Polin 
read by Annie Wauters
5 cassettes
The authors, a psychologist and a cookbook author and food
consultant, have recently been diagnosed with diabetes. They
offer more than three hundred recipes for low-fat,
high-fiber dishes diabetics can use to dine and entertain
beautifully. They also include information on managing
diabetes, on nutrition, and on the Joslin exchange list.
1993.


Now You're Cooking: Everything a Beginner Needs to Know to
Start Cooking Today
RC 40663
by Elaine Corn 
read by Kerry Cundiff
2 cassettes
Corn takes the beginning cook step by step through the
process of preparing each recipe. She suggests the best
cookware, equipment, and tools; provides "Let's Talk"
columns that explain ingredients or offer helpful
suggestions; describes various cooking methods; and includes
numerous recipes. 1994.

Crime

Before He Wakes: A True Story of Money, Marriage, Sex, and
Murder
RC 40257
by Jerry Bledsoe 
read by David Hartley-Margolin
3 cassettes
When the paramedics arrived at her home, North Carolina
housewife Barbara Stager explained how she had
unintentionally discharged the gun her husband, Russ, kept
under his pillow while he was sleeping. Russ's death was
declared an accident until his first wife told the police
that Russ and Barbara's marriage was in trouble and that
Russ had recently begun to suspect that the death of
Barbara's first husband had not been accidental. 1994.


Beyond All Reason: My Life with Susan Smith
RC 41272
by David Smith 
read by Gregory Gorton
1 cassette
Smith looks at his life before and after the death of his
two sons, Michael and Alex. He explains how he and Susan met
and discusses their rocky marriage, their separation, and
finally the days leading up to and following the devastating
news that his wife had murdered their two sons. Some strong
language. Bestseller 1995.


Capone: The Man and the Era
RC 40115
by Laurence Bergreen 
read by Art Metzler
6 cassettes
The subject of this biography won a warm spot in the hearts
of some who objected to Prohibition even as he developed a
reputation that makes his name all but synonymous with
gangster. The author traces Capone's relatively short life
from the Brooklyn home of his immigrant parents to Chicago,
where several family members joined the mob. Capone was
tough to nail, in spite of events such as the St.
Valentine's Day Massacre. Some strong language. 1994.


Cruel Sacrifice
RC 40560
by Aphrodite Jones 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
2 cassettes
Sixteen-year-old Melinda Loveless became angry when her
young lesbian lover got involved with twelve-year-old Shanda
Sharer. Planning to teach Shanda a lesson, Melinda and three
of her teenage friends tortured and burned the girl to
death. Melinda's troubled childhood is described as are the
events leading up to the murder. Strong language, violence,
and explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1994.


A Father's Story
RC 38774
by Lionel Dahmer 
read by Ray Hagen
1 cassette
Since learning of his son Jeffrey's killing and mutilation
spree, chemist Lionel Dahmer has agonized over whether the
compulsions that overwhelmed his son had their origins in
Lionel or in the things he might have done or not done with
Jeffrey. He describes Jeffrey's childhood and troubled young
adulthood and the shattering events surrounding Jeffrey's
arrest and imprisonment. Some violence. 1994.


"Get Ready to Say Goodbye": A Mother's Story of Senseless
Violence, Tragedy, and Triumph
RC 39991
by LaVonne McKee and Ted Schwarz 
read by Cecelia Riddett
1 cassette
LaVonne McKee's adolescent son, Dwayne, was shot in the neck
by his best friend, Jeff, who told Dwayne to "get ready to
say goodbye." McKee describes the family's reactions when
Jeff escapes punishment although Dwayne is paralyzed, and
when Dwayne regains partial use of his limbs despite his
doctors' predictions. Violence and some strong language.
1994.


I Want to Tell You: My Response to Your Letters, Your
Messages, Your Questions
RC 41157
by O.J. Simpson 
read by Jake Williams
1 cassette
While waiting for what he is sure will be a not-guilty
verdict, O.J. Simpson, accused of murdering his ex-wife and
her friend, responds to the many letters he received in
jail. Selected letters are intermixed with Simpson's
thoughts on being accused and reminiscences about his
family. He feels "there were three homicides"--his was by
the press. Bestseller 1995.


Kato Kaelin: The Whole Truth; the Real Story of O.J.,
Nicole, and Kato; from the Actual Tapes
RC 40803
by Marc Eliot 
read by Richard Davidson
2 cassettes
Kaelin had lived at the homes of both O.J. Simpson and
Simpson's ex-wife Nicole, whom Simpson was accused of
murdering. A key witness in the high-profile trial, Kaelin
collaborated with Eliot on a book describing the events
leading up to the murder. The book deal fell through, and
Eliot now discusses what Kaelin told him and how it differed
from Kaelin's testimony. Strong language. Bestseller 1995.


Lost Love: A True Story of Passion, Murder, and Justice in
Old New York
RC 40007
by George Cooper 
read by John Stratton
2 cassettes
The narratives of those involved relate the events leading
up to and surrounding the murder of Albert Richardson in
1869. Angry that his wife, writer and actress Abby Sage, had
divorced him and was planning to marry Richardson, Daniel
McFarland fatally shot him. Although McFarland was an
abusive and alcoholic husband, the public was on his side
and the jury found him not guilty. 1994.


Mississippi Mud: A True Story from a Corner of the Deep
South
RC 39713
by Edward Humes 
read by Roy Avers
3 cassettes
When a county judge and his mayoral-candidate wife were
murdered in 1987, their daughter was dissatisfied with the
investigation that the local police force in Biloxi,
Mississippi, mounted. So she hired a private investigator
and soon learned that her suspicions were well-founded. It
seems that her father was the target of an organized-crime
operation. 1994.


Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life
Interrupted
RC 40553
by Faye Resnick and Mike Walker 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
1 cassette
Socialite Faye Resnick tells of her friendship with Nicole
Simpson and the alleged abuse Nicole suffered from her
ex-husband, O.J. Simpson. Resnick, who says she was beaten
as a child, believes O.J. is Nicole's murderer. Although
Resnick fears she is in danger, she feels she must describe
what she says was a volatile relationship. Violence and
strong language. Bestseller 1994.


Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery
RC 40436
by Norman Mailer 
read by Richard Davidson
6 cassettes
Mailer refers to this as a "sad tale of a young American who
lived abroad and returned to a grave in Texas." Using
transcripts, letters, and interviews, Mailer examines Lee
Harvey Oswald's time in Russia, in the service, and in
Dallas, concluding that Oswald "had the character to kill
Kennedy, and that he probably did it alone." Bestseller
1995.


Raging Heart: The Intimate Story of the Tragic Marriage of
O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson
RC 40728
by Sheila Weller 
read by Martha Harmon Pardee
3 cassettes
Based on interviews with eighty people, including members of
the Brown family, and on "extensive, largely exclusive
interviews with Nicole and O.J. Simpson's closest friends
and confidantes," this claims to be the real story of the
former football player and the wife he was accused of
murdering. Strong language and violence. Bestseller 1995.


Shot in the Heart
RC 39437
by Mikal Gilmore 
read by Ray Foushee
3 cassettes
A writer for _Rolling Stone_ magazine, Mikal is also a
younger brother of the late Gary Gilmore, who insisted on
being executed after he killed two men. Now, when only Mikal
and his oldest brother, Frank, remain, Mikal explains the
true history of his family and "how its webwork of dark
secrets and failed hopes helped create the legacy that, in
part, became [his] brother's impetus to murder."
Descriptions of sex, strong language, and some violence.
1994.


_You Belong to Me_ and Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime
Files, Volume 2
RC 39614
by Ann Rule 
read by Jill Ferris
3 cassettes
The sequel to _A Rose for Her Grave (RC 37330)_ focuses on
Florida patrolman Tim Harris. He marries young Sandy, who
stands by him even when she learns he has a mistress. When
Tim's increasingly cruel behavior causes Sandy to leave him,
he stalks her. This fuels suspicions when a woman is killed
on Tim's stretch of I-95. Some strong language and some
violence. Bestseller 1994.

Diet and Nutrition

Doctor, What Should I Eat? Nutrition Prescriptions for
Ailments in Which Diet Can Really Make a Difference
RC 40712
by Isadore Rosenfeld 
read by John Rayburn
3 cassettes
Although he considers himself an "establishment" doctor,
Rosenfeld believes that almost every major medical condition
is either caused or affected in some way by food. He
provides advice on what food may help or hurt various
conditions including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, pregnancy,
panic attacks, jet lag, migraines, and osteoporosis.
Bestseller 1995.


Fat Free, Flavor Full: Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Guide to Losing
Weight and Living Longer
RC 40539
by Gabe Mirkin and Diana Rich 
read by Frank Coffee
3 cassettes
Mirkin describes his own experience with reducing dietary
fat and tells how others can do the same. He presents
stories of patients' successes, discusses what foods are low
in fat or fat free, suggests helpful exercises, and provides
more than 250 recipes. Bestseller 1995.


Food
RC 40261
by Susan Powter 
read by Martha Harmon Pardee
4 cassettes
Fitness guru Powter, author of _Stop the Insanity! (RC
37307)_, focuses here on the eating part of her regimen. The
first stage in her diet plan is giving up high-fat eating.
In later stages, she recommends switching to healthier forms
of protein and cutting out excessive sugar, dairy products,
industry-raised poultry, and chemical-laden food. Powter
provides recipes for each stage and tips on shopping, eating
out, and beauty. Bestseller 1995.


The Joslin Diabetes Gourmet Cookbook: Heart-Healthy,
Everyday Recipes for Family and Friends
RC 41252
by Frances Towner Giedt and Bonnie Sanders Polin 
read by Annie Wauters
5 cassettes
The authors, a psychologist and a cookbook author and food
consultant, have recently been diagnosed with diabetes. They
offer more than three hundred recipes for low-fat,
high-fiber dishes diabetics can use to dine and entertain
beautifully. They also include information on managing
diabetes, on nutrition, and on the Joslin exchange list.
1993.


Taking the Fear out of Eating: A Nutritionists' Guide to
Sensible Food Choices
RC 41012
by Charlette R. Gallagher and John B. Allred 
read by Lou Harpenau
3 cassettes
Provides practical advice on interpreting nutrition labels
and making food choices, explains nutrients and their
functions, examines food production and processing, and
discusses the relationship between nutrition and health.
1992.

Drama

Dr. Faustus: Second Edition Based on the A Text
RC 40014
by Christopher Marlowe 
read by George Holmes
1 cassette
Classic late-sixteenth-century drama in blank verse and
prose tells the tragic history of the life and death of a
man who sold his soul to the devil. 1968.


Lost in Yonkers
RC 41415
by Neil Simon 
read by Ken Kliban
1 cassette
Play set in New York, 1942. After their mother's death, Arty
and Jay are visiting their stern grandmother. When their
father finishes a private talk with his mother, the boys are
shocked to learn he wants them to stay there while he takes
a traveling job. Grandmother agrees with the boys that it
would be a very bad idea. But childlike Aunt Bella surprises
everyone by insisting they remain. For high school and older
readers. Pulitzer Prize. 1991.


_Medea_ and Other Plays: _Medea_, _Hecabe_, _Electra_,
_Heracles_
RC 38420
by Euripides 
read by Kimberly Schraf
2 cassettes
Contains four ancient classical Greek dramas. This
playwright, called "the most tragic of poets" by Aristotle,
dwelt on the subject of human suffering. Among Euripides'
practices were the use of the chorus for commentary and the
use of contemporary language in the speech of heroes. A
nonconformist, he was often ridiculed for his beliefs, and
late in life he left Athens forever. 1963.


Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
RC 40760
by Tom Stoppard 
read by Gary Telles
1 cassette (Reissue)
One-time schoolfriends of Shakespeare's Hamlet are recreated
in this contemporary drama of wit. The underlying theme is
nihilistic, and the action alternates between Hamlet's
Denmark and a modern world of resounding emptiness. 1967.


The First Part of Henry the Sixth
RC 39593
by William Shakespeare 
read by John Horton
2 cassettes
A three-part historical drama opens with the funeral of King
Henry V at Westminster Abbey. The play, based on the
fifteenth-century French-English wars, reveals the schemes
of military leaders to advance themselves even at the
expense of England, often taking advantage of their
inexperienced ruler, Henry VI, whose opponent was Joan of
Arc. In the final act, the young king considers peace with
France and marriage. 1623.


_Wallenstein_ and _Mary Stuart_
RC 40044
by Friedrich Schiller 
read by George Holmes
3 cassettes
The late-eighteenth-century _Wallenstein_ trilogy consists
of "Wallenstein's Camp," a short one-act play, followed by
"The Piccolomini" and "Wallenstein's Death," each in five
acts, dealing with the Thirty Years' War. _Mary Stuart_,
completed in 1800, also in five acts, is a tragedy
concerning the power struggle between Catholic Mary Stuart
of Scotland and her Protestant half sister, Elizabeth I of
England. 1800.


Wilhelm Tell
RC 39715
by Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller 
read by Fred Major
1 cassette
This classic in German literature, first published in 1805,
became popular after Rossini used it as a libretto for an
opera. The legend is based on the Swiss liberation movement.
The hero is a quiet man, who is respected for his ability
with a bow and arrow by the more militant elements of the
politically active rebels. 1972.

Education

Confronting Authority: Reflections of an Ardent Protester
RC 39703
by Derrick Bell 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
In 1990, Bell, who twenty years earlier had become the first
black law professor hired by Harvard Law School, took an
unpaid leave from his position to protest that the law
school had yet to hire a black woman law professor. Although
his own act led to his firing, Bell stresses the value of
individual protest and talks of other civil rights
activists. Includes an illustrative fable and a synopsis of
Bell's life. 1994.


Contemporary's GED: Newly Revised
RC 39445
edited by Patricia Mulcrone 
read by various narrators
10 cassettes
Preparation for the high school equivalency examination,
which is available in print, in braille, and in audio
recorded form. Exam subjects include writing skills, social
studies, science, literature and the arts, and mathematics.
Pre-tests are provided to determine problem areas, and
exercises and lessons are included for each subject.
Post-tests chart progress in each area. 1994.


Dangerous Minds
RC 41042
by LouAnne Johnson 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
Johnson tells of teaching English in a rough Los Angeles
high school. She has only one rule: respect yourself and
everyone in class. Her respect for the students and the
reputation of her Marine Corps training break down the
barriers to learning. In her program, she teaches the same
students for three years, allowing her to become an
influence in their lives. Made into a movie of the same
title. Violence and strong language. Bestseller 1992.


Reinventing Education: Entrepreneurship in America's Public
Schools
RC 39571
by Louis V. Gerstner Jr. and others 
read by Christopher Hurt
2 cassettes
Reports the accomplishments of the RJR Nabisco Foundation's
Next Century Schools program and outlines plans for the
future. The authors assert that the principles of quality
management that they believe contribute to success in the
business world are applicable to the field of education.
1994.

Family

Anna: A Daughter's Life
RC 37958
by William Loizeaux 
read by Phil Regensdorf
2 cassettes
Loizeaux tells the story of his daughter Anna's brief life
in 1989 and of the bittersweet memories he is left with.
William and Beth Loizeaux were in their thirties, and Anna
was their eagerly awaited first child. Born with VATER
syndrome, Anna's outward appearance belied serious problems
with her organs, including her heart and kidneys. Enduring
multiple operations and procedures, Anna was given a loving
home life during her five-and-a-half months. 1993.


Fifty to Forever
RC 40400
by Hugh Downs 
read by Randy Atcher
2 cassettes
Downs, host of ABC's news magazine _20/20_, offers helpful
advice on living a fulfilling second half of life and
ensuring that loved ones do also. Downs, who has a
certificate in gerontology and has "tried" retirement,
discusses the attitudes, assumptions, and myths many hold
regarding aging. He also talks about remaining independent
by maintaining health, planning for the future, and--when
necessary--finding the best nursing homes or adult day-care.
1994.


How to Save Your Kids from Ruin
RC 40658
by Jerry Johnston 
read by Andy Chappell
1 cassette
Asked to speak to a group of parents about how they could
reach their children and save them from making
self-destructive choices, Johnston put together a list of
commandments, illustrated with true stories, that parents
could use as guidelines. His fourteen commandments include
these: don't be naive, be informed, listen, talk, care
enough to correct, teach prepared reaction responses,
embrace your children, and pray with them. 1994.


To Our Children's Children: Preserving Family Histories for
Generations to Come
RC 41038
by Bob Greene and D.G. Fulford 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
1 cassette
To put together a personal history for the family, select
from a "menu" of questions on topics such as family and
ancestry, childhood, favorite things, career, romance,
philosophies, and parenthood. Examples of questions are "Do
you remember your house's having a particular scent?" and
"Why did you name your children what you named them?"
Bestseller 1993.

Government, Law, and Politics

+The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House
RC 38893
by Bob Woodward 
read by Jake Williams
3 cassettes
_Washington Post_ journalist describes Clinton's effort to
make good on his campaign pledge to improve the economy.
Using interviews with more than 250 people, Woodward aims,
he says, "to combine the thoroughness of history with the
contemporaneity of journalism." Details of formal meetings
and of conversations illustrate Clinton's first-year
struggle to pass his economic plan. Strong language.
Bestseller 1994.


All's Fair: Love, War, and Running for President
RC 40735
by Mary Matalin and James Carville 
read by Mary Woods
4 cassettes
Political memoirs of strategists on two sides of the
presidential campaign of 1992. The authors introduce
themselves and sketch a little about their backgrounds and
budding romance, telling their story in alternating voices.
Beckoned by President Bush and Governor Clinton,
respectively, Matalin and Carville put their lives on hold
and worked until election day. Some strong language.
Bestseller 1994.


The American Presidency: An Intellectual History
RC 39025
by Forrest McDonald 
read by Michael Stanton
4 cassettes
A survey of the history of the institution of the
presidency. The author traces the origins of the idea of the
presidency and how it was initially established and
implemented during the Washington and Jefferson
administrations. Explores how the expressed and implied
powers of the office have evolved since Andrew Jackson's
time. 1994.


The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite
RC 39354
by Robert D. Kaplan 
read by Bill Wallace
3 cassettes
The author portrays the century-old history of a class of
American diplomats known in the Foreign Service as "the
Arabists." These individuals appeared to enjoy an intimacy
with leaders of the Arab world that sometimes resulted in
isolation from American interests. Kaplan asserts that
post-World War II changes within the diplomatic corps
produced a less-biased stance toward Arab countries and a
stronger pro-Israel policy. 1993.


Arrogant Capital: Washington, Wall Street, and the
Frustration of American Politics
RC 40574
by Kevin Phillips 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
A longtime political observer, particularly of the
Washington scene, vents his views on why the federal
government has lost touch with the people. Citing historical
examples of similar failures to curb power and pride,
Phillips suggests what must be done to return the government
to the voting public. 1994.


Better than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie
RC 41003
by Hunter S. Thompson 
read by Bruce Huntey
2 cassettes
Thompson's style of journalism has been to filter events
through his personal obsessions and his drug experience. He
now offers an account of the 1992 presidential campaign that
concentrates on the obsessions of the major players. He
considers politics an addictive substance that makes
political junkies willing to sacrifice anything. Sequel to
_Songs of the Doomed (RC 35764)_. Strong language.
Bestseller 1994.


The Bill: How the Adventures of Clinton's National Service
Bill Reveal What Is Corrupt, Comic, Cynical--and
Noble--about Washington
RC 41127
by Steven Waldman 
read by John Rayburn
3 cassettes
A correspondent for _Newsweek_ tracks the national service
program from its inception as a Clinton campaign promise to
its implementation as AmeriCorps. He details the complex
maneuvering required to accommodate interest groups like
colleges, the IRS, veterans, minorities, and labor and the
role of partisan politics. 1995.


Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism
RC 39547
by Michael Ignatieff 
read by Frank Coffee
2 cassettes
In this companion book to a BBC/PBS broadcast, journalist
and writer Ignatieff describes the six journeys he took to
learn about ethnic nationalism. Believing that there is only
so much that can be said about nationalism in general,
Ignatieff examines the specific nationalisms of Croatia and
Serbia, Germany, Ukraine, Quebec, Kurdistan, and Northern
Ireland. Strong language and some violence. 1993.


Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1
RC 39627
by Karl Marx 
read by Jake Williams
10 cassettes
Originally intended as part of a six-volume work, this
volume is the only one published during the author's
lifetime. Marx examines the process of producing capital,
including the value of commodities, the circulation of
money, the role of labor and machinery in manufacture, and
the question of accumulation, particularly as it applies to
agriculture and to industry. 1867.


A Civil Action
RC 41279
by Jonathan Harr 
read by Robert Sams
4 cassettes
Written like a novel, this account of an actual liability
lawsuit focuses on the plaintiffs' attorney. Parents whose
children died of leukemia retained Jan Schlichtmann,
described here as flamboyant, bankrupt, and tenacious.
Schlichtmann spent nine years tracking the cause of the
illness to bring suit against two giant corporations.
Describes how justice became secondary to the legal battle.
Strong language. Bestseller 1995.


Common Cents: A Retiring Six-Term Congressman Reveals How
Congress Really Works--and What We Must Do to Fix It
RC 41283
by Timothy J. Penny and Major Garrett 
read by Ted Stoddard
3 cassettes
The Democrat who represented his Minnesota district from
1983 to 1995 attacks what he identifies as the cultures of
spending, power, hypocrisy, fear, and isolation in Congress.
Penny recounts his frustrations and offers suggestions for
reform. 1995.


Compromised: Clinton, Bush, and the CIA
RC 39222
by Terry Reed and John Cummings 
read by Butch Hoover
7 cassettes
A military intelligence operative and a civilian worker for
the FBI and CIA until, he claims, he was framed for balking
at taking part in the Iran-Contra affair, Reed tells how
government officials may have compromised their integrity.
Aided by an investigative reporter, Reed asserts that
Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton participated in an
illegal cover-up. Some strong language. Bestseller 1994.


Contract with America: The Bold Plan by Rep. Newt Gingrich,
Rep. Dick Armey, and the House Republicans to Change the
Nation
RC 41166
by Ed Gillespie and Bob Schellhas 
read by Art Metzler
1 cassette
A ten-point political program endorsed by several Republican
candidates during the 1994 midterm elections. These issues,
including balancing the budget, reducing government
regulations and taxes, strengthening national defense, and
reforming welfare, became the basis for legislation promoted
by the victorious GOP. Bestseller 1994.


Dead Right
RC 40664
by David Frum 
read by Barry Bernson
2 cassettes
Frum, former editor for the _Wall Street Journal_ and
columnist for _Forbes,_ argues that the conservatives
abandoned economic conservatism for social conservatism from
1980 to 1994, even though they had control of the executive
branch for eight years and dominated the Senate for six. He
discusses three sects of conservatism (nationalists,
moralists, and optimists) and possible presidential
candidates. 1994.


The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America
RC 41030
by Philip K. Howard 
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
Citing the example of Mother Teresa's abandonment of plans
to turn two old New York City buildings into homeless
shelters because of building codes, Howard examines the
government's policy of making laws precise to ensure common
treatment. He asserts this policy has damaging effects on
day care, occupational safety, the environment, and housing
for the elderly. Bestseller 1994.


The Diplomats: 1919-1939
RC 39566
edited by Gordon A. Craig and Felix Gilbert 
read by Frank Coffee
6 cassettes
Essays concerned with diplomacy of the period between the
two world wars. The editors have assembled a study of the
roles played by personality, foreign service training,
tradition, ambition, honesty, loyalty, intuition, secrecy,
suspicion, communication devices, and the presence or
absence of principles in the making of a diplomat. 1953.


The Diplomats: 1939-1979
RC 39692
edited by Gordon A. Craig and Francis L. Loewenheim 
read by Lou Harpenau
6 cassettes
Sequel to _The Diplomats: 1919-1939 (RC 39566)_. The editors
have broadened their scope in this volume to cover a longer
period and to consider the role of diplomats worldwide.
Essays deal with the global conflict that erupted in 1939,
the cold war, dtente, and the impact of the media on the
conduct and policies of ambassadors, heads of state, foreign
ministers, and professional diplomats. 1994.


Great Day Coming: A Memoir of the 1930s
RC 40181
by Hope Hale Davis 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes
In 1933 Davis, a writer who was eager for social change,
gave birth to a daughter, Claudia, whom she affectionately
called Project Revolutionary Baby. Left on her own when her
husband returned to Europe to report resistance to fascism,
she moved to Washington and joined the Communist Party. This
memoir recounts her struggles with motherhood, politics,
impending war, and, eventually, disillusionment with the
Party. 1994.


Hugo Black: A Biography
RC 40085
by Roger K. Newman 
read by Butch Hoover
6 cassettes
Portrait of a man who exchanged his Ku Klux Klan robes for
the mantle of the Supreme Court and went on to become one of
the most liberal justices in United States history. Using
facts from more than twenty-five years of research, Newman
chronicles the path of this Alabama-born lawyer and
politician to Washington, unmasking the layers of bigotry
into which he was born and revealing a person who developed
better instincts along the way. 1994.


Janet Reno: Doing the Right Thing
RC 39387
by Paul Anderson 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
Anderson, Washington correspondent for the _Miami Herald_,
presents an account of Reno's life through her first year as
attorney general. Reno is portrayed as an independent person
who wants to blaze a trail for women combatting sexism, who
is neither interested in trends nor impressed by wealth, who
is honest and willing to take the blame for her own
mistakes, and who is not afraid to let people know where she
stands on issues. 1994.


Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
RC 39082
by John C. Jeffries, Jr. 
read by John Rayburn
5 cassettes
Biography of the justice who often cast the deciding vote
during an era when the Supreme Court was dealing with issues
such as the Nixon tapes, abortion, affirmative action,
school busing, and the constitutionality of capital
punishment. A former clerk for Justice Powell, with complete
access to Powell's private papers, portrays a conscientious
man of great influence during the years from 1972 to 1987.
1994.


Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making
of _Roe v. Wade_
RC 39823
by David J. Garrow 
read by Ronald B. Meyer
7 cassettes
History of the people, politics, and places that influenced
the legal battle between "pro-choice" and "pro-life"
advocates in the United States and resulted in the 1973
decision that guarantees a woman's right to choose abortion.
1994.


Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
RC 39452
by Peggy Noonan 
read by Janis Gray
2 cassettes
A speechwriter for President Reagan takes a retrospective
look at political culture and her own life since she left
the White House. Some of the topics that Noonan ponders are
her role as a single mother living in Manhattan, the
Clinton-Bush campaign, and her quest for spiritual renewal.
Noonan is the author of _What I Saw at the Revolution (RC
30709)_. Some strong language. 1994.


Life's Dominion: An Argument about Abortion, Euthanasia, and
Individual Freedom
RC 38769
by Ronald Dworkin 
read by David Impastato
2 cassettes
A lawyer and legal philosopher examines the debate over the
related issues of abortion and euthanasia. Dworkin reasons
that legal and moral questions cannot be answered until each
generation interprets for itself the abstract principles of
the U.S. Constitution and determines the extent to which it
will permit government to impose official values on personal
convictions. 1993.


Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
RC 39555
by Nelson Mandela 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
5 cassettes
Memoirs of the South African leader who spent twenty-seven
years in prison for opposing apartheid. Son of a tribal
chief, Mandela had a traditional country childhood and a
college education. As a leader of the African National
Congress, he began talks that led to the mitigation of
apartheid. Released from prison in 1990, he became president
in 1994, with blacks voting for the first time. Bestseller
1994.


My Life as a Radical Lawyer
RC 39714
by William M. Kunstler and Sheila Isenberg 
read by Bruce Huntey
3 cassettes
Throughout his career, civil-rights attorney Kunstler has
defended "misfits who have no clout." Former clients include
1960s activists the Chicago Seven and, more recently,
Gregory Lee Johnson, who burned the American flag, and
Muslim El Sayyid Nosair, who was charged with the murder of
Rabbi Meir Kahane. Kunstler's legal style earned him
twenty-four counts of contempt of court in the Chicago Seven
trial. 1994.


Presidential War Power
RC 41163
by Louis Fisher 
read by John Richardson
2 cassettes
Fisher asserts, "The trend of presidential war power since
World War II--the last congressionally declared
war--collides with the constitutional framework adopted by
the Founding Fathers." He analyzes constitutional aspects of
episodes from the Indian Wars through the May 1994
airstrikes on Bosnia and discusses the role of the U.N.
Security Council, issues of covert operations, and the
requirement for checks and balances. 1995.


The Ruling Class: Inside the Imperial Congress
RC 41085
by Eric Felten 
read by Lynn Schrichte
2 cassettes
Following up on the Heritage Foundation's proposals for
change in the executive branch as set forth in _Mandate for
Leadership (RC 15852)_, this report suggests reforms aimed
at the United States Congress. The author takes an inside
look at the congressional class of 1991-92, asserts that
they have abdicated their lawmaking role, and calls for a
return to their fundamental responsibility. 1993.


Sly and Able: A Political Biography of James F. Byrnes
RC 41098
by David Robertson 
read by Robert Sams
6 cassettes
The author traces the path of an influential
twentieth-century southern politician, "Jimmy" Byrnes, from
a penniless South Carolina boyhood to service as a
representative and a senator, a Supreme Court justice, a
presidential assistant under FDR, a secretary of state, and
a state governor. Robertson also chronicles the "almost"
president's political liabilities, including racism. 1994.


Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas
RC 39587
by Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
Two _Wall Street Journal_ writers attempt to explain what
really happened during 1991 confirmation hearings for
Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court nomination. The authors base
their assessment of one side of the story on talks with
Thomas's acquaintances, and of the other side on an
interview with Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual
harassment. 1994.


The United States and the End of the Cold War: Implications,
Reconsiderations, Provocations
RC 40327
by John Lewis Gaddis 
read by Miranda Daniloff
3 cassettes
The role of the United States in ending the Cold War with
the Soviet Union. In the first seven essays, Gaddis
reconsiders aspects of Cold War history from the vantage of
hindsight. In the four remaining essays, the author explains
the sudden end of the Cold War and contemplates future
implications. 1992.

Humor

All the Trouble in the World: The Lighter Side of
Overpopulation, Famine, Ecological Disaster, Ethnic Hatred,
Plague, and Poverty
RC 39446
by P.J. O'Rourke 
read by Ray Foushee
3 cassettes
A political humorist traveled around the world to research
topics he addresses here. His study includes overpopulation
in Bangladesh (it has the same number of people as Fremont,
California), famine in Somalia (where weight-loss doesn't
make one look better), and ecology (remember a tree was
killed to make your bed). Strong language. Bestseller 1994.


Couplehood
RC 39622
by Paul Reiser 
read by Jamie Horton
1 cassette
Paul Reiser, star and cocreator of the sitcom _Mad about
You_, discusses the humor in being married and other aspects
of life. Showering together is not much fun since one person
is in the back freezing. His wife foolishly never takes a
sweater with her on outings, so he is the one who gets cold
when he kindly gives up his. And all the mindless, random
things he does around the house become greatly amplified
when someone is watching. Bestseller 1994.


Dave Barry Is _Not_ Making This Up
RC 39617
by Dave Barry 
read by Jamie Horton
1 cassette
Even though humor columnist Barry admits his definition of
journalism is sitting around thinking things up, he has
managed to compile a collection with an "unusually high [for
him] level of factual content." He is bewildered by teen
habits (why they wear their hats backwards and enormous
pants that would fit two or three more teenagers) and
critiques the performance of the mugger who tried to rob
Barry and writer Calvin Trillin at fingerpoint. 1994.


Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys: A Fairly Short Book
RC 40618
by Dave Barry 
read by Jim Zeiger
1 cassette
According to Barry, this is a book about guys--not a book
about men. Books about men are too serious. Barry begins
with a test to determine the reader's "guyness" and then
gives a brief account of the role of guys in history, their
biological nature, their social development, and their
special guy problems. For women, there is a chapter on
dealing with guys. Some strong language and some
descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1995.


It Wasn't Always Easy, but I Sure Had Fun: The Best of Lewis
Grizzard
RC 41150
by Lewis Grizzard 
read by Jim Zeiger
2 cassettes
Grizzard was editing this anthology of previously published
humorous columns at the time of his death. Topics include
culture, politics, sports, the South, men, women, and men
and women. The personal pieces draw on his memories of his
family, his complaints about his divorces, and descriptions
of the heart disease that eventually killed him. Some strong
language. Bestseller 1994.


The Last Bus to Albuquerque
RC 40421
by Lewis Grizzard 
read by Christopher Hurt
1 cassette
A commemorative edition of more than sixty essays drawn from
humorist Grizzard's newspaper writing between 1990 and 1993.
Also included are thoughts by some of Grizzard's friends
following his death in March 1994. They recall his love of
golf and trips through rural backwoods, his request to be
buried next to Mama, and his response when told the risks of
his last surgery: "When's the next bus to Albuquerque?"
Bestseller 1994.


Stories from Home
RC 40129
by Jerry Clower 
read by Ray Foushee
1 cassette
Clower uses his Mississippi roots in many of the stories he
tells. This collection contains more than 100 stories, some
very short, in which he describes events such as coon, deer,
and quail huntin'; talks about his closest neighbors, the
Ledbetters; and discusses his own family. Includes an
interview in which Clower reflects on his background, his
feelings about his life, and the way he got into the
business of telling stories. 1992.

Inspiration

Dakota: A Spiritual Geography
RC 40504
by Kathleen Norris 
read by Martha Harmon Pardee
2 cassettes
The author, a transplanted New Yorker, returns physically to
her family home in the Dakota desert and intellectually to
her roots. Norris chronicles her journey, from the
perspective of a poet, in a series of essays and interludes,
stressing the influences that the people, the church, and
the plains have had on her change of heart. 1993.


The Finishing Touch
RC 40559
by Charles R. Swindoll 
read by Andy Chappell
1 cassette
Short, inspirational meditations. God watches over his
creatures, helps them in difficult times, and adds the
finishing touches to their lives. 1995.


Illuminata: Thoughts, Prayers, Rites of Passage
RC 40220
by Marianne Williamson 
read by Marcia Churchill
2 cassettes
Williamson believes that people want to transform the world
into a place of grace and love to heal the pain of our
times. Toward this end she offers essays and
nondenominational prayers and ceremonies, some for
traditional purposes and others for more contemporary
concerns. There are prayers for healing, fear of intimacy,
and depression. The rites include ceremonies for divorce,
puberty, and midlife. 1994.


+The Lessons of Love: Rediscovering Our Passion for Life
When It All Seems Too Hard to Take
RC 39861
by Melody Beattie 
read by Yvonne Fair Tessler
1 cassette
After a troubled childhood, a low-income existence, and a
divorce, Beattie becomes a bestselling author with
_Codependent No More (RC 28220)_. For three years she is "at
the top of the mountain"; her dreams have come true. Then
her adolescent son dies after a skiing accident, sending
Beattie into years of despair until she learns the "lessons
of love." Bestseller 1994.


Show Me the Way: Readings for Each Day of Lent
RC 38909
by Henri J.M. Nouwen 
read by Miriam Wagner
1 cassette
The author guides readers along a forty-day pilgrimage
beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter Sunday.
Daily entries for the Lenten season contain a biblical
passage followed by meditations on recurring themes, such as
commitment and faith, and concluding with a prayer. 1992.


When God Whispers Your Name
RC 41164
by Max Lucado 
read by Randy Atcher
1 cassette
Through brief vignettes, Lucado explains his theory that God
knows each person as an individual, not as part of a group,
and that if you listen to God, he will ease your doubts and
sorrows. For example, Lucado says, when looking at a flock
of sheep, he himself doesn't really see each sheep, but
rather a group. Yet a shepherd knows and has a name for each
individual sheep. Bestseller 1994.

Journalism

The Age of Missing Information
RC 40250
by Bill McKibben 
read by Clay Teunis
2 cassettes
The author, seeking an answer to the question of whether
there is any correlation between having more information
available and knowing more, records and watches an entire
day's cable-television programming in one city. To balance
this experience, he spends an equal amount of time observing
nature on a mountaintop. McKibben compares the two
experiences and gives his conclusions in this book. He also
addresses environmental issues. 1992.


Behind the Times: Inside the New _New York Times_
RC 40526
by Edwin Diamond 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
4 cassettes
A _Times_ insider assesses the public performance and the
daily life of the newspaper over twenty years. This
columnist laments some changes, such as a perceived decline
in hard news and increase in tabloid-variety stories, the
addition of color to the traditional black and white pages,
composition of the bestseller list, decisions about
political endorsements, and the efforts to ensure diversity
on its staff. 1993.


The Best of _Rolling Stone_: Twenty-five Years of Journalism
on the Edge
RC 39589
edited by Robert Love 
read by L.J. Ganser
5 cassettes
A collection of "thirty-seven examples of the art of
journalism as practiced at the _Rolling Stone_." The
articles appeared in issues from 1969 to 1990. The range of
subjects includes actors, musicians, politics, and AIDS.
Among contributors are Hunter S. Thompson, P.J. O'Rourke,
and Tim Cahill. Each entry is abridged and prefaced with a
note by the writer. Some strong language. 1993.


The Best Seat in the House: The Golden Years of Radio and
Television
RC 39351
by Pat Weaver and Thomas M. Coffey 
read by John Rayburn
2 cassettes
Memoirs of a man whose career in the broadcast business
coincided with the peak years of radio and the formative
years of television. From his first job at a radio station
in the 1930s, Weaver worked his way up to director of NBC
television. He enjoyed close relationships with many media
stars, and he is perhaps best known for creating the _Today_
and the _Tonight_ shows. 1993.


Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
RC 40554
by Anne Lamott 
read by Janis Gray
2 cassettes
Practical information and encouragement from the author's
personal experience as the daughter of a writer and as a
novelist and writing instructor. Lamott offers tips on
skills such as producing credible dialog and collecting
phrases and observations, and she also describes her own
writing life. Some strong language. Bestseller 1994.


The Black Press and the Struggle for Civil Rights
RC 40195
by Carl Senna 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
1 cassette
The role of African American newspapers in the fight for
equality. Senna traces the influence of the black press from
the birth of _Freedom's Journal_ in 1827 through the
antislavery movement before the Civil War and the struggle
to end segregation, highlighting the importance of leaders
like Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells in bringing blacks
into the media mainstream. For high school and older
readers. 1993.


The Camera Never Blinks Twice: The Further Adventures of a
Television Journalist
RC 40277
by Dan Rather and Mickey Herskowitz 
read by Bob Butz
3 cassettes
In this sequel to _The Camera Never Blinks (RC 10834)_, the
CBS television journalist continues his behind-the-scenes
account of breaking stories and interviews with
history-making individuals. Outtakes on a variety of
subjects precede and follow each chapter of the narrative.
1994.


David Brinkley: Eleven Presidents, Four Wars, Twenty-two
Political Conventions, One Moon Landing, Three
Assassinations, Two Thousand Weeks of News and Other Stuff
on Television, and Eighteen Years of Growing Up in North
Carolina
RC 41423
by David Brinkley 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
In recalling his career, which began in Wilmington, North
Carolina, Brinkley discusses the people he has been
privileged to meet, the fascinating places he has visited,
and the interesting stories he has covered. Bestseller 1995.


News and the Culture of Lying
RC 39453
by Paul H. Weaver 
read by Lou Harpenau
2 cassettes
Weaver believes that news should keep people informed about
issues that affect their lives. However, he maintains that
in most cases news becomes a fabrication of what journalists
and officials want the public to know or believe and is,
therefore, often inaccurate. He asserts that news has become
a case of "crisis and emergency response" without context or
analysis, and he offers suggestions on how the media and the
consumer can become better informed. 1994.


The NPR Interviews 1994
RC 41180
edited by Robert Siegel 
read by Jack Fox
2 cassettes
The National Public Radio host and editor of this collection
of 1993 NPR interviews describes the process from interview
genesis to airing. Siegel explains the evolution of "The
Story of the Year" (in this case, the war in Bosnia) and
other types of stories. The selections range from discussion
about the death penalty with the longest-sitting justice on
the Supreme Court to a talk about a didgeridoo with an
Australian aborigine. 1994.


Power, Privilege, and the _Post_: The Katharine Graham Story
RC 38588
by Carol Felsenthal 
read by Catherine Byers
4 cassettes
In the 1930s, Eugene Meyer bought the _Washington Post_, the
smallest of several Washington dailies. Pleased when
daughter Katharine married attorney Phil Graham, Meyer
turned the paper over to him while Katharine languished in
the background. Then Graham's breakdown and suicide in 1963
left Katharine in charge. The _Post_'s role in Watergate and
the Pentagon Papers turned the paper around. Strong
language. 1993.


Winchell: Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity
RC 39317
by Neal Gabler 
read by Ray Hagen
5 cassettes
Biography of the journalist who invented the gossip column
in the 1920s, feeding the public's desire for details about
the private lives of celebrities. The author shows how
Winchell got started in vaudeville, then took his abrupt,
snappy style to a daily newspaper column and a weekly radio
broadcast. This once-powerful figure enjoyed a huge
following, but his fame waned with the rise of television.
1994.

Literature

Advertisements for Myself
RC 40423
by Norman Mailer 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
4 cassettes
An anthology of short stories, newspaper columns, extracts
from novels, essays, and interviews--connected by
autobiographical comments, or "advertisements." Mailer's
diversity of forms is matched by his range of styles--from
simple and direct, as in "Advertisement for Three War
Stories," to his sarcastic responses to reviews of his work,
such as "The Last Draft of _The Deer Park_." Strong
language. 1959.


Alan Paton: A Biography
RC 40336
by Peter F. Alexander 
read by Dan Bloom
5 cassettes
Biography of the author of _Cry, the Beloved Country (RC
17190)_, a 1948 novel about the immorality of South Africa's
racial policies. Alexander, who knew Paton in his later
years, describes Paton's birth in a British colony, his
difficult childhood, his academic and political success, and
the failure of his first marriage. Alexander also observes
the prophetic nature of Paton's writings and his liberal
political activism. 1994.


American Dragons: Twenty-five Asian American Voices
RC 39409
edited by Laurence Yep 
read by Gordon Gould
2 cassettes
An anthology of twenty-five stories, poems, and essays by
Asian Americans that enlighten, probe, and examine the
experiences and emotions of young people with roots in
Japan, China, India, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Selections
are set in the past, present, and future, and most raise
questions about identity and about preserving or rejecting
the values of ancestors. For junior and senior high readers.
1993.


Charlotte Bront: A Passionate Life
RC 40607
by Lyndall Gordon 
read by Lisette Lecat
3 cassettes
Portrait of the creative life of a woman who refused to be
confined to the Victorian parsonage where she grew up.
Drawing on Bront's letters and her highly autobiographical
novels, including _Jane Eyre (RC 10886)_, Gordon pictures an
intelligent, imaginative, feisty, and independent writer who
elected to conform to most conventions of her society but
rebelled by publishing under a male pseudonym. 1994.


The Complete Essays of Montaigne
RC 39600
by Michel de Montaigne 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
9 cassettes
English translations of the sixteenth-century French
philosopher's "essays," a literary form Montaigne invented
to convey his ideas and opinions. His diverse subjects
include feelings, the education of children, the custom of
wearing clothes, the disadvantage of greatness, evil
employed as a means to a good end, the power of the
imagination, a lack in administrations, and not
communicating one's glory. 1943.


The Courage for Truth: The Letters of Thomas Merton to
Writers
RC 40156
by Thomas Merton 
read by Peter Johnson
3 cassettes
Selected letters to fellow writers created during the last
two decades of the life of a monk who advocated a
contemplative existence. Merton both encouraged young talent
and corresponded with major literary figures, including
Evelyn Waugh, James Baldwin, and Henry Miller. The editor
has inserted short commentary to describe and connect the
flow of information. 1993.


D.H. Lawrence: The Story of a Marriage
RC 40605
by Brenda Maddox 
read by Graeme Malcolm
5 cassettes
Plumbing letters by D.H. Lawrence and private papers by
certain of his friends for insights into his thoughts, the
author chronicles Lawrence's life as a fiction writer,
literary critic, and journalist. Maddox explores Lawrence's
opinions, his illness, his sexuality, the contradictions in
his relationships with women, his marriage to Frieda
Weekley, and his novel _Mr. Noon_, not published until 1984.
1994.


The Diaries of Hans Christian Andersen
RC 40302
by Hans Christian Andersen 
read by George Holmes
4 cassettes
Having a burning desire to write but being forbidden to do
so while completing his formal education, Hans Christian
Andersen began his journal in 1825 when he was twenty. For
the next thirty-five years this famous creator of fairy
tales kept a sporadic record of his travels and his
conversations with other writers. In the final fifteen years
of his life, he made entries more regularly, focusing on
friends, health, moods, and life in Denmark. 1990.


Dispatches from Maine: 1942-1992
RC 38990
by John Gould 
read by Phil Regensdorf
2 cassettes
Gould has been writing about life in Maine since October 21,
1942. At the request of many of his readers, he has
collected seventy-five of his _Christian Science Monitor_
columns. He writes about his grandfather, who always planted
his flowers with his vegetables so he could enjoy them;
about sopping up soup with a piece of bread; about the
Christmas Day Billie Dunn came and sawed wood; and about his
buck-saw with the inlaid handle. 1994.


E.M. Forster: A Biography
RC 38697
by Nicola Beauman 
read by Patrick Horgan
3 cassettes
A literary biography examining the relationship between
Forster's life and his novels, several of which have been
made into movies. Beauman describes how Morgan Forster lived
quietly for most of his life with his Edwardian mother,
although the friends and foreign travel that he enjoyed
influenced his writing during this period. In addition to
connecting Forster's life with his fiction, Beauman notes
the books that influenced the author. 1993.


Excursions in the Real World: Memoirs
RC 39410
by William Trevor 
read by Patrick Horgan
2 cassettes
Autobiographical sketches begin with Trevor's recollections
of his Irish youth, when movies left the strongest
impression. Dublin conjures up memories of boarding school.
In spite of spending his college years and working as a
schoolteacher in this city, Trevor still feels like a
visitor. London proves more agreeable as he begins to
acquire his writing skills. Bits on travel and literature
complete the portrait. 1993.


A Howard Nemerov Reader
RC 39005
by Howard Nemerov 
read by Roy Avers
4 cassettes
This "reader" is both an anthology and a book of
instruction, as it contains not only more than two decades
of poetry (for which Nemerov is best known), but also a few
short stories, several essays, and _Federigo; or, The Power
of Love_, a full-length novel. Strong language. 1991.


I Wonder as I Wander: An Autobiographical Journey
RC 40144
by Langston Hughes 
read by Christopher Hurt
3 cassettes
The African American poet recalls the 1930s in an
autobiographical work. During this period he traveled
extensively at home and abroad, meeting people from all
walks of life. He writes here about amusing moments,
difficult situations, racial injustice, and his intense
interest in the world as he saw it. 1956.


I. Asimov: A Memoir
RC 39676
by Isaac Asimov 
read by Andy Chappell
4 cassettes
Published posthumously, this autobiography of the grand
master of science fiction offers topical and anecdotal
essays spanning Asimov's life from 1920 to 1992. Asimov uses
humor, insight, and candor in describing the people and
events of his life, including his Russian-immigrant parents,
his prolific writing career, his acquaintances with other
authors, his marriages and family life, and his views on
topics ranging from religion to computers. 1994.


In Touch: The Letters of Paul Bowles
RC 39163
by Paul Bowles 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
5 cassettes
Letters from an American-born author who traveled
extensively before settling in Tangiers. During these years,
Bowles met many of the cognoscenti of the arts world on
several continents, and he corresponded with them for much
of the twentieth century. As a writer, composer, translator,
and critic, Bowles wrote often on subjects related to his
interests, but one of his most frequent themes was travel.
1994.


The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson: Volume One,
1854-April 1874
RC 40145
by Robert Louis Stevenson 
read by Patrick Horgan
5 cassettes
The letters from this period indicate Stevenson's early
determination to become a writer. They also reflect his
Scottish home life, piecemeal education, and health
problems. They document the formation of relationships that
would grow into lifelong friendships and the developing
conflict with his father over religious matters. 1874.


The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson: Volume 2, April
1874-July 1879
RC 39894
by Robert Louis Stevenson 
read by Patrick Horgan
3 cassettes
Stevenson, still studying law in Scotland, finds comfort in
writing letters to two close friends, often outlining for
them future literary projects. Although pleased at passing
the bar, he immediately puts all of his energies into
writing, with the result that his first book, _An Inland
Voyage_, is published. Then, while visiting Belgium in 1876,
he meets the American woman who is to become his wife. 1879.


Literary Reflections: Michener on Michener, Hemingway,
Capote, and Others
RC 38912
by James A. Michener 
read by Phil Regensdorf
1 cassette
A collage of poetry and prose that has been shaped over
several decades. It includes two fragments originally
published in limited editions in 1983: "Collectors,
Forgers--and a Writer: A Memoir," in which Michener recalls
people who influenced his decisions early in his career; and
"Testimony," his writing credo. His continuing studies take
the form of opinions on other writers. 1993.


The Man in the Water: Essays and Stories
RC 39127
by Roger Rosenblatt 
read by Jack Fox
3 cassettes
The title story is about a man who makes the ultimate
sacrifice so that others can be rescued after a plane crash
dumps them into an icy river. Many stories are serious or
even somber, but some, such as "They Do" and "Hair Piece,"
reflect lighter moments. "Introduction to the Reader," an
exploration of Rosenblatt's relationship with his father, is
one of the nearly sixty essays included. 1994.


Nella Larsen, Novelist of the Harlem Renaissance: A Woman's
Life Unveiled
RC 40440
by Thadious M. Davis 
read by Catherine Byers
4 cassettes
Biography of the author of _Quicksand_ (1928) and _Passing_
(1929) (combined as _RC 40702_), fiction depicting the
realities of Harlem in the 1920s. Davis portrays Larsen as a
gifted woman of mixed racial heritage, abandoned by her
family, rejected by black and white society, accused of
plagiarism, and generally disengaged from her personal past
and social history. 1994.


No Gifts from Chance: A Biography of Edith Wharton
RC 40023
by Shari Benstock 
read by Suzanne Toren
4 cassettes
Focusing on the professional background of this prolific
novelist, the biographer examines Wharton's dealings with
other writers and with publishers. Benstock reveals details,
some for the first time, about Wharton's private life,
including her World War I charitable work and relationships
with her parents, brothers, husband, and lover. 1994.


Old Songs in a New Cafe
RC 41192
by Robert James Waller 
read by Clay Teunis
1 cassette
Nineteen essays written since 1983 by Waller, a folksinger
and author of the bestselling _Bridges of Madison County (RC
35861)_. The writings include a loving tribute to his wife,
thoughts on his daughter leaving home at eighteen, a book
signing on a snowy day in St. Ansgar, playing "Wabash
Cannonball" for a program with Charles Kuralt, and thoughts
on his fiftieth birthday. Bestseller 1994.


One Art: Letters
RC 39435
by Elizabeth Bishop 
read by Mitzi Friedlander
6 cassettes
Letters selected from hundreds written to more than fifty
correspondents, including several poets, during half a
century. Bishop refers frequently to her year as the
consultant in poetry at the Library of Congress, appalled at
the idea of doing "desk work" but delighted by visits from
Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost, and others. She also writes
about her affection for Lota, her companion for fifteen
years. 1994.


Prisoner of Love
RC 39271
by Jean Genet 
read by Peter Gil
3 cassettes
Autobiographical reveries from the final years of a French
author who began writing in prison. Genet revels in his
associations with rebellious groups, including the
Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Black Panthers.
The author maintains a certain detachment from which he
observes and sympathizes. But, by his own account, he never
quite surrenders to the political agendas of the groups that
engage his interest. 1989.


The Pushcart Prize, 19: Best of the Small Presses, 1994-1995
RC 40226
edited by Bill Henderson and others 
read by Mary Kane
5 cassettes
Sixty-five selections of short fiction, essays, and poetry
published first by noncommercial American presses and
magazines. "My Father, Dancing" by Bliss Broyard is her
first published work. "A Thousand Buddhas," an essay about
giving and receiving a massage, is by Brenda Miller, who
once worked as a massage therapist. "Night Singing" is by
the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin. Some strong
language. 1995.


Rebellions, Perversities, and Main Events
RC 39288
by Murray Kempton 
read by Terence Aselford
4 cassettes
A compendium of articles published over a thirty-year
period. Kempton admires defiance, such as that displayed by
Lillian Hellman before the House Committee on Un-American
Activities. He confesses to harboring perverse thoughts
about anyone who obtains an interview under false pretenses.
And he notes how brief encounters, like sitting on a porch
with Martin Luther King Jr., become life's turning points.
1994.


The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe
RC 39783
by Charles Nicholl 
read by Robert Murch
3 cassettes
When young Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death, public
records showed the cause to be a dispute over a tavern bill.
Nicholl depicts the promising dramatist's involvement in
Elizabethan spy networks and raises questions about his
personal life, his politics, and the company he kept to
provide insights into the centuries-old mystery. 1992.


Roald Dahl: A Biography
RC 38705
by Jeremy Treglown 
read by George Holmes
2 cassettes
Best-known for his children's books, which include _James
and the Giant Peach (RC 32548)_ and _Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory (RC 33498)_, Dahl was a multifaceted and
often difficult man with "an intense self-dissatisfied
perfectionism." Treglown explores the late author's personal
and professional lives, including his long first marriage to
actress Patricia Neal and his bullying role in her recovery
from strokes. Some strong language. 1994.


Robert Graves: The Assault Heroic, 1895-1926
RC 39421
by Richard Perceval Graves 
read by John Richardson
3 cassettes
Graves's nephew uses his access to family papers to
chronicle the development of the poet's ideas up to 1926.
Graves was born into a wealthy literary family, and his
creative efforts were encouraged from an early age. But
World War I wounds, a failed marriage, chronic financial
difficulties, and several publishing disappointments
convince the unhappy young poet to make a fresh start in
Egypt. Followed by _Robert Graves: The Years with Laura,
1926-1940 (RC 39443)_. 1986.


Robert Graves: The Years with Laura, 1926-1940
RC 39443
by Richard Perceval Graves 
read by John Richardson
3 cassettes
In this second volume of the biography, Graves begins a
fourteen-year relationship with the American poet Laura
Riding. Their efforts, both collaborative and individual,
produce some of their most respected work. Their personal
lives, however, send shock waves through the literary world.
Sequel to _Robert Graves: The Assault Heroic, 1895-1926 (RC
39421)_. 1990.


Saint-Exupry: A Biography
RC 40034
by Stacy Schiff 
read by Ed Blake
5 cassettes
Antoine de Saint-Exupry began life as an "impoverished
aristocrat." The young Frenchman trained as an aviator and
worked as a mail pilot, suffered periods of exile for his
political views, turned at times to literary pursuits, and
met an untimely death in defense of his homeland during
World War II. 1994.


Shade of the Raintree: The Life and Death of Ross Lockridge
Jr., Author of _Raintree County_
RC 39728
by Larry Lockridge 
read by Andy Chappell
4 cassettes
Son of the author of _Raintree County_ traces family history
and provides insights into the creative process. Lockridge
explores his family's literary tradition, revealing the
impact of success and the fear of failure that his father
experienced when he developed writer's block and committed
suicide after publication of his bestselling novel in 1948.
1994.


Shakespeare
RC 39408
by Germaine Greer 
read by Suzanne Toren
1 cassette
The author contends that Shakespeare did much to shape the
values we consider to be typically English. Greer argues
that the basis for understanding the Bard's art and thought
is to be found in the interaction between the text of his
plays and the reaction of the audience. She touches on
aspects of the playwright's life, philosophy, and politics
and offers an essay on his social values, especially his
belief in the importance of marriage. 1986.


Sorrow's Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale
Hurston
RC 41455
by Mary E. Lyons 
read by Melissa Maxwell
1 cassette
Lyons inserts samples of Hurston's fiction, autobiography,
and folklore collected in Florida, Louisiana, and the West
Indies into this account of the African American
anthropologist and Harlem Renaissance writer of stories,
plays, essays, and articles. For junior and senior high and
older readers. 1990.


The Style's the Man: Reflections on Proust, Fitzgerald,
Wharton, Vidal, and Others
RC 40241
by Louis Auchincloss 
read by Gary Telles
1 cassette
Eighteen essays profile this author's picks of master
literary stylists and a president who was "a kind of
artistic creation." Auchincloss's favorite authors include
dramatists who were contemporaries of Shakespeare;
long-neglected William Gaddis; kindred spirits, including
Gore Vidal; and authors, like Oscar Wilde, who made their
homosexuality part of their work. 1994.


Surviving a Writer's Life
RC 38718
by Suzanne Lipsett 
read by Suzanne Toren
1 cassette
Through a collection of short reminiscences, Lipsett relates
how she became a writer. Lipsett's life has been
traumatic--her mother died when Lipsett was four, her father
forbade any talk about her mother, and Lipsett endured a
rape and breast cancer. She has travelled throughout the
world, and she calls upon these experiences as a basis for
her fiction. Some strong language. 1994.


Traveling in Italy with Henry James: Essays
RC 39675
by Henry James 
read by Fred Major
3 cassettes
Letters to friends and family and essays about a total of
fourteen trips to Italy taken by the Victorian novelist.
Arranged geographically by editor Fred Kaplan, selections
describe travel to Venice, Rome, Florence, Naples, and the
countryside in between at the time when Italy was first
united into a secular state. 1994.


The Way to Xanadu
RC 38999
by Caroline Alexander 
read by Lynn Schrichte
2 cassettes
Intrigued by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan,"
the author longed to see the locales that excited
Coleridge's imagination and undauntingly searched them out.
Alexander knew Coleridge had visited the places about which
he fantasized only through travel literature. She visits the
actual spots, chronicles her efforts to experience the
modern version of each site, and ponders the narratives that
inspired the poet. 1993.

Marriage and Sex

The Good Marriage: How and Why Love Lasts
RC 40752
by Judith S. Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
3 cassettes
The authors of _Second Chances (RC 29593)_, which is about
divorce, look at fifty continuing marriages. Their subjects
have been married at least nine years, have children, and
are mostly white and well-educated. Interview excerpts
illustrate what the authors consider the four types of
marriage and the nine psychological tasks involved in
success. Bestseller 1995.


Heterosexuality
RC 39262
by William H. Masters and others 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
5 cassettes
Sex researchers and therapists provide an account of such
aspects of heterosexuality as sexual desire and behavior;
conception and contraception; sexually transmitted diseases,
including AIDS; problems with sexuality; sex in adolescence
and in aging; and love, affairs, and sensuality. The authors
have collaborated on other books including _Masters and
Johnson on Sex and Human Loving (RC 24984)_. Explicit
descriptions and discussion of sexual activity. 1994.


Mars and Venus in the Bedroom: A Guide to Lasting Romance
and Passion
RC 40459
by John Gray 
read by Erik Sandvold
1 cassette
The author of _Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (RC
35918)_ offers suggestions to help couples communicate
better in the bedroom and therefore keep sex alive in a
monogamous relationship. He discusses what to say and do,
what not to say and do, the mechanics of sex, and how to
rekindle passion. Some strong language and some explicit
descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1995.


Sex in America: A Definitive Survey
RC 40781
by Robert T. Michael and others 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
Results of a 1992 study conducted over seven months by the
National Opinion Research Center using a random
cross-section of more than three thousand American
households, with about an 80 percent response. The authors
dispel many myths regarding sexual activity, answer
questions about what behavior is normal, and show how
society determines our conduct. Some descriptions of sex.
1994.


Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy of Sex
RC 40133
by Sallie Tisdale 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
2 cassettes
After publishing an article about pornography, Tisdale was
startled at the response, which made her wonder, "Why are we
so unhappy about our own sexual acts and the acts of
others?" This book, examining sex outside of long-term
relationships, combines personal observations, research, and
interviews with sex workers. Strong language and explicit
descriptions of sex. 1994.

Medicine and Health

And Always Tomorrow
RC 38692
by Sarah E. Lorenz 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes (Reissue)
A mother's account of her family's struggle when the oldest
son becomes mentally ill. The family faces social stigma,
the problem of finding a good psychiatrist, the decision of
whom to believe, financial difficulty, and the challenge of
keeping faith. 1963.


An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales
RC 40439
by Oliver Sacks 
read by Peter Johnson
3 cassettes
Case histories of people with neurological disorders who
reconstruct the world according to their needs. Comfortable
with his forty-five years of blindness, one man is confused
by the sudden restoration of his sight. An autistic zoology
professor is at ease with animals but cannot bear human
contact. Each tale portrays a patient with a condition such
as Tourette's Syndrome, deafness, or amnesia. Bestseller
1995.


The Black Health Library Guide to Diabetes
RC 38847
by Lester Henry and Kirk A. Johnson 
read by Frank Coffee
2 cassettes
The authors assert that one in ten African Americans has
diabetes and half don't realize it. They believe that the
black community has been disproportionately prone to
diabetes since its culture was westernized, and that the
problem is compounded by the prevalence of obesity and
poverty among blacks. Outlines diabetes management that may
reduce risk of other medical complications. 1993.


The Black Health Library Guide to Obesity
RC 38846
by Mavis Thompson and Kirk A. Johnson 
read by Robin Miles
2 cassettes
Doctor Thompson asserts that the black community suffers
from an inordinate amount of serious illness and disease
(including heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension) and
that obesity, which is particularly prevalent among blacks,
compounds these problems. This guide explains obesity: its
physical, emotional, and social effects and methods of
overcoming it. 1993.


Conversations with Neil's Brain: The Neural Nature of
Thought and Language
RC 39400
by William H. Calvin and George A. Ojemann 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
Neil is an engineer who became epileptic after an automobile
crash. Fifteen years later, Neil's brain is being
electrically stimulated in the operating room to determine
if a section of the brain can be removed to stop the
seizures. The coauthors, Neil's neurosurgeon and a
neurophysiologist, use this procedure to explain how the
brain works. 1994.


Defying the Gods: Inside the New Frontiers of Organ
Transplants
RC 40121
by Scott McCartney 
read by John Richardson
2 cassettes
To write about medical advances and policy issues in the
field of organ transplants, journalist McCartney spent four
months with the liver and kidney transplant team at Baylor
University Medical Center in Dallas. In addition, he
documents the experiences of four Baylor patients as they
prepare for, undergo, and recuperate from a liver
transplant. 1994.


Diabetes and Pregnancy: What to Expect
RC 40374
by American Diabetes Association 
read by Annie Wauters
1 cassette
Insulin-dependent diabetics face an increased risk of giving
birth to overweight, jaundiced, or stillborn babies. The ADA
offers guidelines on maintaining tight blood-glucose control
to avoid these problems. It recommends beginning this
regimen before conception and continuing it throughout the
pregnancy, using a team approach to medical care, and
exercising regularly. Describes possible procedures. 1992.


The Diabetic Woman
RC 40095
by Lois Jovanovic 
read by Kerry Cundiff
2 cassettes
Two of the women who collaborated on this book are diabetic,
and one of these is also a mother and a physician
specializing in diabetes. With a brief review of basic
information, the authors establish a question-and-answer
format with Dr. Jovanovic providing the responses. Topics
included of special interest to women are puberty,
menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. 1987.


Doctors and Patients: What We Feel about You
RC 39691
by Peter H. Berczeller 
read by Randy Atcher
2 cassettes
Believing people should be made aware of the complex
feelings doctors have toward their patients and about
disease, Berczeller recounts incidents from more than thirty
years as an internist. He discusses aspects of practicing
medicine such as dealing with the patient's family, playing
God, having sexual feelings for patients, charging for
services, and giving bad news, and he advises on choosing a
doctor. 1994.


Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Warning to Women
RC 39322
by Carol Ann Rinzler 
read by Jill Ferris
2 cassettes
Medical writer Rinzler states that in 1991 sixteen million
American women of certain ages used birth control pills and
15 percent of postmenopausal women used estrogen replacement
therapy. She argues that these trends have contributed to a
breast cancer epidemic--a lifetime risk of one in eight.
Includes estrogen use history, a look at studies on the
topic, and a plea to the medical community. 1993.


Facercise! The Dynamic Muscle-Toning Program for Renewed
Vitality and a More Youthful Appearance
RC 41193
by Carole Maggio and Kyle Roderick 
read by Faith Potts
1 cassette
Maintaining that most people have weak facial muscles that
sag with age, Maggio presents fourteen exercises that
isolate about thirty of the fifty-seven facial and neck
muscles. She promises rosier skin tone, raised eyebrows,
diminished under-eye puffiness, a shorter nose, fuller lips,
a firm jawline, and more. Bestseller 1995.


Fitness for the Aging Adult with Visual Impairment: An
Exercise and Resource Manual
RC 38928
by Mary Alice Ross 
read by Sheena Gordon
1 cassette
A physical educator provides instructions on her program of
exercises to improve flexibility, range of motion, muscular
strength and endurance, balance, body tone, and
cardiovascular endurance. The exercises are designed for
aging adults with visual impairments, and many can be
performed from a wheelchair. The manual addresses seniors,
their families, and therapists. 1984.


Five Patients: The Hospital Explained
RC 40720
by Michael Crichton 
read by David Hartley-Margolin
2 cassettes
Crichton looks at the daily operations of the Massachusetts
General Hospital during the early part of 1969 when he was a
fourth-year medical student. By focusing on the injuries,
problems, diagnoses, treatments, and recoveries of five
patients, Crichton examines the work of hospital staff in
the emergency rooms, operating rooms, and administrative
offices and at the patients' bedsides. Bestseller 1970.


Having Your Baby with a Nurse-Midwife: Everything You Need
to Know to Make an Informed Decision
RC 41071
by American College of Nurse-Midwives and Sandra Jacobs 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes
Explains the role of a midwife during pregnancy and labor,
the medical technology midwives may employ, and the details
of midwife assistance for births in the home, hospital, or
birth center. Included is a state-by-state guide to
regulations concerning midwives. 1993.


Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of
Medicine
RC 39215
by Larry Dossey 
read by Andy Chappell
2 cassettes
A physician describes his search for scientific proof of the
healing effects of prayer. Citing the results of numerous
case studies and experiments, the author discusses why he
believes prayer enhances good medicine and speculates on the
possibility of adverse side effects. Bestseller 1993.


Healthy for Life: The Scientific Breakthrough Program for
Looking, Feeling, and Staying Healthy without Deprivation
RC 40456
by Richard F. and Rachael F. Heller 
read by John Rayburn
4 cassettes
The Hellers, researchers and professors at Mount Sinai
School of Medicine, say their own health problems led them
to learn about Profactor-H. They claim this hormonal insulin
imbalance not only causes obesity but also is a common
factor of nine "killer" diseases. They explain how to
diagnose the imbalance and present a treatment program.
Bestseller 1995.


Honest Medicine: Shattering the Myths about Aging and Health
Care
RC 40476
by Donald J. Murphy 
read by Randy Atcher
2 cassettes
To help patients critically weigh health care's benefits and
burdens, a medical director of a senior-citizen health
facility explains the risk-reduction rates of various
treatments and tests. Included are different types of blood
pressure medicine and cancer screening tests such as
mammograms and prostate exams. 1995.


The Hospice Handbook: A Complete Guide
RC 38968
by Larry Beresford 
read by Dick Jenkins
2 cassettes
Beresford has been involved with the concept of hospice
since 1978, when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and
received hospice care. At several facilities around the
country he talked with staff, patients, and family members.
He offers information on the philosophy of hospice; services
provided, including caring for patients at home; and issues
such as referral, finances, barriers to hospice access, and
legal considerations. 1993.


The Hot Zone
RC 40695
by Richard Preston 
read by Richard Davidson
2 cassettes
A man visits a cave in Africa and becomes ill. He begins
bleeding from his orifices and soon dies. Tests reveal the
little-known species-jumping Marburg filovirus. Later, in
Reston, Virginia, a research firm's monkeys also begin to
crash and bleed out. Tests show Ebola, a more lethal sister
filovirus to Marburg. The monkey house becomes a hot zone as
scientists frantically try to contain the killer. Some
strong language. Bestseller 1994.


Legwork: An Inspiring Journey through a Chronic Illness
RC 39754
by Ellen Burstein MacFarlane and Patricia Burstein 
read by Susan McInerney
2 cassettes
Consumer advocacy investigative reporter MacFarlane was
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986. Although she had
suffered suicidal depression in the past, she faced MS with
determination, even after ironically falling prey to a
$100,000 scam "cure." Her marriage failed and her MS
progressed until she became triplegic, but she retained her
self-confidence throughout. Some strong language. 1994.


The Limits of Medicine: How Science Shapes Our Hope for the
Cure
RC 41206
by Edward S. Golub 
read by Steven Carpenter
2 cassettes
A professor of immunology and microbiology calls on the
public to reexamine its expectations of medical science and
to develop reasonable goals for health and life expectancy.
He describes in lay terms the changing ways disease has been
understood and treated throughout history, detailing the
work of individual scientists and public response to their
discoveries. 1994.


Living Well with MS: A Guide for Patient, Caregiver, and
Family
RC 39719
by David L. Carroll and Jon Dudley Dorman 
read by Kerry Cundiff
2 cassettes
Describes the progress of a chronic neurological disorder
known as multiple sclerosis, or MS. The authors cover the
symptoms and diagnosis and offer practical advice on
managing the disease that afflicts largely young adults and
has no cure. Information deals with psychological as well as
physical needs, exercise, nutrition, and medical mail-order
sources. 1993.


Migraine: The Complete Guide
RC 39518
by American Council for Headache Education 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
This guide contends that migraine, the painful and often
disabling headache disorder that may include nausea,
sensitivity to light and sound, and fatigue, is a primary
disorder rather than a symptom of something else. Symptoms,
types, and causes of migraines are discussed, as are
migraine myths and therapies. The guide states migraine is a
chronic condition that can't be cured but can be managed.
1994.


My Own Country: A Doctor's Story of a Town and Its People in
the Age of AIDS
RC 40021
by Abraham Verghese 
read by Christopher Hurt
3 cassettes
Educated in Ethiopia and India, Dr. Verghese chose Johnson
City, Tennessee, to settle and begin a family. Trained in
infectious diseases, Verghese was the de facto AIDS expert
when he arrived in 1985, as the city's only AIDS patient had
been a visitor who died. But within the next five years,
Verghese cared for eighty AIDS patients. Some strong
language. 1994.


The New _Our Bodies, Ourselves_: A Book by and for Women;
Updated and Expanded for the 1990s
RC 38308
by The Boston Women's Health Book Collective 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
11 cassettes
Updates previous editions from 1973 _(RC 13227)_ and 1984
_(RC 22250)_. Covers physical, mental, and emotional health;
sexuality; fertility and childbearing; and aging. Includes
such 1990s' health issues as AIDS, new contraceptive
methods, chronic fatigue, prenatal tests, and occupational
health. Explicit descriptions of sex. 1992.


The Plague Makers: How We Are Creating Catastrophic New
Epidemics--and What We Must Do to Avert Them
RC 39818
by Jeffrey A. Fisher 
read by Mary Kane
2 cassettes
Dr. Fisher asserts that, due to several factors, resistance
to antibiotics has been developing for more than fifty of
the sixty years the drugs have been in use. He describes
fatal infectious diseases no longer responsive to
antibiotics and warns that the drugs may play a detrimental
role regarding AIDS. Includes suggested steps to avert the
catastrophe and a guide to proper antibiotic use. 1994.


Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America
RC 41273
by Elizabeth Wurtzel 
read by Mary Kane
3 cassettes
Wurtzel claims to speak for herself and for a young
generation facing major societal problems. A former
popular-music critic for the _New Yorker_, she details her
life with depression, from a despairing pre-adolescence
through suicide attempts after college. Prozac has helped
her, but she worries that its trendy reputation may minimize
the seriousness of depression. Strong language. Bestseller
1994.


Raising Lazarus
RC 39683
by Robert Jon Pensack and Dwight Arnan Williams 
read by Roy Avers
2 cassettes
A physician-psychiatrist recounts his struggle with
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, including his mother's death
from the same condition. With the help of a professional
writer, Pensack retraces years of suffering from physical
and mental problems related to his failing heart, and
describes in detail how transplant surgery combined with the
will to survive created a miracle. Strong language. 1994.


Remarkable Recovery: What Extraordinary Healings Tell Us
about Getting Well and Staying Well
RC 40615
by Caryle Hirshberg and Marc Ian Barasch 
read by Bill Wallace
3 cassettes
A medical researcher and a cancer survivor recount
unexplained recoveries and suggest how they can be studied
scientifically. The discussion includes cases in which
patients received useless treatment but improved anyway and
cases in which patients' beliefs provided the power of
healing. Bestseller 1995.


Reproductive Hazards in the Workplace: Mending Jobs,
Managing Pregnancies
RC 39464
by Regina Kenen 
read by Pat McDermott
2 cassettes
Discusses conditions in the workplace and the home that can
prove hazardous to pregnant women and to men and women
hoping to conceive. Describes legislative protection,
provides additional resources, and suggests strategies for
combatting the dangers. Among the hazards considered are
office equipment, chemicals, infections, and stress. 1993.


Sickle Cell Anemia
RC 41141
by George Beshore 
read by Bill Wallace
1 cassette
Sickle-cell anemia is an inherited disease in which the red
blood cells change from round to sickle-shaped. This
condition can cause painful symptoms and may be fatal if not
treated. The history, nature, symptoms, and treatment of the
disease are discussed, as is research for a cure. For junior
and senior high readers. 1994.


Spontaneous Healing: How to Discover and Enhance Your Body's
Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself
RC 40591
by Andrew Weil 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Weil practices
preventive medicine and directs a program for integrative
medicine. He builds a case for the existence of a healing
system by describing instances of spontaneous healing. He
explains how to optimize this system and examines
conventional and alternative treatments for managing
illness. Bestseller 1995.


The Theft of the Spirit: A Journey to Spiritual Healing with
Native Americans
RC 38955
by Carl A. Hammerschlag 
read by Phil Regensdorf
1 cassette
A psychiatrist draws on his experiences with the Indian
Health Service for this account of lessons he has learned
from native healers. Dr. Hammerschlag respects the culture
that places emphasis on treating the patient as well as the
disease and that believes that the spirit is as important as
the mind and the body. 1993.


When the Phone Rings, My Bed Shakes: Memoirs of a Deaf
Doctor
RC 41010
by Philip Zazove 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
Zazove was born hearing only vowels and a few consonants.
His parents decided to "mainstream" him rather than give him
special schooling. He describes growing up, going to medical
school, and having a family practice in Utah. Interspersed
throughout his own history are details of various cases he
has had. Dr. Zazove went on to teach at a university medical
school. 1993.


A Whole New Life
RC 38989
by Reynolds Price 
read by Phil Regensdorf
2 cassettes
Hoping to help others cope with medical problems, esteemed
author and playwright Price tells of his battle with what he
calls the lethal eel: a long tumor in his spine. Price
describes the initial symptoms and shock of diagnosis, the
blunt attitudes of medical personnel, and the decline and
constant pain that followed. Ten years after diagnosis,
having negotiated the pain through biofeedback and hypnosis,
Price appears to be winning the battle. 1994.


Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: A Guide to Stress,
Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping
RC 40516
by Robert M. Sapolsky 
read by John Rayburn
2 cassettes
A science professor explains how stress affects the human
immune, cardiovascular, digestive, and reproductive systems;
the body's response to pain; its rate of growth; and the
process of aging. Sapolsky treats the subject seriously but
uses humor and unconventional examples. He advocates
preventing psychological stress and avoiding simplistic
self-help psychology. 1994.


You Don't Have to Be Your Mother
RC 39133
by Gayle Feldman 
read by Barbara Rappaport
2 cassettes
After years of trying to conceive, forty-year-old Feldman is
eight months pregnant when she learns she has breast cancer.
Her mother died early of the same disease, as did her
husband's sister-in-law. Feldman describes her days-long
induced labor with her son, Ben, and the subsequent
mastectomy. After a cancer-free year, Feldman has a second,
prophylactic mastectomy. The book's title is from an
advertisement Feldman sees just after her diagnosis. 1994.

Music

Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival
RC 40109
by Frederic Spotts 
read by James DeLotel
3 cassettes
Overview of the cultural history of the music festival
established by Richard Wagner in 1876. Nestled in a Bavarian
village, the _Festspielhaus_ was designed to showcase
Wagner's music dramas. Spotts analyzes historic performances
and productions. He also documents connections with German
myth, nationalism, and fascism that resulted in a postwar
denazification of this shrine. 1994.


The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin
RC 40346
by Ira Gershwin 
read by Robert Sams
6 cassettes
The lyricist's collaboration with his brother, George, and
other major twentieth-century composers made him a pillar of
American music theater for more than fifty years. Arranged
in chronological order, the collection contains hundreds of
lyrics plus Gershwin's comments and anecdotes. 1993.


+Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business
RC 39868
by Dolly Parton 
read by Pam Ward
2 cassettes
Parton, born on January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in
East Tennessee, was the fourth child in a family that would
eventually number twelve children. Parton discusses her
early years, especially her schooling and love for music;
the strong ties that kept the family together; her
relationship with her best friend Judy Ogle; her rise to
fame in Nashville; and her marriage of twenty-eight years to
Carl Dean. Bestseller 1994.


Ella Fitzgerald: A Biography of the First Lady of Jazz
RC 40020
by Stuart Nicholson 
read by Gail Nelson
3 cassettes
Portrait of a musician who began her career as a jazz singer
at sixteen and later crossed over to pop songs and Broadway
music. Because Fitzgerald, who was outgoing in public but
shy in private, did not cooperate with Nicholson, he relied
on interviews with people who have known her for years. He
examines her encounters with racism in America and her rise
to international acclaim. Includes discography. 1993.


The Hank Snow Story
RC 40656
by Hank Snow and others 
read by Gary Telles
5 cassettes
Country-music legend known as the Singing Ranger tells of
early years of abuse and the comfort he found in music.
Snow's slow-moving career parallels the growth of
country-and-western music in Canada, where he was born. His
1950 Nashville Grand Ole Opry debut was disappointing, but
once he recorded "I'm Movin' On," his star began to rise.
Later he would introduce Elvis Presley. Includes a selective
discography. 1994.


Irving Berlin: A Daughter's Memoir
RC 40593
by Mary Ellin Barrett 
read by Suzanne Toren
2 cassettes
Eldest daughter of the composer of "White Christmas" and
hundreds of other popular songs traces Berlin's path to the
top of the charts. She discusses the marriage between the
uneducated Jewish Russian immigrant songwriter and his much
younger, Catholic, very wealthy bride. The author also
explores the dichotomy between the show business and social
worlds, the writer's block and prolific periods, and the
joys and sorrows that made up Berlin's 101 years. 1994.


Knowing When to Stop: A Memoir
RC 40193
by Ned Rorem 
read by Gordon Gould
5 cassettes
Autobiographical account of the early years of this Pulitzer
Prize-winning composer and author of published diaries
recounting homosexual affairs. Rorem presents his life in
chronological order, beginning with his midwestern youth,
followed by his New York years, and ending with his move to
Europe. As he reflects on his personal life, he contemplates
musical and literary style, sexual partners, friends, and
influences. 1994.


Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley
RC 40087
by Peter Guralnick 
read by Ray Foushee
4 cassettes
In the first part of a projected two-volume biography,
Guralnick describes the shy Tennessee boy who doted on his
parents, loved to sing, and took his guitar to school each
day. Elvis's quick rise to fame is detailed, as is his shock
when, though a star, he is drafted into the army. Sure that
he will soon be forgotten, Elvis is further devastated by
the death of his "best girl," his adored mother. Strong
language. 1994.


Leonard Bernstein
RC 39224
by Humphrey Burton 
read by Mitzi Friedlander
6 cassettes
Portrait of a multifaceted American musician. The author
dwells on the contrasts that made Bernstein a controversial
figure--one who seemed equally at home in the classical and
popular worlds; who was comfortable lecturing, performing,
or conducting; who alternated marriage and a family with a
homosexual private life; and whose flamboyant public image
was often at odds with his introspective and reflective
nature. 1994.


Les Paul: An American Original
RC 39699
by Mary Alice Shaughnessy 
read by Bruce Huntey
2 cassettes
The story of Les Paul is told by a reporter for _People_
magazine. Paul began his entertainment career in Waukesha,
Wisconsin, playing an electronically amplified guitar
augmented with a harmonica brace and a washtub drum. This
penchant for innovation also led Paul, later accompanied by
his wife, Mary Ford, to over-dub parts on recordings.
Resulting albums often topped the charts until the advent of
rock and roll. Some strong language. 1993.


Madonna
RC 40785
by Nicole Claro 
read by Suzanne Toren
1 cassette
Madonna and her five siblings grew up in an Italian American
suburb of Pittsburgh. She dropped out of college to move to
New York, hoping to make it as a dancer. Instead she became
a pop singer, eventually achieving a record fifteen
consecutive top-five singles. Her daring work has broken
social and sexual taboos. Madonna's short marriage to Sean
Penn and her movie career are also discussed. For junior and
senior high and older readers. 1994.


The Marriage Diaries of Robert and Clara Schumann: From
Their Wedding Day through the Russia Trip
RC 39259
by Robert and Clara Schumann 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
3 cassettes
The Schumanns took turns in making entries about everything
that touched their relationship for the first four years of
their marriage. The joint effort records happiness and
tension, the birth of children, financial problems, travel,
Robert's mental health, Clara's resumption of her concert
career, details about his compositions, and reactions to
their musical friends. 1993.


Mozart: A Life
RC 40451
by Maynard Solomon 
read by Gordon Gould
5 cassettes
The author of _Beethoven (RC 25162)_ examines the life and
music of another of history's great composers. Solomon shows
how Mozart developed from child prodigy to mature artist by
the time of his death at thirty-five. Combining musical
analysis with an in-depth study of documentary sources,
Solomon contests the "eternal child" myth, which he
attributes to Mozart's father. 1995.


My Life in Spite of Myself!
RC 38083
by Roy Clark and Marc Eliot 
read by Don Emmick
2 cassettes
Autobiography of the country music star and host of the
television show "Hee Haw." Clark, born in the depths of the
Great Depression, moved with his family to wherever they
could find work. His father, a laborer, sometimes
moonlighted playing guitar for square dances. Roy, following
in his father's footsteps, added banjo and a little comedy
to his act and soon was making a name and a living for
himself. 1994.


Opera in America: A Cultural History
RC 38311
by John Dizikes 
read by James DeLotel
5 cassettes
A general history of the American operatic scene, including
musical comedy, the musical, and operetta. Dizikes describes
opera as it was originally imported from Europe and as it
was transformed in the U.S. Amid stories of memorable
productions, splendid theaters, and great artists are tales
about backstage workers and makeshift stages, and about the
appreciative audiences who encourage the art form to
flourish. 1993.


Pablo Casals
RC 40047
by Robert Baldock 
read by Gordon Gould
3 cassettes
Portrait of the Catalonian who lived thirty-four of his
ninety-seven years in exile, yet remained forever identified
with his homeland. The author discusses Casals's political
stand against the fascists and describes his fame as a
virtuoso cellist, as a master teacher, as the founder of two
major music festivals, and as the first person to make a
solo career with the cello. 1992.


The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
RC 40079
by Maria Augusta Trapp 
read by Mitzi Friedlander
3 cassettes (Reissue)
Baroness von Trapp discusses her role as governess to seven
motherless Austrian children, her marriage to their father,
the development of the Trapp family singers, and their
concert tours in Europe and America. _The Sound of Music_ is
based on this book. 1949.


Tchaikovsky Remembered
RC 39508
by David Brown 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
2 cassettes
The introduction is followed by a chronology of
Tchaikovsky's life and works, with reference to contemporary
figures and events. Then, drawing on accounts of the popular
Russian composer written during his lifetime, the author
portrays the public and private sides of a troubled figure
who wrote operas, ballets, symphonies, and concertos, as
well as orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and piano music,
and who died under mysterious circumstances. 1993.


Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man
RC 40613
by Alexander Poznansky 
read by Ken Kliban
5 cassettes
Russian cultural and social historian creates a portrait of
the late-nineteenth-century composer. Poznansky announces
that his book is about the man who wrote the music--a story
of Tchaikovsky's life and career in pre-Revolutionary Russia
at the height of Romanticism. The author examines
Tchaikovsky's homosexual relationships as well as those with
his patroness and wife. 1991.


The Way I Was
RC 38120
by Marvin Hamlisch and Gerald Gardner 
read by Ray Hagen
2 cassettes
The musically precocious boy who was admitted to the
Juilliard School of Music at age six wrote pop songs when he
was supposedly tending to his classical music studies. But
the urge paid off in the form of impressive awards, also at
an early age. After the success of _A Chorus Line_, the
composer went through a low period. Now he happily recounts
the joy he has found in marriage, and with it a renewed
stimulus. 1992.


Wishing on the Moon: The Life and Times of Billie Holiday
RC 40612
by Donald Clarke 
read by Gail Nelson
4 cassettes
Clarke uses unpublished interviews to chronicle the jazz
singer's path to success and trace Holiday's life from her
Baltimore childhood to her death in 1959 at age forty-four.
"Lady Day's" acclaim was also accompanied by a tragic streak
of unhappy love affairs; racial discrimination; and the
physical, alcohol, and drug abuse that destroyed her health.
Some strong language. 1994.

Nature and the Environment

Born Naked
RC 38590
by Farley Mowat 
read by Michael Kramer
2 cassettes
Autobiographical account of the author's Canadian youth.
Mowat was the only child of devoted parents who afforded him
an extremely poor but idyllic boyhood. His grandfather was
an unsuccessful businessman and his father was a librarian
who preferred the great outdoors. Though shy with people,
Mowat became fearless in his exploration of the natural
world and equally free in his attempts to write about what
he observed. 1993.


The Day before America
RC 39746
by William H. MacLeish 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
The author examines the way animal life and the environment
have changed during the past 18,000 years of North American
history. Using the research of archaeologists,
paleobiologists, anthropologists, and geologists, MacLeish
addresses the human impact on this world, especially in the
areas of ecology, population growth, and culture. 1994.


Epitaph for a Desert Anarchist: The Life and Legacy of
Edward Abbey
RC 39653
by James Bishop Jr. 
read by Bill Wallace
2 cassettes
Abbey, a philosophy major and park-ranger-turned-writer,
became a cult figure through his novel, _The Monkey Wrench
Gang (RC 8933)_, and his essays. Abbey saw industrialism as
the enemy of his beloved Southwest. Against growth for
growth's sake, he inspired such groups as Earth First! to
commit acts of ecodefense. He died in 1989 and was buried
primitively in the Arizona desert. 1994.


Last Stand: A Riveting Expos of Environmental Pillage and a
Lone Journalist's Struggle to Keep Faith
RC 37679
by Richard Manning 
read by Ray Dizefalo
2 cassettes
As environmental reporter for Montana's _Missoulian_,
Manning learned that two logging companies were suspected of
undermining national environmental laws and squashing their
competition by clearing their corporate lands at an alarming
rate. Ironically, after Manning's successful expos he and
the paper parted ways because, he believes, of the logging
firms. 1991.


Ninety-nine More Maggots, Mites, and Munchers
RC 41018
by May R. Berenbaum 
read by Kerry Cundiff
2 cassettes
In the sequel to _Ninety-nine Gnats, Nits, and Nibblers (RC
31412)_, entomology professor Berenbaum focuses on more
obscure and unusual insects. She groups such characters as
cheese skippers, corn earworms, stalk-eyed flies, eye gnats,
and kissing bugs into humorous categories and provides
physical descriptions of the insects and information about
their behaviors and habitats. 1993.


The Way of the Earth: Native America and the Environment
RC 40635
by John Bierhorst 
read by Bill Wallace
2 cassettes
Scholarly investigation of Native American approaches to
safeguarding the environment, which combine beliefs and
instinctive customs with a conscious effort. Analytical
chapters focus on the unifying themes found in the myths of
various tribes. Interspersed are the texts of proverbs and
parables illustrating these principles. For high school and
older readers. 1994.


Philosophy

The Creative Spirit
RC 38706
by Daniel Goleman and others 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
Stating that creative moments are vital to everything we do
in any area of life, the authors of this companion to a 1992
PBS television series examine the nature of creativity. Dare
to be naive, learn to listen, take risks, embrace your
anxieties, make the most of every sense, and say hello and
good-bye to the voice of judgment are a few of the pointers
given by noted "creative" people including Helen Keller.
1992.


Hegel
RC 40792
by Peter Singer 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
1 cassette
A beginner's guide to the complex ideas of the Prussian-born
nineteenth-century philosopher George Wilhelm Friedrich
Hegel. Singer discusses Hegel's philosophy of history, his
views of freedom and society, his concept of logic, and what
many believe to be Hegel's most challenging work, _The
Phenomenology of Mind_. 1983.


Marx
RC 39370
by Peter Singer 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
1 cassette
Introductory biography of the nineteenth-century
philosopher. In an effort to explain the central vision of
Marx's thought, Singer discusses Marx's early writings and
his materialist concept of history and economic theory of
capital. He also assesses Marx's relevance in the late
twentieth century. 1980.


Well Done! The Common Guy's Guide to Everyday Success
RC 40573
by Dave Thomas and Ron Beyma 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
Wendy's Restaurant founder Dave Thomas offers insight into
how ordinary people--like himself--can achieve success by
doing the right things. Thomas, a strong advocate for
adoption and an adoptee himself, did not graduate from high
school until 1993. He offers his own program for achievement
through positive thinking, honesty, hard work, and spiritual
nourishment. 1994.

Poetry

Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
RC 41267
edited by Miguel Algarn and Bob Holman 
read by Peter Gil
3 cassettes
Describes the Manhattan cafe where Puerto Rican and other
poets present their works. Includes 260 poems with notes on
the authors. Sample titles: "Twas the Night before Chinese
New Year's," "This Jerk I'm Obsessed With," "You Jump
First." Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions
of sex. Winner of 1994 American Book Award from the Before
Columbus Foundation. 1994.


_Always a Reckoning_ and Other Poems
RC 40426
by Jimmy Carter 
read by John Stratton
1 cassette
Poems about people, places, politics, and private lives by
the thirty-ninth president of the United States. In
"Rachel," Carter reflects on his tender feelings toward a
neighbor when he was a child. In "My First Try for Votes," a
constituent humbles and amuses the candidate in one bold
stroke. And in the title poem, an autobiographical
narrative, he speaks of learning the need in "all things ...
to balance out." 1995.


American Poetry; The Nineteenth Century, Volume 2: Herman
Melville to Trumbull Stickney, American Indian Poetry, Folk
Songs and Spirituals
RC 38790
selected by John Hollander 
read by Mary Kane
6 cassettes
This volume presents mid- and late-nineteenth-century poems
by Herman Melville and Emily Dickinson; song lyrics such as
"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" by Stephen Foster and
"America the Beautiful" by Katharine Lee Bates; and a
generous sampling of poems by Native and African Americans.
1993.


The Angel of History
RC 41048
by Carolyn Forch 
read by Suzanne Toren
1 cassette
A book-length poem in five sections in which the angel of
history reflects on earlier years in the twentieth century,
giving voice to the people who are remembered. The resulting
"meditation on memory" speaks of "times . . . when French
was the secret music of the street," "children were taken to
Auschwitz in Poland," and on the bank of a river a weeping
willow etched "its memory of their faces [the people of
Hiroshima] into the water." 1994.


The Book of Light: Poems
RC 41427
by Lucille Clifton 
read by Melissa Maxwell
1 cassette
Short, free-form, often untitled poems. Some are about
living people and real places, and others are about
mythical, biblical, and even comic-book characters from the
past. The collection begins with a list of ways light is
refracted. Then individual poems are grouped into three
categories: reflection, lightning bolt, and splendor. 1993.


Collected Earlier Poems
RC 40172
by Anthony Hecht 
read by Gordon Gould
2 cassettes
The complete texts of _The Hard Hours_ (1967), which won the
Pulitzer Prize; _Millions of Strange Shadows_ (1977); and
_The Venetian Vespers_ (1979); along with selections from _A
Summoning of Stones_ (1954), Hecht's first poetry
collection. There are love poems, lyrical poems, narratives,
dramatic monologues, and laments and subjects ranging from
Plato to the ghost in the martini. 1990.


Don Juan
RC 39523
by Lord Byron 
read by Gordon Gould
6 cassettes
Epic poem based on the legend of Don Juan. Byron's hero is a
young, handsome, adventurous, shallow, and philandering man,
whose escapades land him in endless difficulties, but not
without many a good time along the way. Written entirely in
eight-line stanzas, the epic was begun in 1818, and the
seventeenth part was published just weeks before Byron's
death. The poem is a satire on societal follies and
pretensions. 1824.


Every Shut Eye Ain't Asleep: An Anthology of Poetry by
African Americans since 1945
RC 40432
edited by Michael S. Harper and Anthony Walton 
read by Gail Nelson
2 cassettes
This anthology presents African American poets whose works
are "ethnically unidentifiable" as well as those whose poems
are "identifiably black." A profile introduces each poet.
Some poets are represented by a single poem, others by a
generous sampling. All the poets were born between between
1913 and 1962, and all have published at least one book.
1994.


The Ghost Trio: Poems
RC 41011
by Linda Bierds 
read by David Palmer
1 cassette
The title poem introduces three eighteenth-century
characters who appear to have little in common. Later poems
reveal connections among the original trio as these "ghost"
figures from the past influence future generations. For
example, an ancestor of Charles Darwin observes a Dutch
painting and muses about the fish in a frozen pond as
skaters glide above them, much as Darwin himself later
pondered such relationships. 1994.


Hinge and Sign: Poems, 1968-1993
RC 40572
by Heather McHugh 
read by Carole Jordan Stewart
1 cassette
Twenty-eight new poems along with selections from five
previous books trace the development of this poet over
twenty-five years. In a brief introduction, McHugh writes
that "to be a writer with a reader is rather like being,
oneself, of two minds, at every turn: hinge and sign." And,
in one of her more playful moods, "eloquent is just a mess
of hinge and sign: a MO where the TEL is not yet fallen off
. . ." Some strong language. 1994.


In a Time of Violence
RC 39404
by Eavan Boland 
read by Terry Donnelly
1 cassette
An Irish poet explores memory, politics, myths, and the
world of women. Boland introduces this volume with a tribute
to a group of women singers who face unrelenting hardships
"rejoicing in finding a voice where they found a vision."
Poems in a section called "Legends" capture a moment in a
neighborhood at dusk when things are getting ready to happen
out of sight and limn the intensity of loving parents with a
dying child. 1994.


Like Most Revelations: New Poems
RC 40111
by Richard Howard 
read by Fred Major
1 cassette
The collection begins with a lyric title poem about the
process of creating poetry. This is followed by
"Occupations," an extended monologue in the form of a letter
from artist Bonnard to Matisse about the fate of their
Jewish art dealer during World War II. Then come twenty-six
shorter poems and another monologue, "Man Who Beat Up
Homosexuals Reported to Have AIDS Virus," presented as a
letter from an AIDS victim. Descriptions of sex and some
strong language. 1994.


Looking for Your Name: A Collection of Contemporary Poems
RC 40715
selected by Paul B. Janeczko 
read by Jim Zeiger
1 cassette
Anthology of poems by contemporary writers. Focusing on
conflict in a range of situations, the poems are designed to
evoke strong emotions. The opening poem recalls a
first-grader's eagerness in raising his hand to be called on
for the answer. Other poems deal with such topics as
suicide, AIDS, nuclear accidents, and the swift passage of
life. Some strong language. For high school and older
readers. 1993.


Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems
RC 39100
by Yusef Komunyakaa 
read by Jim Zeiger
1 cassette
Winner of 1993 Pulitzer Prize. A dozen new poems capture a
southern childhood and memories of two women talking the
"blues" in the kitchen or out finding a cache of wild fruit.
Older selections reveal the African American poet's hurt
when he is mistaken for something he is not or when he has
to kill the enemy in Vietnam. Some strong language. 1993.


Phenomenal Woman
RC 40783
by Maya Angelou 
read by Gail Nelson
1 cassette
The author of _I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (RC 24959)_
and the poem read at President Clinton's inauguration, _On
the Pulse of the Morning (RC 36169)_, presents four poems
that celebrate women: "Phenomenal Woman," "Still I Rise,"
"Weekend Glory," and "Our Grandmothers." Bestseller 1994.


Randall Jarrell: The Complete Poems
RC 40083
by Randall Jarrell 
read by David Palmer
2 cassettes
Collects Jarrell's previously published poems and his
translations of some Rainer Maria Rilke poems. An
introduction explains possibly unfamiliar allusions. In the
opening poem, "A Girl in a Library," an observer ponders a
girl who has fallen asleep over her books and, after weaving
poetic fantasies about her, imagines that when asked what
she is doing there, she answers plainly "I'm studying."
1969.


Selected Poems
RC 40038
by Rita Dove 
read by Robin Miles
1 cassette
In an introduction the author--a Poet Laureate and Pulitzer
Prize-winning African American woman--explains how she
became a writer, first in prose and then in an
autobiographical poem, "In the Old Neighborhood." The
remaining selections consist of the complete texts of three
earlier works--"The Yellow House on the Corner," "Museum,"
and "Thomas and Beulah"--that show the depth and progression
of her voice. 1993.


A Silence Opens: Poems
RC 39748
by Amy Clampitt 
read by Mitzi Friedlander
1 cassette
In some of these twenty-eight poems, Clampitt observes
aspects of nature, everyday events, and familiar people and
places. In others, she ponders more mystical topics, such as
the voice of an opera diva, space travel, spring rituals,
and poetic thoughts. The collection ends with "The Silence,"
in which preoccupations, questions, fears, pleasures,
memories, and dreams open to a great silence. 1993.


Stardust otel: Poems
RC 39469
by Paul B. Janeczko 
read by David Palmer
1 cassette
Leary, who describes his parents as "flower children,
Woodstock lovers," is nearly fifteen. These thirty poems
tell of his life, his friends, and the residents of the
Stardust otel (the H fell off when he was born and has never
been replaced) owned by his parents. For junior and senior
high readers. 1993.

Psychology and Self Help

And Always Tomorrow
RC 38692
by Sarah E. Lorenz 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes (Reissue)
A mother's account of her family's struggle when the oldest
son becomes mentally ill. The family faces social stigma,
the problem of finding a good psychiatrist, the decision of
whom to believe, financial difficulty, and the challenge of
keeping faith. 1963.


Breakdown: Sex, Suicide, and the Harvard Psychiatrist
RC 39029
by Eileen McNamara 
read by Celeste Lawson
3 cassettes
After he entered Harvard Medical School, Paul Lozano
experienced symptoms of depression and sought the help of
psychiatrist Margaret Bean-Bayog. Declaring that Lozano had
been abused as a child, she began an unusual
therapy--mothering him. Shortly before Lozano committed
suicide, his visiting sister discovered pages of sexual
fantasies written by Bean-Bayog. Explicit descriptions of
sex and some strong language. 1994.


The Celestine Prophecy: An Experiential Guide
RC 40460
by James Redfield and Carol Adrienne 
read by Erik Sandvold
2 cassettes
Designed as a self-study guide to the nine spiritual
insights discussed in _The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure
(RC 38075)_. Explores gaining a fuller understanding of life
experiences by following hunches, taking advantage of
coincidental opportunities, and sensing an active higher
spiritual presence in one's life. Bestseller 1995.


+Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart
and Rekindle the Spirit
RC 39870
by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen 
read by Bill Wallace
2 cassettes
Collection of true stories, poems, and several checklists
that readers might use to help them through bad times. The
seven sections include love, parenting, living your dream,
and overcoming obstacles. They include works by Bennett
Cerf, Art Buchwald, Robert Fulghum, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Bestseller 1993.


The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating
RC 39690
by David M. Buss 
read by Bruce Huntey
2 cassettes
Relying on an international study, the author concludes that
"instinct" plays a greater role in human mating behavior
than has previously been acknowledged. Buss addresses topics
such as what men and women want; how each views casual sex;
and how to attract, keep, or break up with a partner. He
stresses the deep bonds that unite humans in contrast to the
superficial differences that separate the sexes. 1994.


Freud
RC 40135
by Anthony Storr 
read by Ed Blake
1 cassette
A psychotherapist presents an overview of Freud's
psychoanalytic theory. Storr sketches historical background,
including biographical information about Freud, basic to
understanding the theory. He also surveys the main features
of psychoanalysis and evaluates Freudian ideas from the
perspective of contemporary research. 1989.


From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives
RC 40545
by Robert Fulghum 
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
"From beginning to end, the rituals of our lives shape each
hour, day, and year." Fulghum examines these various public
and private rituals, describing some in great detail. He
begins with daily morning rituals and goes on to discuss the
rites of adoption, marriage, funerals, meetings, and
welcoming of new neighbors. Bestseller 1995.


How to Argue and Win Every Time: At Home, at Work, in Court,
Everywhere, Every Day
RC 40599
by Gerry Spence 
read by John Stratton
2 cassettes
Spence, a noted trial attorney, has not lost a criminal case
in forty years. Wanting to share what he's learned, he
identifies disabling locks to the art of arguing and offers
enabling keys. He details the structure, preparation, and
technique of the winning argument and explains when to use
these skills and how to apply them in different situations.
Bestseller 1995.


I Want More of Everything
RC 40265
by Eda LeShan 
read by Jill Ferris
1 cassette
Sequel to _It's Better to Be over the Hill Than under It (RC
33172)_. This collection of seventy-seven essays, drawn for
the most part from LeShan's weekly column in _Newsday_,
continues her thoughts on growing old. She writes about
needing afternoon naps, taking risks, creating a family,
feeling passion, rewriting the address book, letting go of
the past, making brave decisions, and retiring. 1994.


In Search of Stones: A Pilgrimage of Faith, Reason, and
Discovery
RC 40442
by M. Scott Peck 
read by Peter Johnson
3 cassettes
In 1992 Peck and his wife, Lily, set out to explore the
megalithic monuments of England, Scotland, and Wales. Peck
views this record of three wonderful weeks as an account of
himself--the closest he will ever get to an autobiography.
Each day's report includes his musings on topics such as
romance, peace, holiness, gratitude, time, aging, addiction,
despair, death, money, and parenthood. Bestseller 1995.


In the Company of My Sisters: Black Women and Self-Esteem
RC 41056
by Julia A. Boyd 
read by Connie Winston
1 cassette
A psychotherapist and feminist offers understanding and
encouragement to black women facing racism and low
self-esteem. She illustrates her advice with anecdotes from
her own experience and comments from her women friends.
Presenting psychological concepts with frankness and humor,
Boyd discusses relationships with other black women, family,
men, and God. Some descriptions of sex. 1993.


Life and How to Survive It
RC 41007
by Robin Skynner and John Cleese 
read by David Palmer
3 cassettes
Comic Cleese and psychiatrist Skynner present dialogs in
which they analyze people and groups they believe to be
truly healthy, explore the usefulness of religion, and
speculate on the possibility of an afterlife. Psychological
theory is explained in a lighthearted, conversational style
and illustrated with examples. 1993.


Lives and Letters in American Parapsychology: A Biographical
History, 1850-1987
RC 40100
by Arthur S. Berger 
read by James DeLotel
3 cassettes
Traces the development of the field of parapsychology
through scientific investigation into claims of extrasensory
perception, telepathy, spiritualism, clairvoyance, and
poltergeists. Stories of the lives and accomplishments of
the major figures are inserted into a chronology of
historical events. 1988.


The Moral Animal: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
RC 41255
by Robert Wright 
read by Faith Potts
4 cassettes
A _New Republic_ senior editor writes in popular style about
an evolutionary basis for human morality. Using Charles
Darwin's theories and illustrating with examples from the
Victorian naturalist's life, Wright argues that moral
behavior evolved through natural selection with an aim of
passing on the individual's genes. 1994.


No One Saw My Pain: Why Teens Kill Themselves
RC 40127
by Andrew E. Slaby and Lili Frank Garfinkel 
read by Bruce Huntey
2 cassettes
The authors assert more than 5,000 youths in the United
States kill themselves every year and many others try.
Doctor Slaby, who has treated depressed and suicidal teens
since 1972, has learned much from the families of those
teens. To illustrate the importance of proper treatment of
depressed youth, Slaby presents the stories of eight teens
and their families. Some strong language. 1994.


On the Edge of Darkness: Conversations about Conquering
Depression
RC 39731
by Kathy Cronkite 
read by Carole Jordan Stewart
2 cassettes
Having long battled depression herself, Cronkite uses her
experience and those of noted people who share her illness
to describe what depression is and the effect it has on
people. Her interviewees include Mike Wallace, Dick Clark,
Kitty Dukakis, John Kenneth Galbraith, and Rod Steiger.
Their explanations are interspersed with those of medical
specialists. Some strong language. 1994.


Over the Top
RC 39887
by Zig Ziglar 
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
To illustrate his point that the right kind of passion can
lead to success, motivational speaker Ziglar provides
stories of "average people whose accomplishments have
dramatically exceeded their abilities." Calling this book a
training tool, he gives guidelines to develop and direct
"passion founded on an ethical, moral base," which he
believes will help build the positive attitude needed for a
fulfilling life. 1994.


Pardon My Dust--I'm Remodeling: Build Your Character,
Experience Your Self-Esteem
RC 38905
by Casey Chaney 
read by Graci Ragsdale
1 cassette
A guidebook intended for individuals who have tried many
kinds of self-help programs without first understanding
self-esteem. The author points out ways to achieve
happiness, prosperity, health, and freedom by making the
right choices. Casey suggests how to overcome fear; to
experience the power of honesty, generosity, and goodwill;
and to actively enjoy the unexpected returns. 1990.


Peripheral Visions: Learning along the Way
RC 39718
by Mary Catherine Bateson 
read by Janis Gray
2 cassettes
An anthropologist's examination of a lifetime of learning.
Bateson, author of _Composing a Life (RC 34953)_, reflects
on diverse experiences that created opportunities for her
own intellectual growth and draws on those personal
multicultural encounters to suggest a lifelong pattern of
learning for everyone. 1994.


The Politics of Cruelty: An Essay on the Literature of
Political Imprisonment
RC 39027
by Kate Millett 
read by Kimberly Schraf
2 cassettes
Author of _Sexual Politics (RC 14652)_ and _The Loony Bin
Trip (RC 32258)_ surveys the modern history of physical and
psychological torture and its use in citizen control.
Beginning with Stalin and Hitler, Millett gives specific
examples of where torture has been used on incarcerated
individuals such as black South Africans and victims in
South America, Asia, and the Middle East. 1994.


Psychic Sleuths: ESP and Sensational Cases
RC 40269
edited by Joe Nickell 
read by Bill Wallace
2 cassettes
Psychic sleuths claim to possess mental powers beyond
reasoning and ordinary sensory aptitudes that enable them to
discover persons who have disappeared or committed crimes.
To take an in-depth, skeptical look at this phenomenon,
former magician and private detective Nickell assembled a
team of investigators and assigned each a well-known psychic
for a year. Chapters report the inquirers' findings. 1994.


Real Moments
RC 39632
by Barbara De Angelis 
read by Yvonne Fair Tessler
2 cassettes
Talk show host believes that "we have become experts at
preparing to live, but have a difficult time fully enjoying
the process of being alive, right now." Although planning
and achieving goals can bring satisfaction, real happiness
can only be achieved by experiencing the present. Drawing
from her own spiritual learning experience, De Angelis
provides tips on learning this skill. Bestseller 1994.


A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 More
Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit
RC 40454
by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen 
read by Bill Wallace
2 cassettes
The authors provide a second group of anecdotes to "warm
your heart, soothe your soul, and buoy your emotions."
Covers topics such as parenting, personal attitude, dreams,
love, death, teaching, and overcoming obstacles. Companion
to _Chicken Soup for the Soul (RC 39870)_. Bestseller 1995.


The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to
the Fulfillment of Your Dreams
RC 40751
by Deepak Chopra 
read by Yolande Bavan
1 cassette
Asserts that everything in existence is created according to
certain laws of nature. The author explains how following
the same principles can lead to human success or the
fulfillment of one's desires. Bestseller 1994.


Talking from 9 to 5: How Women's and Men's Conversational
Styles Affect Who Gets Heard, Who Gets Credit, and What Gets
Done at Work
RC 40009
by Deborah Tannen 
read by Catherine Byers
3 cassettes
Author of _You Just Don't Understand (RC 32031)_ discusses
how conversational style can affect the way a person is
understood. Tannen uses an office setting to explain how
differences in geographic, economic, and ethnic backgrounds,
as well as gender, can affect how well men and women
communicate. Bestseller 1994.


Unchained Memories: True Stories of Traumatic Memories, Lost
and Found
RC 40659
by Lenore Terr 
read by Carole Jordan Stewart
3 cassettes
To show how childhood trauma can be forgotten and how and
why the memories return, psychiatrist Terr presents stories
about people who recalled traumatic episodes from their
childhood. She includes one tale about a false remembrance
and another in which Eileen Franklin remembers her father
killing her best friend twenty years earlier. Some strong
language and some violence. 1994.


What Your Mother Couldn't Tell You and Your Father Didn't
Know: Advanced Relationship Skills for Better Communication
and Lasting Intimacy
RC 40191
by John Gray 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
Gray believes that times have changed a great deal since
most parents were young, and their advice may no longer be
the best. He discusses why relationship problems exist, how
changing gender roles can have an effect, how to become a
successful listener, and how natural changes occur between a
couple. 1994.


You Are Not Alone: Words of Experience and Hope for the
Journey through Depression
RC 38929
by Julia Thorne and Larry Rothstein 
read by Jeanne Evans
1 cassette
In 1980, at the age of thirty-six, Thorne was just minutes
away from taking her own life. She was emotionally,
physically, and spiritually exhausted by depression. In this
book, Thorne integrates her story with those of other
sufferers to advise persons who experience depression on the
positive choices they can make. 1993.

Religion

Angels
RC 40662
by Billy Graham 
read by Randy Atcher
1 cassette (Reissue)
The world-famous clergyman suggests that angels have a more
important place in the Bible than the devil or his demons.
Graham also believes that angels are sent by God to watch
over and protect his people. 1975.


The Christian Philosopher
RC 39554
by Cotton Mather 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
5 cassettes
First published in 1721, this is the first book on science
by an American. Mather, a Puritan cleric, examined
scientific and religious sources extensively prior to
forming his conclusions about the compatibility of science
and religion. This edition includes an introduction to
Mather's treatise, placing it in its colonial context and
discussing its influence on subsequent intellectual and
cultural life. 1994.


Confessions: Books 1-13
RC 39444
by Augustine 
read by Patrick Horgan
3 cassettes
The first nine books take Augustine from his birth in
fourth-century Roman North Africa through his conversion to
Christianity and baptism in Milan at the age of
thirty-three. In the final four books, Augustine, who is by
now a Catholic bishop, examines the nature of God and
prayer, ponders such mysteries as creation, and interprets
the Holy Scriptures. 1993.


Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and
the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-first Century
RC 40795
by Harvey Cox 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
Professor of religion at Harvard University examines the
resurgence of religion throughout the world and the reasons
so many people are attracted to the Pentecostal movement.
Cox, who visited Pentecostal congregations and participated
in services on four continents, provides a history of the
movement from its beginnings in Los Angeles in 1906. 1995.


God Is Red: A Native View of Religion; the Classic Work
Updated
RC 39696
by Vine Deloria Jr. 
read by Randy Atcher
3 cassettes
The Native American religious view locates the human species
within the fabric of life that constitutes the natural
world, the land, and all the various forms of life.
Professor Deloria contrasts respect for the sacredness of
places with the Christian view of the world as a testing
ground of abstract morality. He believes the survival of the
planet depends on a radical shift in religious viewpoint.
1994.


God of My Father: A Son's Reflections on His Father's Walk
of Faith
RC 39682
by Larry Crabb Jr. and Lawrence Crabb Sr. 
read by Jack Fox
1 cassette
In 1988, while visiting his parents, Larry Crabb came across
a notebook in which his father had scribbled his "midnight
ramblings." Crabb presents these observations, which gave
him an insight into the man who has been his mentor for
about fifty years, and adds his own thoughts on how his
father's life has influenced him. 1994.


The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae)
RC 41275
by John Paul II 
read by Bob Moore
1 cassette
Pope John Paul II's Encyclical Letter of March 25, 1995,
regarding abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, ecology,
and biological engineering. Bestseller 1995.


Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of
Medicine
RC 39215
by Larry Dossey 
read by Andy Chappell
2 cassettes
A physician describes his search for scientific proof of the
healing effects of prayer. Citing the results of numerous
case studies and experiments, the author discusses why he
believes prayer enhances good medicine and speculates on the
possibility of adverse side effects. Bestseller 1993.


The Knights of Malta
RC 40609
by H.J.A. Sire 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
3 cassettes
History of the Order of St. John, a religious military order
founded in Jerusalem in the eleventh century. The author
traces the development of this multinational brotherhood
that offers hospitality to pilgrims. He also describes their
political, economic, and cultural legacies. And he
highlights the resurgence of this mainly European Catholic
order, which presently numbers 10,000 knights and is headed
by an Englishman. 1994.


Love's Mind: An Essay on Contemplative Life
RC 38125
by John S. Dunne 
read by David Impastato
1 cassette
Author reflects that American life tends not to be
contemplative, and avers that if one chooses to journey into
the realm of the contemplative, one may find answers to the
violence and loneliness that permeate the culture. Dunne
leads would-be explorers into the worlds of literature,
music, and art on their quest for what he believes is the
missing element in their lives--union with the love of God.
1993.


More than a Carpenter
RC 38973
by Josh McDowell 
read by Randy Atcher
1 cassette
Josh McDowell used to think that Christians were "out of
their minds" to believe that Jesus Christ was God. He has
changed his beliefs and now he argues with those who believe
as he once did. Here he discusses what he believes makes
Jesus so different from other religious leaders, the
Biblical records on which belief is founded, and how Jesus
Christ changed his life. 1977.


Native American Religions: An Introduction
RC 40260
by Denise Lardner Carmody and John Tully Carmody 
read by Bill Wallace
3 cassettes
The Carmodys describe the traditions of North American
Indians from the eastern woodlands, Far North, Plains,
Southwest, and Far West. They also cover the beliefs of
natives of Mesoamerica and South America. Each chapter has
the same format, offering historical background and
discussing views on nature, self, spirituality, and ultimate
reality. Includes study questions. 1993.


Never Alone: A Personal Way to God
RC 38921
by Joseph F. Girzone 
read by Phil Regensdorf
1 cassette
Retired Catholic priest and author of the Joshua series,
Girzone stresses his conviction of understanding and
emulating how Jesus lived and what he believed. He portrays
Jesus as a happy person, free from the grip of material
things, unhealthy attachments to people, obsessive hang-ups,
or neurotic needs. To cultivate a relationship with Jesus,
Girzone prescribes a "detached kind of prayer" rather than a
demand for immediate response. 1994.


Paul
RC 38982
by E.P. Sanders 
read by Phil Regensdorf
2 cassettes
A professor of religion draws on the apostle Paul's letters
and the Book of Acts for an interpretation of the life and
work of the first-century Jewish follower of Christ. Sanders
views Paul as a missionary of the gospel, eager to unite
Jews and Gentiles in his faith. Topics the author touches on
include righteousness, the resurrection of the dead, the
humanity and divinity of Christ, salvation, Christian
behavior, and Jewish law. 1991.


Putting Away Childish Things: The Virgin Birth, the Empty
Tomb, and Other Fairy Tales You Don't Need to Believe to
Have a Living Faith
RC 41044
by Uta Ranke-Heinemann 
read by Gordon Gould
3 cassettes
The author, a professor of religion in Germany, believes the
New Testament is full of improbability and impossibility.
She examines Catholic beliefs regarding Christmas, Easter,
and the Ascension, along with beliefs about the Virgin Mary.
Further, she discusses uncovering the truths buried beneath
the "tales." 1994.


The Revenge of God: The Resurgence of Islam, Christianity,
and Judaism in the Modern World
RC 39461
by Gilles Kepel 
read by Lou Harpenau
2 cassettes
Extended essay by a French scholar examines a growing
reaffirmation of faith among Islamic, Christian (Protestant
and Catholic), and Judaic radicals. The author is convinced
that such movements reflect a rejection of modernity and
secularism. Kepel also suggests that there is a renewal of
respect for sacred texts as a source of guidance for
personal and political conduct. 1991.


The Sacred Chain: The History of the Jews
RC 40168
by Norman F. Cantor 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
4 cassettes
Cantor fears that the "sacred chain" (the centuries-old
continuity of the Jewish people) may be broken within the
next century. He states that "Jews have served their own
purpose . . . and are no longer . . . needed as a distinct
race." To explain these conclusions, Cantor discusses the
origins and diversity of Jews, their decline and regrowth,
and their possible extinction through assimilation and
intermarriage. 1994.


Storm Warning
RC 38963
by Billy Graham 
read by Jeff Halberstadt
2 cassettes
An evangelist warns that the biblical signs of the coming
Apocalypse are close at hand and recites a litany of social
problems that are causes for alarm. But he also finds hope
in the world, particularly in light of unfolding events in
Russia. Graham challenges Christians to make a stronger
commitment to their faith in preparation for the fight
against evil in the world. 1992.


This Year in Jerusalem
RC 41454
by Mordecai Richler 
read by Ken Kliban
2 cassettes
Richler was born and raised as a Zionist in Montreal,
Canada, but he did not "make aliyah" with many of his
friends. He looks at the effect his last-minute decision not
to go to Israel has had on his life, especially in relation
to the Israeli culture he found on visits in 1962 and again
in 1992. Richler, a noted author and playwright, finds his
roots as much in his Canadian experiences as in his
Jewishness. 1994.


Where Angels Walk
RC 40793
by Joan Wester Anderson 
read by Robin Miles
2 cassettes
After the author's son was stranded in a dangerous place and
rescued by a tow truck that then mysteriously vanished, she
began researching angels in earnest. Anderson concludes that
one of the three basic purposes of angels is to act as
caretakers. She presents the stories people have submitted
to her about angels they believe have helped them. The
stories describe appearances by these spirits as adults,
children, dogs, or disembodied voices. Bestseller 1992.


"With Bleeding Footsteps": Mary Baker Eddy's Path to
Religious Leadership
RC 40077
by Robert David Thomas 
read by Janis Gray
4 cassettes
Places the founder of Christian Science in historical
perspective, analyzing Eddy's life and work in the context
of her nineteenth-century rural New England background.
Thomas, trained in psychoanalysis, also explains Eddy's
behavior in light of family relationships and circumstances
that led her to embrace spiritual healing beliefs. 1994.


The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life
RC 41006
by Charles Stanley 
read by Lou Harpenau
2 cassettes
Stanley, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta,
Georgia, believes humanity is hopeless without help from a
higher power--the third person of the Trinity, the Holy
Spirit. Using anecdotes and teachings from the Bible,
Stanley shows how believers can develop a relationship with
Jesus Christ and go from living an "adequate" life to living
a "spirit-filled" life. 1992.

Science and Technology

Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy
RC 40443
by Kip S. Thorne 
read by Christopher Hurt
5 cassettes
Thorne writes for nonscientists and scientists who are not
physicists in a quest to share his insights about "where and
how relativity fails and what replaces it." He combines
established principles of physics with imaginative
speculation to examine concepts, such as black holes, that
were developed theoretically long before technology was able
to provide any observable evidence. 1994.


The Christian Philosopher
RC 39554
by Cotton Mather 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
5 cassettes
First published in 1721, this is the first book on science
by an American. Mather, a Puritan cleric, examined
scientific and religious sources extensively prior to
forming his conclusions about the compatibility of science
and religion. This edition includes an introduction to
Mather's treatise, placing it in its colonial context and
discussing its influence on subsequent intellectual and
cultural life. 1994.


Einstein: A Life in Science
RC 40154
by Michael White and John Gribbin 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
Combines explanations of physics in lay language with a
portrait of the personal life of one of the most
recognizable names in the scientific world. One author
chronicles the successes and failures of Einstein's career;
the other examines the public and private side of the man
whose name is a symbol for genius. Suggested reading by the
same authors: _Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science (RC
36026)_. 1993.


The End of Evolution: On Mass Extinctions and the
Preservation of Biodiversity
RC 41203
by Peter Ward 
read by Gary Telles
3 cassettes
Tells of the earth's two mass extinctions in which periods
of intense species death completely reorganized ecosystems
on land and sea. The first was characterized by glaciers and
continental drift. In the second, asteroids and tidal waves
brought an end to the Age of Dinosaurs. Ward argues that the
earth is now in a third major extinction episode that will
end the Age of Mammals. 1994.


Galileo: A Life
RC 39578
by James Reston Jr. 
read by Ken Kliban
3 cassettes
Biography of the sixteenth-century Italian genius who was
persecuted by the Catholic hierarchy for his scientific
convictions. The author creates a portrait of this
Renaissance man going about his business, yet preoccupied
with political, scientific, and religious matters. Reston
turns a telescope (one of Galileo's inventions) back on the
mad scientist who had a notion that the earth revolves
around the sun. 1994.


Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration
RC 40360
by Bert Hlldobler and Edward O. Wilson 
read by Terence Aselford
2 cassettes
The authors are two of the world's fewer than 500
myrmecologists, scientists who study ants. They discuss
their passion for an insect that numbers ten thousand
trillion, rivaling humans as the world's dominant organism;
describe the workings of ant colonies, which are actually
super-organisms; and explain how ants use chemicals to
communicate. 1994.


Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13
RC 40691
by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger 
read by L.J. Ganser
3 cassettes
Apollo 13 was to have been the fifth mission to the moon.
But two days into the trip, on April 13, 1970, the oxygen
tank exploded in the command module, placing the three
astronauts in grave danger. Lovell describes those
terrifying days as astronauts, contractors, and Mission
Control struggled to bring Apollo 13 safely back to earth.
Basis for the movie _Apollo 13_. Bestseller 1994.


The Making of a Soviet Scientist: My Adventures in Nuclear
Fusion and Space from Stalin to Star Wars
RC 39700
by Roald Z. Sagdeev 
read by Butch Hoover
3 cassettes
Former director of the Soviet Space Research Institute
reflects on his struggle to pursue scientific objectives
when it seemed that the political, the military, and the
space science communities had different agendas in mind.
Sagdeev, who married President Eisenhower's granddaughter,
chronicles his path from a Soviet nuclear research lab to an
American academic post. 1994.


A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
RC 39809
by Andrew Chaikin 
read by Terence Aselford
5 cassettes
Science writer Chaikin spent ten years compiling this
detailed chronicle of the Apollo missions. All of the
surviving astronauts were interviewed, as well as many
others associated with the program. In addition, transcripts
provided Chaikin with the astronauts' conversations within
the command module. Appendixes include Apollo mission data
and astronaut biographical information. Some strong
language. 1994.


Mathsemantics: Making Numbers Talk Sense
RC 39019
by Edward MacNeal 
read by Ray Brown
2 cassettes
Market researcher MacNeal discusses the interaction of two
fields of inquiry: mathematics and semantics. Using examples
from a recruitment quiz devised for employees working with
numbers, MacNeal explains such mathsemantic problems as
adding apples and oranges and figuring out the safe carrying
capacity of the earth. His hope is to give an "elegant, new,
semantically oriented way of dealing with numbers." 1994.


A Matter of Choices: Memoirs of a Female Physicist
RC 39502
by Fay Ajzenberg-Selove 
read by Suzanne Toren
2 cassettes
A nuclear physicist reveals her struggle for acceptance in a
profession once almost totally dominated by males. The
author describes how at first she was protected from
discrimination but still had to fight on her own to earn
tenure. On the personal side, she recalls her battle with
breast cancer, her enjoyment of the camaraderie among
colleagues, and her joy in teaching as well as in a happy
marriage. 1994.


A Natural History of Shells
RC 39456
by Geerat J. Vermeij 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
The study of shells from a biological point of view. Vermeij
is concerned with the evolutionary history of shells. He
studies the anatomy, adaptation, and distribution of shells
and explains that shells can be shaped by geology,
geographical location, and predators. 1993.


Naturalist
RC 40091
by Edward O. Wilson 
read by Butch Hoover
3 cassettes
From the age of seven, Wilson wanted to be a scientist. Some
of his happiest times were spent exploring the creeks and
woods of Alabama and Florida. It was during one of these
trips that a fishing accident left him blind in one eye and
helped determine his career choice. Wilson looks at his
childhood, his growth as a naturalist (thanks in part to his
lifelong fascination with bugs), and the evolution of
sociobiology, a field he pioneered. 1994.


The Neandertals: Changing the Image of Mankind
RC 38670
by Erik Trinkaus and Pat Shipman 
read by Ken Kliban
4 cassettes
The authors trace the stormy path of scientific studies
since the 1856 discovery of Neandertal remains in a German
valley. Trinkaus and Shipman reveal how the debate has taken
many detours, often depending upon researchers' positions on
human evolution or religious beliefs. 1992.


The Origin of Humankind
RC 39786
by Richard Leakey 
read by Ronald B. Meyer
1 cassette
The author traces the history of evolution theories and
draws on his scientific analysis of human fossils to explain
human origins. Leakey's position is that in spite of what
certain evolutionary events suggest, it is social behavior,
not mechanical devices like tools, that drives the
evolutionary force. 1994.


Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
RC 40718
by Carl Sagan 
read by Bob Butz
3 cassettes
Sequel to _Cosmos (RC 15796)_, which is about human attempts
to understand the universe from the vantage point of Earth,
continues with a view of Earth from the perspective of
space. The popular astronomer and author examines the claim
that "our world and species are unique, and even central to
the workings and purpose of the Cosmos," and concludes with
an optimistic look at a future beyond our planet. Bestseller
1994.


The Science of Desire: The Search for the Gay Gene and the
Biology of Behavior
RC 41081
by Dean Hamer and Peter Copeland 
read by Bob Moore
2 cassettes
Disagreeing with those who believe sexuality is too
mysterious and too complex to ever be analyzed or
comprehended, a National Institutes of Health molecular
geneticist began a study on a genetic link to homosexuality.
He describes the research that led to headlines in 1993 when
a shared DNA marker was discovered in a large percentage of
gay brothers. 1994.


What If the Moon Didn't Exist? Voyages to Earths That Might
Have Been
RC 39898
by Neil F. Comins 
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
An astronomy professor illustrates the fragility of Earth's
habitat by discussing what Earth would be like if it had
been formed under different cosmic circumstances or if it
were to experience extreme planetary changes. For example,
what would Earth be like without an ozone layer, or if it
had no moon, or were tilted at a different angle on its
axis? For senior high and older readers. 1993.


Who Owns Information? From Privacy to Public Access
RC 40422
by Anne Wells Branscomb 
read by Frank Coffee
2 cassettes
The author, a communications and computer attorney,
discusses conflicts that have arisen in the "information
age," as technology races beyond the scope of copyright
laws. Can all information be commercialized or is some
information inherently public property? Conversely, should
other information, such as addresses and medical records, be
protected under individuals' privacy rights? 1994.


Wrinkles in Time
RC 39771
by George Smoot and Keay Davidson 
read by Barrett Whitener
3 cassettes
Physicist Smoot conducted research into cosmology, and his
findings lend powerful support to the Big Bang theory of
universal creation. He describes his scientific work,
requiring travel to remote parts of the earth, and provides
a history of astronomical research from Galileo to the
present. 1993.

Social Sciences

Ask Me if I Care: Voices from an American High School
RC 40603
by Nancy J. Rubin 
read by Catherine Byers
3 cassettes
For eighteen years, Nancy Rubin has been teaching a
nine-week crash course to help high school students deal
with problems in such areas as sexuality, substance abuse,
family relationships, stress, and prejudice. To inform other
teens and their parents, Rubin discusses these issues here
and presents entries from the journals she has her students
keep. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. For high
school and older readers. 1994.


BAD; or, The Dumbing of America
RC 40419
by Paul Fussell 
read by Nick Sullivan
1 cassette
This survey of bad taste draws a line between bad (things
never represented as better than they are) and BAD (things
overvalued through pretentiousness). In a series of
alphabetically arranged essays, Fussell reviews the BAD in
American life, recommending laughter as the remedy. He
covers advertising, art, behavior, conversation, movies,
people, and many other topics. Some strong language. 1991.


The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American
Life
RC 39153
by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray 
read by Lou Harpenau
7 cassettes
The authors assert that information and the intellectual
ability to use it separate the "haves" from the "have nots"
in American society. The authors' stated goal is to convince
public policy makers to acknowledge that differences in
ability exist, that reliance on prejudicial assumptions is
wrong, and that open discussion of class intelligence is
vital. Bestseller 1994.


Blacks and Jews: Alliances and Arguments
RC 40809
edited by Paul Berman 
read by Ken Kliban
2 cassettes
Nineteen essays look at the years of discord between blacks
and Jews and attempt to answer the question "What is the
fight about?" Grouped into literary battles, historical and
political reflections, controversies, and philosophical
observations, the essays include accounts, old and new, by
writers such as bell hooks, James Baldwin, Norman Podhoretz,
Cornel West, and Henry Louis Gates Jr. 1994.


Brilliant Idiot: An Autobiography of a Dyslexic
RC 38931
by Abraham Schmitt and Mary Lou Hartzler Clemens 
read by Jeff Halberstadt
2 cassettes
The author portrays his difficulty in coping with a
condition that he could not comprehend until he discovered
in middle age that it was a serious learning disability.
Born in a nearly illiterate Mennonite village in a Canadian
prairie province, Schmitt suffered humiliation, confusion,
and failure. Now he looks upon his handicap as something to
survive, not resolve. 1992.


Certain Trumpets: The Call of Leaders
RC 38682
by Garry Wills 
read by Peter Johnson
3 cassettes
A historian selects sixteen people he believes exhibited the
elusive quality of leadership and describes the conditions
necessary for leaders to succeed. Wills shows how Martin
Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Socrates, and others turned
circumstances toward a goal with the cooperation of
followers. To each portrait of a leader, Wills adds
postscripts--which he calls "antitypes"--to show why certain
would-be leaders fail. 1994.


Confronting Authority: Reflections of an Ardent Protester
RC 39703
by Derrick Bell 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
In 1990, Bell, who twenty years earlier had become the first
black law professor hired by Harvard Law School, took an
unpaid leave from his position to protest that the law
school had yet to hire a black woman law professor. Although
his own act led to his firing, Bell stresses the value of
individual protest and talks of other civil rights
activists. Includes an illustrative fable and a synopsis of
Bell's life. 1994.


Conversations: Straight Talk with America's Sister President
RC 40787
by Johnnetta B. Cole 
read by Gail Nelson
2 cassettes
The first woman president of Atlanta's Spelman College
addresses a younger generation of African American women,
with "no objection to others listening in." Cole introduces
herself and discusses racism, sexism, abuse, stereotypes,
charity, education, and positive role models. She ends with
a plea that others with an interest in the future continue
conversations and write their own conclusions. 1993.


Creating a New Civilization: The Politics of the Third Wave
RC 41142
by Alvin and Heidi Toffler 
read by John Rayburn
1 cassette
The emergence of the "age of knowledge" described in _The
Third Wave (RC 15083)_ explains current political and social
turbulence in the world. The authors see these changes as
predictable and a positive part of movement to a new
civilization marked by smaller organizations, electronic
access to information, and new hierarchies. Foreword by U.S.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich. 1994.


Diddy Waw Diddy: Passage of an American Son
RC 39344
by Billy Porterfield 
read by Bob Askey
3 cassettes
When the author's grandfather died in 1938, his family piled
into the car, left their Oklahoma farm, and headed for the
Texas oil fields. Along the way they found odd jobs, hard
times, assorted characters, adventure, and teachers
determined to instill good English in the children. For the
next seventeen years, they roamed the Southwest in search of
Diddy Waw Diddy, or the final resting place. Strong
language. 1994.


The Difference: Growing Up Female in America
RC 39263
by Judy Mann 
read by Celeste Lawson
2 cassettes
The author contends that little has changed in the rearing
and education of girls during the late twentieth century.
Mann examines the differences in treatment of boys and girls
from infancy to adolescence, noting discrimination in toy
choices, religious and secular schools, sports, and the
media. She concludes that, in spite of the women's movement,
girls are still victimized by a patriarchal society. 1994.


Do or Die
RC 40107
by Leon Bing 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
2 cassettes
Account of gang life among the Crips and the Bloods in South
Central Los Angeles. Bing visited gang neighborhoods, a
juvenile detention camp, and Soledad Prison to get beyond
the stereotypes by interviewing gang members and recording
their stories in their own words. Violence and strong
language. For high school and older readers. 1991.


Fatheralong: A Meditation on Fathers and Sons, Race and
Society
RC 40624
by John Edgar Wideman 
read by Jim Zeiger
2 cassettes
A collection of six essays examining a strained father-son
relationship in terms of social issues about race and
family. Wideman, an award-winning novelist who wrote about
his brother and himself in _Brothers and Keepers (RC
23360)_, here combines a memoir of his father with
observations about African American life. Some strong
language. 1994.


From Cradle to Grave: The Human Face of Poverty in America
RC 38693
by Jonathan Freedman 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
Because he finds "simple life stories more persuasive than
brilliant abstract arguments," journalist Freedman spent
three years seeking out successful programs dealing with
aspects of poverty and compiling stories of people who have
been helped by the programs. These stories are arranged
chronologically through the stages of life: from the
prenatal period and infancy through aging and dying. 1993.


From Yale to Jail: The Life Story of a Moral Dissenter
RC 39467
by David Dellinger 
read by Ray Foushee
3 cassettes
Memoirs of a peace activist who first noticed social
injustice on his arrival at Yale in the middle of the Great
Depression. Dellinger later did hard time for refusing to
register for the draft. In 1968 he found himself amidst the
Chicago Seven antiwar demonstrations during the Democratic
Convention. He tells how he developed his ideas and how
nonviolent principles have dominated his life. Strong
language. 1993.


Guns, Crime, and Freedom
RC 40309
by Wayne R. LaPierre 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
LaPierre looks at the issues of gun control, crime, and the
Second Amendment, examining viewpoints of both advocates and
opponents of gun control. He discusses the Second Amendment
right to bear arms; argues that people, not guns, kill; and
examines the penalties for those who commit gun-related
crimes. He also challenges the claim that there is a
correlation between guns and crime. Bestseller 1994.


The Hospice Handbook: A Complete Guide
RC 38968
by Larry Beresford 
read by Dick Jenkins
2 cassettes
Beresford has been involved with the concept of hospice
since 1978, when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and
received hospice care. At several facilities around the
country he talked with staff, patients, and family members.
He offers information on the philosophy of hospice; services
provided, including caring for patients at home; and issues
such as referral, finances, barriers to hospice access, and
legal considerations. 1993.


I Am Roe: My Life, _Roe_ _v._ _Wade_, and Freedom of Choice
RC 40152
by Norma McCorvey and Andy Meisler 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes
In 1969, Norma McCorvey was twenty-one and pregnant. Her
mother had taken her first child when she learned Norma was
a lesbian, and Norma had given her second baby up for
adoption. Then she wanted an abortion, which was illegal in
Texas. She agreed to challenge the law as Jane Roe, which
led to the landmark _Roe_ v. _Wade_ case. She here provides
her life story. Strong language. 1994.


If You Poison Us: Uranium and Native Americans
RC 40508
by Peter H. Eichstaedt 
read by Jake Williams
2 cassettes
How uranium mining began on Indian lands in the American
West; how it was conducted; how its deadly legacy still
lingers in the lives of the men, women, and children whose
harmony and homelands have been destroyed; and how the
government has responded to the crisis. Included are
interviews with affected Native Americans as well as
public-health and congressional-hearing reports. 1994.


In Defense of Elitism
RC 39706
by William A. Henry III 
read by Fred Major
2 cassettes
The author, a Pulitzer Prize-winning theater critic and
journalist for _Time_, claims that American society needs a
large dose of elitism to correct the country's swing toward
egalitarianism. Appalled by what he perceives as a rapid
trend toward mediocrity, Henry advocates rewarding
individual responsibility, citing hard work, intelligence,
and talent as the basis for recognition. 1994.


Investing for Good: Making Money while Being Socially
Responsible
RC 39013
by Peter D. Kinder and others 
read by Don Feldheim
4 cassettes
The principals of a firm that provides research to socially
responsible investment managers explain how their techniques
can help the individual investor with a similar conscience.
By following their suggestions, a person can avoid investing
in companies that manufacture weapons, test products on
animals, use environmentally unsound packaging, or exploit
minorities. 1993.


Leadership
RC 40048
by James MacGregor Burns 
read by Frank Coffee
5 cassettes
The author finds leadership in a state of crisis. He
identifies two basic types: transactional, for achieving
current goals, and transforming, for establishing new ones.
Then Burns discusses the power of leadership and its role in
the development of moral values; traces its psychological,
social, and political history; and concludes with
theoretical implications for the future of American
democracy. 1978.


Life's Dominion: An Argument about Abortion, Euthanasia, and
Individual Freedom
RC 38769
by Ronald Dworkin 
read by David Impastato
2 cassettes
A lawyer and legal philosopher examines the debate over the
related issues of abortion and euthanasia. Dworkin reasons
that legal and moral questions cannot be answered until each
generation interprets for itself the abstract principles of
the U.S. Constitution and determines the extent to which it
will permit government to impose official values on personal
convictions. 1993.


The Limits of Medicine: How Science Shapes Our Hope for the
Cure
RC 41206
by Edward S. Golub 
read by Steven Carpenter
2 cassettes
A professor of immunology and microbiology calls on the
public to reexamine its expectations of medical science and
to develop reasonable goals for health and life expectancy.
He describes in lay terms the changing ways disease has been
understood and treated throughout history, detailing the
work of individual scientists and public response to their
discoveries. 1994.


Listen to My Heart: Lessons in Love, Laughter, and Lunacy
RC 41034
by Kathie Lee and Cody Gifford 
read by Suzanne Toren
1 cassette
The co-star of TV's _Live with Regis and Kathie Lee_
recounts conversations with her son, Cody, as examples of
adventures in parenting that she hopes will be of value to
other parents. She describes how she was more apprehensive
than Cody on the first day of a new school year, Cody's
behavior when President and Mrs. Ford visited the Giffords,
and bathing Cody and his little sister at the same time.
Bestseller 1995.


A Natural History of Love
RC 39205
by Diane Ackerman 
read by Carole Jordan Stewart
3 cassettes
A companion to _A Natural History of the Senses (RC 31615)_.
The author explores the physiology, culture, and literature
associated with love--"the great intangible." Ackerman
weaves interpretations of classic love stories, customs,
emotions, eroticism, biographies of famous lovers, and
personal experience into her analysis, in which she
discusses topics as diverse as ancient courtship and modern
sexual chic. Some explicit sexual terms. 1994.


On Fire
RC 38097
by Larry Brown 
read by Phil Regensdorf
1 cassette
Brown, having spent seventeen years as a firefighter in his
native Oxford, Mississippi, quit to become a full-time
writer. After several novels, including _Dirty Work (RC
31821)_ and _Joe (RC 35575)_, he writes here of his years in
the fire department. Arranged in short essays, these memoirs
describe the experience of going into a burning building and
his life in the firehouse and at home with his family.
Strong language. 1993.


Out of the Madness: From the Projects to a Life of Hope
RC 40232
by Jerrold Ladd 
read by Bob Moore
2 cassettes
Ladd, a young black man, describes growing up in a Dallas
housing project with a drug-addicted mother. After his
father abandoned the family, Ladd struggled to survive the
environment of abuse, drugs, hunger, and filth. Fired from
jobs despite hard work, Ladd was convinced he could only get
as far as white society let him. Then he began to learn of
his African heritage and became determined to make a
difference. Some violence. 1994.


Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages
RC 38666
by Phyllis Rose 
read by Patricia Kilgarriff
3 cassettes
Rose uses the experiences of her nineteenth-century subjects
and their unusual marriages to explore the shifting tides of
power between men and women. The five couples are Jane Welsh
and Thomas Carlyle, Effie Gray and John Ruskin, Catherine
Hogarth and Charles Dickens, Harriet Taylor and John Stuart
Mill, and George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) and George Henry
Lewes. 1983.


Remembering Satan
RC 40655
by Lawrence Wright 
read by Bob Moore
2 cassettes
Paul Ingram is serving a twenty-year sentence for the
confessed sexual abuse of his two daughters. No evidence was
ever uncovered against the former sheriff's deputy, but the
accused was persuaded of his guilt as the result of
recovered-memory techniques. The author notes similarities
between this and other satanic ritual cases and the
seventeenth-century Salem witch trials. 1994.


The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy
RC 40450
by Christopher Lasch 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
In this collection of essays, historian Lasch questions
whether democracy has a future. He believes America's
outlook is bleak if people continue to reject religious and
ethical values and the gap between the privileged and the
working classes widens. The elite, Lasch avers, now think
only of their own goals and have lost their sense of
responsibility for the common good. Bestseller 1995.


Salvador's Children: A Song for Survival
RC 40767
by Lea Marenn 
read by Ilona Dulaski
2 cassettes
When the author, a forty-year-old single academic, adopts a
child, two lives change. Suddenly the missing pieces in the
story of Mara, an eight-year-old orphan from El Salvador,
force Marenn to confront her own experiences as a European
refugee in World War II and to question the U.S. involvement
in El Salvador's civil war. With understanding, sympathy,
patience, and love, Marenn helps Mara to learn to trust.
1993.


Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe
RC 40435
by John Boswell 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
5 cassettes
Boswell claims that in ancient and medieval times there were
official ceremonies for couples of the same sex that were
similar to the marriage ceremony. He analyzes the concepts
and vocabulary of love and marriage in the context of
different societies, from the Greco-Roman world to
sixteenth-century Europe, and compares the rituals for
conventional marriage with the ceremonies in the texts he
has discovered. 1994.


Sharing the Journey: Support Groups and America's New Quest
for Community
RC 39015
by Robert Wuthnow 
read by Patricia Martin
4 cassettes
The author argues that the small-group movement is altering
American society by changing the meanings of spirituality
and community. By interviewing individuals in support groups
and examining research data on group behavior, Wuthnow
suggests that the trend, stressing personal growth over
enduring demands, is an inevitable response to American
individualism. 1994.


Teen Prostitution
RC 39625
by Joan J. Johnson 
read by Maggie Welch
1 cassette
Analysis of a social problem that the author feels is often
overlooked. Johnson examines why kids leave home, how they
are recruited for prostitution, and why it is so difficult
to escape the lifestyle. She discredits certain stereotypes,
including that of the "black pimp," and describes the power
of sexual fantasy--which can obscure the risk of AIDS. She
also offers possible solutions to the problems. For junior
and senior high and older readers. 1992.


The Truth about Your Height: Exploring the Myths and
Realities of Human Size and Its Effects on Performance,
Health, Pollution, and Survival
RC 41095
by Thomas T. Samaras 
read by Terence Aselford
3 cassettes
Based on twenty years of research into the relationship
between longevity and size. The author suggests three things
that can be done about human stature: change perception and
attitudes toward height; change behavior toward others of
different heights; and change the height and weight of
future generations. 1994.


Voices from the Future: Our Children Tell Us about Violence
in America
RC 40131
by Children's Express 
read by Ray Foushee
2 cassettes
Children's Express, a news service reported and edited by
teenagers, interviewed young people around the country about
violence. In their own words, more than forty teenagers
describe the impact of violence on their lives, some as
criminals, others as victims. They talk about drugs, guns,
abuse in the home, and life on the streets. Violence and
strong language. For high school and older readers. 1993.


Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years; Women, Cloth, and
Society in Early Times
RC 40176
by Elizabeth Wayland Barber 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
This history of women's work begins with the ancient
societies of Scandinavia, Greece, Egypt, and Europe. Barber
uses her skills in archaeology and interest in textiles to
gather evidence of strong correlations between the daily
lives of women, which included making cloth, and the effect
of their work on the economy and culture of their times.
1994.

Sports and Recreation

+All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When
the Yankees Ruled Baseball
RC 39866
by Mickey Mantle and Mickey Herskowitz 
read by Chuck Benson
2 cassettes
Recollections of a man whose name is a symbol for baseball.
Mantle writes about playing for the Yankees at a time that
stands in the record books--twelve trips to the World Series
in fourteen years. While he enjoyed the glory and excitement
of those times, he blames alcohol for most of his injuries
and for preventing him from playing his best. Bestseller
1994.


At Your Leisure
RC 38903
by Craig MacDonald 
read by Miriam Wagner
1 cassette
"At Your Leisure" is a nationally syndicated hobby column
that appears weekly in newspapers. The author of the column
and this book hopes to inspire the reader to pursue an old
hobby or rediscover a new one. He discusses collecting;
action hobbies, such as square dancing; and crafts. He urges
people of all ages, incomes, and physical conditions to use
a little of their leisure time in an activity that is sure
to bring new friends. 1989.


+Baseball: An Illustrated History
RC 38874
by Geoffrey C. Ward 
read by Jake Williams
4 cassettes
Companion to a public television documentary on what many
claim is America's favorite pastime. The author traces the
history of the game from its beginnings in the early
nineteenth century, telling the story in nine innings, each
with accompanying essays by other writers on topics related
to the roles that baseball plays on and off the field. 1994.


Breaking the Surface
RC 41276
by Greg Louganis and Eric Marcus 
read by Gary Telles
2 cassettes
Louganis, winner of four Olympic gold medals, discusses his
problems with low self-esteem, bouts with depression,
alcohol and drug abuse, homosexuality, and AIDS. Bestseller
1995.


By George: The Autobiography of George Foreman
RC 40645
by George Foreman and Joel Engel 
read by Bob Moore
2 cassettes
Boxer George Foreman tells of growing up poor in Texas,
dropping out of junior high and turning to crime and
drinking, and then going on to become the heavyweight
champion of the world. He also discusses his several
marriages and children and the effect religion has had on
his adult life. Some violence. Bestseller 1995.


The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg
RC 39767
by Nicholas Dawidoff 
read by Terence Aselford
3 cassettes
Biography of a man who might have pursued a number of
careers but chose baseball. Berg impressed most people with
his intelligence rather than his athletic ability, yet he
stayed with the game, moving into the big leagues and
becoming a coach. Suddenly he joined the Office of Strategic
Services. Later he used his sports and spy stories to
advantage. 1994.


The Coast of Summer: Sailing New England Waters from Shelter
Island to Cape Cod
RC 39575
by Anthony Bailey 
read by J.P. Linton
2 cassettes
A former _New Yorker_ staff writer chronicles a summer of
sailing from the bays of Long Island to Cape Cod. Bailey
combines sailing lore, close shaves, past experiences,
portraits of people on shore, travel talk, and descriptions
of places visited with history, geography, and biography,
and includes tales of tight quarters aboard _Lochinvar_ with
his wife, Margot. 1994.


Cobb: A Biography
RC 39765
by Al Stump 
read by Gregory Gorton
4 cassettes
Setting more than ninety major-league records in his
baseball career from 1905 to 1928, Ty Cobb was the first
player named to the Hall of Fame. He was also well known for
his temper and cruelty and was disliked by other players. As
ghost writer for Cobb's 1961 autobiography, Stump listened
to Cobb's stories during the last year of the player's life.
He now presents an unsanitized version of that life. Strong
language and violence. 1994.


Don't Look Back: Satchel Paige in the Shadows of Baseball
RC 39358
by Mark Ribowsky 
read by Jake Williams
3 cassettes
Ribowsky picks through the tall tales that added to Paige's
fame to piece together the facts about the black pitcher.
Paige succeeded despite the "black-white problems" in the
sport. From 1926 to 1947 he played in the Negro Leagues and
then became the American League's first black pitcher.
Advice from the "greatest pitcher who ever lived" includes
"Don't look back, something might be gaining on you." Some
strong language. 1994.


Feel No Fear: The Power, Passion, and Politics of a Life in
Gymnastics
RC 39460
by Bela Karolyi and Nancy Ann Richardson 
read by Art Metzler
2 cassettes
Karolyi's success teaching gymnastics to school children in
Rumanian mining towns led to his developing the national
team. Even though his discovery Nadia Comaneci won six gold
medals, Karolyi was harassed and forced to defect due to
political pressure. At first not welcomed in America, he
once again met success with Mary Lou Retton. Strong
language. 1994.


A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour
RC 40694
by John Feinstein 
read by John Rayburn
4 cassettes
The author spent fifteen months following seventeen players
on the Professional Golf Association tour. As Feinstein
observes these famous and not-so-famous golfers, he learns
what drives them to play day after day, and how one week
they seem to have discovered the secret to the game, and the
next week they never want to golf again. But each player
keeps striving to be "there" on Sunday afternoon. Bestseller
1995.


Great Time Coming: The Life of Jackie Robinson, from
Baseball to Birmingham
RC 39899
by David Falkner 
read by L.J. Ganser
3 cassettes
When Jackie Robinson entered baseball's big leagues, he
began a crusade that started with the integration of sports
and later became more far reaching. Falkner chronicles
Robinson's life before and after sports, including his role
in the civil rights movement, his battle with diabetes and
blindness, and his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Some strong language. 1995.


I'd Love to but I Have a Game: 27 Years without a Life
RC 38918
by Marv Albert and Rick Reilly 
read by Phil Regensdorf
2 cassettes
Marv Albert, who always knew he wanted to be a sportscaster,
had by the age of twenty-four realized his major goal:
announcing on radio for both the Knicks and the Rangers. His
description of highlights of his decades-long career in
radio and television is infused with his trademark humor and
with joking remarks from such funny men as David Letterman
and Jerry Seinfeld. 1993.


Lords of the Realm: The _Real_ History of Baseball
RC 39457
by John Helyar 
read by Art Metzler
5 cassettes
An economic history of the game and how it is run by money.
A reporter for the _Wall Street Journal_ follows crucial
moves since the 1960s and shows how each financial gesture
made to players, agents, owners, and commissioners has
resulted in an increasingly profitable industry. Some strong
language. 1994.


O.J. Simpson: American Hero, American Tragedy
RC 40272
by Marc Cerasini 
read by John Rayburn
1 cassette
Cerasini looks at the life of Orenthal James Simpson from
his early years in San Francisco's Potrero Hill, through
high school and college, and into his career as a
major-league football player and spokesman for Hertz. He
also covers Simpson's first marriage to Marguerite Whitley
and his later marriage to Nicole Brown, for whose murder and
that of Ronald Goldman Simpson was tried. Strong language.
Bestseller 1994.


October 1964
RC 41002
by David Halberstam 
read by Art Metzler
3 cassettes
1964: the year of Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, and Lou Brock;
the year in which the aging New York Yankees' dynasty began
to decline and the St. Louis Cardinals gained
prominence--thanks to the speed and power of their new
players. Halberstam looks at the two teams who played in
that year's World Series and shows how they reflected the
changing mores of American society. Companion to _Summer of
'49 (RC 30980)_. Strong language. Bestseller 1994.


The Politics of Glory: How Baseball's Hall of Fame Really
Works
RC 40527
by Bill James 
read by Christopher Hurt
3 cassettes
History of an institution created as a tourist attraction
for the upstate New York village of Cooperstown. James
paints the Baseball Hall of Fame as a highly politicized,
controversial sports shrine. He closely examines the
admission criteria and criticizes the voting process. He
then offers suggestions for improving the selection
policies. 1994.


Sometimes We Dance Alone: Your Next Years Can Be Your _Best_
Years!
RC 38967
by Edith McCall 
read by Anne Mullen
1 cassette
Believing that life is a gift of endless possibilities,
eighty-something writer McCall urges others not to drop out
of the dance of life just because they live alone in their
later years. Using her own life as an example, McCall
describes the adventures she has had since her divorce in
the 1960s and the help she received from God. Included is a
list of recreational resources. 1994.


When the Colts Belonged to Baltimore: A Father and a Son, a
Team and a Time
RC 39722
by William Gildea 
read by Ray Foushee
2 cassettes
Recollections of Baltimore's first major-league team; the
author's boyhood love affair with football, shared with his
father in the 1950s; and the author's bonds with such
players as Johnny Unitas. The Colts moved out of town in the
middle of the night in March 1984. Strong language. 1994.


When Women Played Hardball
RC 39231
by Susan E. Johnson 
read by Susan McInerney
2 cassettes
Author Johnson was a fourteen-year-old fan when the
All-American Girls Baseball League died in 1954 after a
twelve-year span. To recreate the spirit of the league that
fascinated her, Johnson interviews twenty-six of the women
who played for the 1950 Rockford Peaches and Fort Wayne
Daisies. Their recollections of the 1950 championship series
are supplemented by newspaper accounts of each of the seven
games. 1994.


Stage and Screen

Audrey Hepburn: A Biography
RC 39738
by Warren G. Harris 
read by Mitzi Friedlander
3 cassettes
Born to a Dutch baroness in 1929, Hepburn suffered a
childhood marred by Hitler's war. Recovering from
malnutrition, she resumed ballet lessons but was too far
behind and already too tall to be a professional ballerina.
A bit part in a movie brought her to the attention of author
Colette, who chose Hepburn to star on Broadway as Gigi. Her
films include _Roman Holiday_, _Charade_, and _My Fair
Lady_. Hepburn's final years were spent working for UNICEF.
1994.


Beyond Uhura: _Star Trek_ and Other Memories
RC 40547
by Nichelle Nichols 
read by Connie Winston
2 cassettes
Famous for her role as Uhura in the _Star Trek_ television
series and movies, Nichelle Nichols still considers acting
to be the "other thing" she does, her first love being
music. She discusses life on and off the set and the
important people in her life. Even though in a successful
show, the black actress experienced resistance from the
network and stayed only when encouraged by Martin Luther
King Jr. Strong language. 1994.


Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow
RC 40039
by David Stenn 
read by John Stratton
2 cassettes
Biography of the short-lived "Platinum Blonde" or "Baby" MGM
star. The author paints a portrait of a life as
contradictory as Harlow's nicknames. On screen this actress
projected a tough image, but in real life this daughter of
an overbearing Kansas housewife and an aggressive stepfather
appeared passive. Stenn emphasizes Harlow's off-screen
character, mentioning her film roles in passing. 1993.


Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The Life, Times, and Legend of
James Dean
RC 39712
by Paul Alexander 
read by Barry Bernson
2 cassettes
In 1955 twenty-four-year-old actor James Dean died in an
automobile crash. Although he acted in only three movies,
Dean is considered by some to be "the greatest actor that
ever lived." Alexander claims that Dean had multiple
homosexual relationships and attributes Dean's popularity in
part to his sexual appeal to both genders. Some strong
language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 1994.


Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me
RC 40533
by Marlon Brando and Robert Lindsey 
read by Ken Kliban
3 cassettes
A celebrated actor at the age of seventy, Brando reveals the
fragility of his early years when his alcoholic parents were
frequently missing. He reminisces about his acting career
and analyzes his major films. Bypassing his multiple
marriages and his children's problems, he talks mostly about
causes he has championed and the Tahitian island he loves.
Strong language. Bestseller 1994.


Depardieu: A Biography
RC 40045
by Paul Chutkow 
read by Ken Kliban
3 cassettes
Drawing on years of interviews with the French film actor
and conversations with his friends and colleagues, the
author tracks Grard Depardieu's rise to stardom. He shows
how the actor grew up in an impoverished household,
experienced both speech and hearing impairments, received
little education, and got into trouble with the law before
he discovered acting. Chutkow also discusses the differences
between French and American filmmaking. 1994.


Garbo: A Biography
RC 40789
by Barry Paris 
read by Frank Coffee
5 cassettes
Portrait of the screen legend of the 1930s. Drawing on
access to Garbo's correspondence and taped telephone
conversations as well as interviews with her surviving
friends and family, Paris follows the star, who was elusive
during her active career and reclusive following her early
retirement in 1941. Bestseller 1994.


Grace
RC 40238
by Robert Lacey 
read by Faith Potts
3 cassettes
The author examines the image of a beautiful fairy-tale
princess who did not live happily ever after. Lacey
chronicles the story of Grace Kelly's abbreviated life
through her American phase, depicting the actress with a
cool, classy facade and a tawdry private life. When the
Hollywood star married her European prince, the location of
her fantasy life changed, but reality began to destroy the
portrait. Bestseller 1994.


Happy Trails: Our Life Story
RC 40263
by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and others 
read by Bob Askey
2 cassettes
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans made movies together for fifty
years and have been married since 1948. Here they discuss
their early lives, including marriages to other people;
their career together in the movies; high and low points of
their lives; and their reliance on religion. 1994.


I'm Only One Man!
RC 41271
by Regis Philbin 
read by Steven Carpenter
2 cassettes
Philbin provides an account in diary form of a year of his
life, "more or less." As he takes the reader from June 15,
1994, to May 19, 1995, he not only discusses what is
happening in his life as a television personality, but
provides background on how he achieved his popularity. He
also takes the reader behind the scenes of the show he
co-hosts, _Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee_, and others,
such as the Miss America pageant. Bestseller 1995.


James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences
RC 38707
by James Earl Jones and Penelope Niven 
read by Richard Davidson
3 cassettes
His parents having divorced before he was born, young James
lives on his grandparents' farm. When they plan to turn him
over to his other grandmother, he develops a stutter that
renders him virtually mute for eight years. The discovery
that he can enunciate clearly from a script primes Jones for
his distinguished career as an actor, ironically following
in the footsteps of his absent father. 1993.


Joe Papp: An American Life
RC 39778
by Helen Epstein 
read by Laura Giannarelli
5 cassettes
Portrait of a noted theater producer. Papp, a controversial
man, abandoned and later returned to his Jewish roots;
promoted Shakespeare for the masses while championing new
American plays; developed a loyal following among directors,
actors, and playwrights, even though he was thought to be
demanding; married and divorced several times; employed
colorblind casting; and advocated human rights. 1994.


Liz: An Intimate Biography of Elizabeth Taylor
RC 40535
by C. David Heymann 
read by John Stratton
4 cassettes
The author relies on more than a thousand interviews with
the star's friends, coworkers, and other associates, as well
as medical, legal, and business documents for his portrait
of Taylor. He discusses how she became famous as an actress,
wife, mother, AIDS activist, and purveyor of jewelry and
perfumes. Some strong language. Bestseller 1995.


My Lucky Stars: A Hollywood Memoir
RC 40632
by Shirley MacLaine 
read by Pam Ward
3 cassettes
In her eighth autobiographical book, MacLaine recounts her
forty years in Hollywood. She focuses on the many "stars"
who have influenced her work, both professionally and
emotionally, as well as the struggles she and others endure
within the framework of an artistic life. She devotes
special attention to her relationships with Dean Martin,
Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, and Danny Kaye. Some strong
language. Bestseller 1995.


Now
RC 39368
by Lauren Bacall 
read by Laura Giannarelli
2 cassettes
Although not a sequel to the aging actress's earlier
autobiography, _Lauren Bacall by Myself (RC 13275)_, this
memoir does focus on fifteen later years. She marvels how
the present instantly becomes the past as famous friends
Leonard Bernstein, John Huston, Laurence Olivier, and others
become ill and die. She talks of her two children by
Humphrey Bogart and her child by Jason Robards, who are
grown with families of their own. 1994.


+Oprah! Up Close and Down Home
RC 38894
by Nellie Bly 
read by Martha Harmon Pardee
2 cassettes
The author looks at Oprah's life from her 1954 birth in
rural Mississippi to her 1993 status as one of America's
richest women. She describes Oprah's childhood and the
sexual abuse she suffered, her years of struggle as she
became famous, her on-again, off-again relationship with
Stedman Graham, her movies, her constant dieting, and some
of the famous guests she has had on her television show.
Bestseller 1993.


Over Here, Over There: The Andrews Sisters and the USO Stars
in World War II
RC 38733
by Maxene Andrews and Bill Gilbert 
read by Kimberly Schraf
2 cassettes
With the help of a professional writer, a member of the
vocal trio known as the Andrews Sisters recalls their
contribution to the war effort. Maxene, Patty, and LaVerne
lifted the spirits of American civilians and servicemen and
women, as the sisters joined scores of performers who
entertained the troops from Pearl Harbor Day to V-J Day.
1993.


Quivers
RC 39892
by Robin Quivers 
read by Gail Nelson
3 cassettes
Quivers, cohost of Howard Stern's controversial radio and
television shows, tells of growing up in Baltimore,
Maryland, and being sexually abused by her father. After
therapy as an adult, Quivers severed all ties with her
family in order to heal. She also describes her career and
her hunt for the young foster child her parents cared for
years before. Strong language and some explicit descriptions
of sex. Bestseller 1995.


Screening History
RC 38906
by Gore Vidal 
read by Phil Regensdorf
1 cassette
Three autobiographical essays in which the author reminisces
about his childhood, couching experiences in terms of the
movies, especially those depicting historical events. _The
Prince and the Pauper_, which he saw at age twelve, made a
lasting impression; similarly, _Fire over England_ created a
dilemma in his adolescent mind as he contemplated America's
role in World War II; and his preoccupation with Lincoln
began with a movie. 1992.


So Far, So Good: A Memoir
RC 40575
by Burgess Meredith 
read by Fred Major
2 cassettes
Still acting at eighty-three, Meredith looks back at his
lengthy career and adventure-filled life. After a difficult
childhood and an aborted college education, Meredith was a
hit on Broadway by the age of twenty-four before going to
Hollywood. He was married to three women, including Paulette
Goddard, before entering his current marriage, which has
lasted more than forty years. His life story teems with
celebrity-studded anecdotes. Strong language. 1994.


Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene
Roddenberry
RC 39794
by David Alexander 
read by Ronald B. Meyer
4 cassettes
The author, a close friend of the late Gene Roddenberry,
presents a biography of the producer, who was born in 1921
and died in 1991. Alexander delves into Roddenberry's life,
character, and career, emphasizing his creation of and
involvement with the Star Trek series that made him an icon
to legions of fans. Includes an introduction by Majel
Barrett Roddenbery and a foreword by Ray Bradbury. Some
strong language. 1994.


Tinker in Television: From General Sarnoff to General
Electric
RC 39848
by Grant Tinker and Bud Rukeyser 
read by Mo Lotman
2 cassettes
Tinker has managed both a network television company as well
as his own production enterprise. Tinker, who frequently
left a job in which he was doing well to move on to
something totally different, began his career at NBC in
1949. He discusses his private life and his career,
including his time at NBC, the formation of MTM Productions,
and his shows, such as "Hill Street Blues." 1994.


What's It All About? An Autobiography
RC 41025
by Michael Caine 
read by Roy Avers
4 cassettes
Michael Caine, star of such movies as _Alfie_, _Sleuth_, and
_Hannah and Her Sisters_, tells of growing up in London,
acting in more than seventy films, and meeting and marrying
the woman of his dreams. He relates humorous incidents and
conversations with people he met in show business, including
Bette Davis, Roger Moore, and Mia Farrow. Some strong
language. 1992.

Travel

After the War Was Over: Hanoi and Saigon
RC 37069
by Neil Sheehan 
read by Barrett Whitener
1 cassette
A journalist, who once believed that it was possible to
understand the Vietnam War, presented his ideas in 1988's _A
Bright Shining Lie (RC 28014)_ but experienced a change of
heart upon his later return to Vietnam. Sheehan describes
daily life of a poverty-stricken but forgiving people still
ravaged by a war over for two decades. 1992.



Going Up Country: Travel Essays by Peace Corps Writers
RC 39415
edited by John Coyne 
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
Essays by thirteen former Peace Corps volunteers who were
asked to return to their countries of service or countries
in which they had lived and to write about them from the
perspective of prior experience and current insights.
Countries include Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Somalia, Japan,
Cameroon, Grenada, Hungary, and Tanzania. Each account is
preceded by a brief survey of the author's service and
published books. 1994.

An Italian Education: The Further Adventures of an
Expatriate in Verona
RC 40776
by Tim Parks 
read by Frank Coffee
3 cassettes
As a follow-up to _Italian Neighbors (RC 35775)_, Parks now
looks at raising his two children, Michele and Stefania, who
will grow up thoroughly Italian even though they are half
English. Parks's discussion touches on such aspects of
Italian society as government bureaucracy and a day at the
beach. Bestseller 1995.


Pecked to Death by Ducks
RC 39510
by Tim Cahill 
read by Nick Sullivan
3 cassettes
Cahill states that for fifteen years his adventures have
given readers a chance to realize their dreams about
visiting exotic locales. He divides this book into large
categories covering animals, nature's grandeur, and risky
ventures, and relates experiences such as traveling through
the burning oil fields of Kuwait, kayaking in Baja, drinking
with Australians, and crawling through caves. Some violence.
1993.


Snowshoeing through Sewers: Adventures in New York City, New
Jersey, and Philadelphia
RC 39842
by Michael Aaron Rockland 
read by Ray Brown
1 cassette
In these ten essays, Rockland recounts his odysseys through
urban America. He made most of the trips on his own, but
several boating excursions included his friend Phil.
Rockland circumnavigated Manhattan Island in a canoe, biked
Route 1 through New Jersey--one of the busiest throughways
in America--walked down the 275 blocks of Broadway, and
hiked across Philadelphia. 1994.


Traveling in Italy with Henry James: Essays
RC 39675
by Henry James 
read by Fred Major
3 cassettes
Letters to friends and family and essays about a total of
fourteen trips to Italy taken by the Victorian novelist.
Arranged geographically by editor Fred Kaplan, selections
describe travel to Venice, Rome, Florence, Naples, and the
countryside in between at the time when Italy was first
united into a secular state. 1994.


Tuva or Bust! Richard Feynman's Last Journey
RC 39306
by Ralph Leighton 
read by Terence Aselford
2 cassettes
In 1977, during dinner at the home of noted physicist
Richard Feynman, the author and Feynman agreed to visit
Tannu Tuva, a small "purple splotch on the map near Outer
Mongolia." Leighton describes the preparations that went
into planning the trip, the people they met while making
arrangements, and their ten-year struggle for an official
invitation that came a few days too late for Feynman. 1991.


Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion
RC 39126
compiled by Writers' Program of the Work Projects
Administration in the State of Virginia 
read by Kerry Cundiff
8 cassettes
The WPA guide to late-1930s Virginia, sponsored by the
Virginia Conservation Commission. Includes historical
background information, directions for tours of the time,
and descriptions of many of the cities. 1940.


A Walk through Wales
RC 40173
by Anthony Bailey 
read by George Holmes
2 cassettes
It is spring, and, as the land begins to thaw, travel writer
Bailey once again gets the desire to take a long walk--this
time through Wales. On his three-week journey from Cardiff
in the south to Bangor in the north, Bailey visits Norman
castles, medieval cathedrals, towns, and hamlets and talks
with the people of the land, who he describes as more and
more obsessed with Wales's national identity. 1992.


The Way to Xanadu
RC 38999
by Caroline Alexander 
read by Lynn Schrichte
2 cassettes
Intrigued by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan,"
the author longed to see the locales that excited
Coleridge's imagination and undauntingly searched them out.
Alexander knew Coleridge had visited the places about which
he fantasized only through travel literature. She visits the
actual spots, chronicles her efforts to experience the
modern version of each site, and ponders the narratives that
inspired the poet. 1993.

U.S. History

American Slavery: 1619-1877
RC 41060
by Peter Kolchin 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
The author presents a broad history of various aspects of
slavery. Kolchin synthesizes new research as he considers
slaves, slave owners, and the evolution of the system of
slavery from colonial times through the Civil War. He also
looks at the use of slavery and forced labor in other
countries during that time frame for added perspective on
the nature of slavery in the United States. 1993.


The American West
RC 40646
by Dee Brown 
read by Lynn Schrichte
3 cassettes
Brown draws on his previous books for this account of the
West, centering on Native Americans, settlers, and ranchers
from the early 1800s through the 1920s. In between are
portraits of camp meetings, stagecoach robberies, plagues,
roundups, Indian wars, and gold rushes, featuring well-known
people like Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Billy the Kid, Wyatt
Earp, and Buffalo Bill. Some violence. 1994.


Carter G. Woodson: A Life in Black History
RC 39321
by Jacqueline Goggin 
read by Jake Williams
2 cassettes
The first full-length biography of the Harvard-trained
historian known as the father of black history. Born in
Virginia in 1875 to parents who were former slaves, Woodson
became enthralled with the "history of the race" while
working in the mines of West Virginia. Goggin chronicles
Woodson's education, his career, and his continuing battles
to promote the study and teaching of black history. 1993.


Dangerous Passage: The Santa Fe Trail and the Mexican War
RC 39684
by William Y. Chalfant 
read by Butch Hoover
2 cassettes
Set in the late 1840s, this is the story of a road that ran
from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and
the role it played in the Mexican War and in claiming
southwestern territory for the United States. The road,
known as the Santa Fe Trail, played an equally dramatic role
during encounters with Native Americans that soon escalated
into the Indian Wars. 1994.


First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton
RC 40458
by David Maraniss 
read by John Rayburn
4 cassettes
Portrait of the president from his hardscrabble childhood to
the day he declared for the presidency. Drawing on
interviews, research, and analysis, Maraniss traces
Clinton's path through school and his Arkansas political
career, noting his character development along the way. The
author's goal: an "examination of a complicated human being
and the forces that shaped him and his generation."
Bestseller 1995.


For the President's Eyes Only: Secret Intelligence and the
American Presidency from Washington to Bush
RC 40589
by Christopher Andrew 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
6 cassettes
The history of U.S. information gathering in its many forms,
including special agencies, from the first president through
the Bush administration. The author of _KGB: The Inside
Story (RC 32639)_ focuses on what individual chief
executives did with confidential intelligence, especially as
it related to foreign policy. 1995.


The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America,
1932-1972
RC 39634
by William Manchester 
read by John Rayburn
13 cassettes (Reissue)
A detailed popular history of politics, economics,
sociology, and trivia from the Great Depression to the
second inauguration of Richard Nixon. 1974.


Glory Road: The Army of the Potomac, Volume 2
RC 40520
by Bruce Catton 
read by David Hilder
3 cassettes (Reissue)
This volume continues with the campaigns of late 1862 and
early 1863, when the tide began to turn in favor of the
Union cause. The author interweaves the personalities of the
leaders and the experiences of the common soldier in a
military history of the bloody route from Fredericksburg to
Gettysburg. Sequel to _Mr. Lincoln's Army (RC 40519)_. 1952.


The Great Depression: America in the 1930s
RC 39697
by T.H. Watkins 
read by Art Metzler
3 cassettes
A companion to a public television series, this volume tells
the story of a decade that began in disaster. The author
chronicles the aftermath of the financial crisis of 1929,
which produced fear and suffering on a national scale. But
out of it Watkins finds an optimism and a sense of
connectedness that reshaped American attitudes. 1993.


+The Haldeman Diaries: Inside the Nixon White House
RC 38886
by H.R. Haldeman 
read by John Rayburn
6 cassettes
The chief of staff for President Nixon kept a personal daily
record of the events in which he was involved. The subjects
range from the American political structure to domestic
policy, bureaucracy, the media, the moon landing, Supreme
Court nominations and rejections, the China trip, war and
the military, the Pentagon Papers, the Moscow Summit, SALT
I, elections, and Watergate. Some strong language.
Bestseller 1994.


In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam
RC 40542
by Robert S. McNamara and Brian VanDeMark 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
3 cassettes
McNamara, secretary of defense under presidents Kennedy and
Johnson, details the thinking, discussions, and decisions
that shaped U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Deploring
post-Vietnam cynicism, he argues that officials acted in
good faith and explains why decisions he now thinks were
wrong seemed right at the time. Bestseller 1995.


In Their Name: Dedicated to the Brave and the Innocent,
Oklahoma City, April 1995
RC 41123
edited by Clive Irving 
read by John Rayburn
1 cassette
Official Project Recovery OKC commemorative volume describes
events surrounding the April 19, 1995, bombing of Oklahoma
City's Murrah Federal Building. Victims of the 9:02 a.m.
blast included workers in the building, clients in the
social security office, and children in the daycare center.
Rescue workers poured in from around the country to
supplement the Oklahoma forces. Bestseller 1995.


Inside the White House: The Hidden Lives of the Modern
Presidents and the Secrets of the World's Most Powerful
Institution
RC 40141
by Ronald Kessler 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
2 cassettes
Expos of recent chief executives and the mansion they and
their families occupied. Author of previous "inside" looks
at the FBI and the CIA, Kessler relays the first-hand
impressions of presidential assistants, Air Force One flight
attendants, military aides, Secret Service agents, servants,
chefs, and other members of the White House staff.
Bestseller 1995.


Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New
American Culture
RC 39511
by William Leach 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
4 cassettes
History of American consumerism. The author charts the
emergence and growth of department stores late in the
nineteenth century. He explores the development of retail
marketing and suggests that its techniques, widely adopted
even by such institutions as museums and churches, offer to
Americans a seamless fantasy of the good life that is the
basis of consumer culture. 1993.


Memories of Chicano History: The Life and Narrative of Bert
Corona
RC 39817
by Mario T. Garca 
read by Peter Gil
3 cassettes
Born in 1918 in El Paso, Mexican American labor and
community activist Bert Corona grew up in the border
culture. After three years of interviews with Corona,
Professor Garca has written his "collaborative
autobiography." Garca believes that Corona's life and work
"embody the changing character of the Mexican American
communities in the United States" and that his narrative
provides a "social memory." 1994.


Mr. Lincoln's Army: The Army of the Potomac, Volume 1
RC 40519
by Bruce Catton 
read by David Hilder
3 cassettes (Reissue)
The first book in a trilogy about Lincoln's famous Army of
the Potomac. Based on diaries, letters, and published
reports of soldiers, this volume tells of the early days of
the Civil War under the command of General George B.
McClellan. Prequel to _Glory Road (RC 40520)_. 1951.


A New World: An Epic of Colonial America from the Founding
of Jamestown to the Fall of Quebec
RC 39402
by Arthur Quinn 
read by Peter Johnson
5 cassettes
Quinn approaches the early history of America through the
eyes of Europeans who settled certain colonies. He tells
episodes of each period using the literary rhetoric of that
time. His stories cover John Smith of Jamestown, William
Bradford of Plymouth, Samuel de Champlain of Quebec, Comte
de Frontenac of New France, and Peter Stuyvesant of
Manhattan. 1994.


No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; the Home
Front in World War II
RC 39154
by Doris Kearns Goodwin 
read by Janis Gray
7 cassettes
A portrait of the president and the first lady during World
War II, based on the author's examination of their papers
and interviews with their friends and family. Goodwin
analyzes the Roosevelts' adversities, achievements, and
leadership from interrelated political, social,
intellectual, and personal perspectives. 1994.


Platforms: A Microwaved Cultural Chronicle of the 1970s
RC 39729
by Pagan Kennedy 
read by Carole Jordan Stewart
2 cassettes
Pop-culture critic Kennedy examines the decade in which she
came of age. She reminisces about television shows like
"Charlie's Angels" and the "Mod Squad," music played on
fuzzy eight-track tapes, the ecology movement to stop
littering planet Earth, blaxploitation movies, disco, CB
radios, bell bottoms and pop-top vests, the end of the
Vietnam War, Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign, and more.
Some strong language. 1994.


The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln
RC 39423
by Phillip Shaw Paludan 
read by Randy Atcher
3 cassettes
A Civil War scholar analyzes Lincoln's administration.
Proceeding chronologically, Paludan examines Lincoln's
presidency beginning with his election and the formation of
his cabinet. The author asserts that no president faced
greater challenges in defending the oath of office. And he
credits Lincoln with resolving two of the greatest struggles
in American history: saving the Union and freeing the
slaves. 1994.


Speak Now against the Day: The Generation before the Civil
Rights Movement in the South
RC 40546
by John Egerton 
read by Frank Coffee
6 cassettes
Discusses the South, race relations, and the people who
spoke out for progress and equality during the mid-century
years before the Supreme Court ended legal segregation in
1954. The book covers a period beginning in 1932 and
continues with the resistance of politicians, social
activists, writers, teachers, and others who promoted racial
harmony and started the "Movement." 1994.


A Stillness at Appomattox: The Army of the Potomac, Volume 3
RC 40521
by Bruce Catton 
read by David Hilder
3 cassettes (Reissue)
A description of the last year of the Civil War when General
Grant rebuilt the Union Army into a fighting force and
turned defeat into victory. Sequel to _Glory Road (RC
40520)_. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for history in 1954.
1953.


Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History
RC 39293
by James Cannon 
read by David Hilder
4 cassettes
Cannon, who conducted nearly 200 interviews and had full
access to Gerald Ford's papers, offers a brief account of
Ford's childhood and early political career. But most of his
study is devoted to the years between 1968 and 1976, when
Ford's rise to fame began to coincide with President Nixon's
decline. Cannon examines the events that led to Watergate,
Nixon's resignation, and Ford's decision to pardon Nixon.
1994.


The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America
RC 39576
by John Demos 
read by Ed Blake
3 cassettes
In the early 1700s in Deerfield, Massachusetts, a Puritan
minister and his family were among those taken captive by
French-speaking Mohawks who were Catholic converts. One of
the children, Eunice, was adopted by a Mohawk family and
taken to a Jesuit mission-fort near Montreal. Eunice was
kept long after the rest of the family was released. Later
the family learned that Eunice had stayed on by choice.
1994.


W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, 1868-1919
RC 40267
by David Levering Lewis 
read by Jake Williams
6 cassettes
Scholar, activist, pan-Africanist, W.E.B. Du Bois was a
founder of the NAACP and the first black American to receive
a doctorate from Harvard. He died an expatriate in Ghana at
ninety-five. In this biography, based partly on newly
available personal papers, Lewis analyzes the first fifty
years of Du Bois's life with the backdrop of race relations
and the racial ideologies and conflicts of the period.
Pulitzer Prize. 1993.


W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, 1868-1919
RC 40267
by David Levering Lewis 
read by Jake Williams
6 cassettes
Scholar, activist, pan-Africanist, W.E.B. Du Bois was a
founder of the NAACP and the first black American to receive
a doctorate from Harvard. He died an expatriate in Ghana at
ninety-five. In this biography, based partly on newly
available personal papers, Lewis analyzes the first fifty
years of Du Bois's life with the backdrop of race relations
and the racial ideologies and conflicts of the period.
Pulitzer Prize. 1993.


The Way It Was in the South: The Black Experience in Georgia
RC 40182
by Donald L. Grant 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
6 cassettes
History of the state of Georgia from the perspective of
African Americans. Coverage begins in the early 1500s, long
before blacks were enslaved by British colonists, and
continues to the 1990s. Throughout the book Grant points out
contradictions, such as the fact that Georgia gave birth
both to the Ku Klux Klan and to the civil rights leader
Martin Luther King Jr. 1993.

Wars

Armored Cav: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment
RC 40075
by Tom Clancy 
read by Lou Harpenau
3 cassettes
After _Submarine: A Guided Tour inside a Nuclear Warship (RC
37742)_, the bestselling author of military fiction examines
the special organization of the armored cavalry, its
equipment, its soldiers, its leaders, and how it fights. The
focus is on the 3rd, or the "Brave Rifles," regiment that
took part in the Persian Gulf War. Included are interviews
with two cavalry leaders from that war. Bestseller 1994.


Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne
from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
RC 40283
by Stephen E. Ambrose 
read by Bill Wallace
3 cassettes
Drawing on journals, letters, and interviews with veterans
of Easy Company, the author tells the story of the combat
rifle unit that parachuted into France early on D-Day. And,
despite hardships and casualties, E Company was responsible
for the capture of Hitler's Bavarian retreat at war's end.
Some strong language. 1992.


The First World War: A Complete History
RC 40464
by Martin Gilbert 
read by Bruce Huntey
5 cassettes
The author draws on his travels throughout wartorn Europe
and on letters from and talks with World War I servicemen
for his assessment of the war's effects, especially on the
British. Rather than describing the battles, Gilbert focuses
on the suffering of individuals, the war's impact on future
leaders such as Hitler and Churchill, and the emergence of
new warfare tactics. Companion to _Second World War (RC
40822)_. 1994.


Knight's Cross: A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
RC 39349
by David Fraser 
read by Jake Williams
5 cassettes
A British officer and historian analyzes what made the
famous World War II German general a man respected by both
sides. The author credits Rommel's infantry training in
World War I, together with his talent for war maneuvers and
his relish for the challenges of combat. Fraser shows how
Rommel realized that the Allies would defeat Hitler, and how
Hitler's suspicions cost Rommel his life. 1993.


Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS _Juneau_
RC 40089
by Dan Kurzman 
read by Roy Avers
2 cassettes
After a 1942 battle, a Japanese torpedo demolished the USS
_Juneau_, part of a fleet of antiaircraft cruisers returning
home. Almost 200 of the 700 crew members survived the
attack, but they were left to die in the shark-infested
ocean as the other ships fled. When help finally came more
than a week later, only ten men were still alive. Five
brothers were among the dead. Strong language and violence.
1994.


+The Longest Day: June 6, 1944
RC 38896
by Cornelius Ryan 
read by Jake Williams
3 cassettes (Reissue)
A reconstruction of the D-Day invasion of Europe, covering
the hours before and after the massive landing in Normandy.
The author depicts the Nazi enemy that the Allied forces
fought and the civilians who were caught in the epic battle
that would determine the course of fascism. Bestseller 1959.


Martyrs' Day: Chronicle of a Small War
RC 38695
by Michael Kelly 
read by Ken Kliban
3 cassettes
Kelly, who was working as a freelance journalist for several
newspapers and magazines, provides an account of his travels
throughout the Middle East between November 1990 and
November 1991. He describes his visits to Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, and Iran and offers insight into people's concerns
regarding the conflicts throughout the area and the events
surrounding the Persian Gulf War. Violence and strong
language. 1993.


Monty: The Battles of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
RC 39241
by Nigel Hamilton 
read by Patrick Horgan
4 cassettes
A single-volume condensation of the author's award-winning
trilogy. For this portrait, the author draws on the British
military leader's personal papers as well as interviews with
people acquainted with "Monty." The resulting image depicts
the man who led the Anglo-American armies on D-Day as a
dedicated professional soldier beset by human frailties.
1994.


On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace
RC 40657
by Donald Kagan 
read by Lou Harpenau
4 cassettes
A Yale professor probes the ancient wars between Athens and
Sparta and between Rome and Carthage plus World Wars I and
II and the Cuban missile crisis for lessons on the causes of
war in general. Kagan agrees with other noted historians
that wars are based on fear, honor, and national interests.
It is his opinion that the prevention of war requires a
combination of constant vigilance and military strength.
1995.


The Pattons: A Personal History of an American Family
RC 39844
by Robert H. Patton 
read by Dan Bloom
3 cassettes
Portrait of a family that developed a long-term military
connection and produced George S. Patton Jr., a four-star
general of World War II renown. Patton's grandson sketches
the family background prior to the Pattons' arrival in
America and highlights both men and women who participated
in wartime activities in the new world. The author also
discusses his decision to lead a civilian life. 1994.


Prodigal Soldiers: How the Generation of Officers Born of
Vietnam Revolutionized the American Style of War
RC 40652
by James Kitfield 
read by Terence Aselford
4 cassettes
A journalist's perspective on how lessons learned in Vietnam
changed the U.S. military's way of doing business. Kitfield
recounts efforts to learn from mistakes; to prepare for new
types of conflict; to deal with all-volunteer forces, women
in combat, and drug abuse; and to replace rivalry with
cooperation among the services. 1995.


Shrouds of Glory: From Atlanta to Nashville; the Last Great
Campaign of the Civil War
RC 41009
by Winston Groom 
read by Ray Foushee
2 cassettes
Groom, author of _Forrest Gump (RC 38876)_, examines the
Confederacy's last great attempt to push Union troops from
southern soil. He focuses on General John Bell Hood, who
commanded the Confederate troops in Atlanta and then pushed
troops on to Nashville, where, facing defeat, he asked to be
relieved of his command. Some violence. 1995.


The United States and the End of the Cold War: Implications,
Reconsiderations, Provocations
RC 40327
by John Lewis Gaddis 
read by Miranda Daniloff
3 cassettes
The role of the United States in ending the Cold War with
the Soviet Union. In the first seven essays, Gaddis
reconsiders aspects of Cold War history from the vantage of
hindsight. In the four remaining essays, the author explains
the sudden end of the Cold War and contemplates future
implications. 1992.


The Wages of Guilt: Memories of War in Germany and Japan
RC 39548
by Ian Buruma 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
3 cassettes
Explores how the Japanese and the Germans feel about their
involvement in World War II. The author is especially
interested in the link in prewar attitudes between these two
countries and the contrast in how the European and Pacific
conflicts are viewed a half century later. Buruma traces the
courses of two of America's former enemies and shows how
they have become major allies. Violence and some strong
language. 1994.

Women

African Women: Three Generations
RC 40167
by Mark Mathabane 
read by Lisette Lecat
3 cassettes
Mathabane's memoir about growing up in South Africa, _Kaffir
Boy (RC 24921)_, generated many inquiries about his mother.
Here he presents the stories of three generations of
women--his grandmother, his mother, and his sister--in their
own words. Chapters arranged by theme show each generation
facing similar problems that stem from apartheid and living
in a culture in which women are considered the property of
their fathers and husbands. 1994.


Back Off! How to Confront and Stop Sexual Harassment and
Harassers
RC 39332
by Martha J. Langelan 
read by Martha Harmon Pardee
3 cassettes
Using stories from women who have been harassed, Langelan
presents her perceptions about ugliness and horrors women
have endured and offers action techniques to combat
harassment. She discusses the history of harassment, the
reasons men harass women, children as targets, job-related
attacks, and assaults by people such as ministers and
professors. Appendixes describe legal options and community
involvement. 1993.


Conversations: Straight Talk with America's Sister President
RC 40787
by Johnnetta B. Cole 
read by Gail Nelson
2 cassettes
The first woman president of Atlanta's Spelman College
addresses a younger generation of African American women,
with "no objection to others listening in." Cole introduces
herself and discusses racism, sexism, abuse, stereotypes,
charity, education, and positive role models. She ends with
a plea that others with an interest in the future continue
conversations and write their own conclusions. 1993.


The Diabetic Woman
RC 40095
by Lois Jovanovic 
read by Kerry Cundiff
2 cassettes
Two of the women who collaborated on this book are diabetic,
and one of these is also a mother and a physician
specializing in diabetes. With a brief review of basic
information, the authors establish a question-and-answer
format with Dr. Jovanovic providing the responses. Topics
included of special interest to women are puberty,
menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. 1987.


The Difference: Growing Up Female in America
RC 39263
by Judy Mann 
read by Celeste Lawson
2 cassettes
The author contends that little has changed in the rearing
and education of girls during the late twentieth century.
Mann examines the differences in treatment of boys and girls
from infancy to adolescence, noting discrimination in toy
choices, religious and secular schools, sports, and the
media. She concludes that, in spite of the women's movement,
girls are still victimized by a patriarchal society. 1994.


Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood
RC 39570
by Fatima Mernissi 
read by Yolande Bavan
2 cassettes
The author grew up in a Moroccan harem, which she describes
as a domestic arrangement for an extended Muslim family.
Mernissi portrays this patriarchal society as one that
caused women to become obsessed with the desire to walk
freely in the world beyond their gates. This is an account
of how, with the encouragement of female family members, she
determined that her ability to use words would provide her
freedom. 1994.


Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Warning to Women
RC 39322
by Carol Ann Rinzler 
read by Jill Ferris
2 cassettes
Medical writer Rinzler states that in 1991 sixteen million
American women of certain ages used birth control pills and
15 percent of postmenopausal women used estrogen replacement
therapy. She argues that these trends have contributed to a
breast cancer epidemic--a lifetime risk of one in eight.
Includes estrogen use history, a look at studies on the
topic, and a plea to the medical community. 1993.


Fear of Fifty: A Midlife Memoir
RC 39597
by Erica Jong 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
3 cassettes
Poet, feminist, and novelist who wrote _Fear of Flying (RC
8853)_ does her take on growing older with a generation of
women who have, by choice and by necessity, left home and
joined the work force. Jong analyzes successes and failures
in her writing career, relationships with her family and her
lovers, and the plight of American women. Strong language
and descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1994.


Having Your Baby with a Nurse-Midwife: Everything You Need
to Know to Make an Informed Decision
RC 41071
by American College of Nurse-Midwives and Sandra Jacobs 
read by Judith Ann Gantly
2 cassettes
Explains the role of a midwife during pregnancy and labor,
the medical technology midwives may employ, and the details
of midwife assistance for births in the home, hospital, or
birth center. Included is a state-by-state guide to
regulations concerning midwives. 1993.


In the Company of My Sisters: Black Women and Self-Esteem
RC 41056
by Julia A. Boyd 
read by Connie Winston
1 cassette
A psychotherapist and feminist offers understanding and
encouragement to black women facing racism and low
self-esteem. She illustrates her advice with anecdotes from
her own experience and comments from her women friends.
Presenting psychological concepts with frankness and humor,
Boyd discusses relationships with other black women, family,
men, and God. Some descriptions of sex. 1993.


Janet Reno: Doing the Right Thing
RC 39387
by Paul Anderson 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
Anderson, Washington correspondent for the _Miami Herald_,
presents an account of Reno's life through her first year as
attorney general. Reno is portrayed as an independent person
who wants to blaze a trail for women combatting sexism, who
is neither interested in trends nor impressed by wealth, who
is honest and willing to take the blame for her own
mistakes, and who is not afraid to let people know where she
stands on issues. 1994.


The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family
RC 40698
by Laurence Leamer 
read by Ralph Lowenstein
8 cassettes
The large Catholic family that produced noted politicians
and suffered through multiple tragedies is examined through
its daughters, sisters, and wives. The six-generation family
saga begins in Ireland with President Kennedy's
great-grandmother, Bridget Murphy spans 104 years of Rose
Kennedy's life, ends with Jackie Kennedy's death, and
describes the lives of numerous other Kennedy women.
Bestseller 1994.


Moving beyond Words
RC 39564
by Gloria Steinem 
read by Catherine Byers
3 cassettes
As noted feminist Steinem turns sixty, she looks at aspects
of the women's movement in six essays. In "What If _Freud_
Were _Phyllis_?" she applies gender reversal to the
psychiatrist's theories. Writing of a female bodybuilder,
she discusses being inspired to go beyond imagined limits of
strength and daring. She examines _Ms. Magazine_'s decision
to be ad-free and reminds women: "There's no second [of
time] like this one." Bestseller 1994.


Nella Larsen, Novelist of the Harlem Renaissance: A Woman's
Life Unveiled
RC 40440
by Thadious M. Davis 
read by Catherine Byers
4 cassettes
Biography of the author of _Quicksand_ (1928) and _Passing_
(1929) (combined as _RC 40702_), fiction depicting the
realities of Harlem in the 1920s. Davis portrays Larsen as a
gifted woman of mixed racial heritage, abandoned by her
family, rejected by black and white society, accused of
plagiarism, and generally disengaged from her personal past
and social history. 1994.


The New _Our Bodies, Ourselves_: A Book by and for Women;
Updated and Expanded for the 1990s
RC 38308
by The Boston Women's Health Book Collective 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
11 cassettes
Updates previous editions from 1973 _(RC 13227)_ and 1984
_(RC 22250)_. Covers physical, mental, and emotional health;
sexuality; fertility and childbearing; and aging. Includes
such 1990s' health issues as AIDS, new contraceptive
methods, chronic fatigue, prenatal tests, and occupational
health. Explicit descriptions of sex. 1992.


The New Ourselves, Growing Older: Women Aging with Knowledge
and Power
RC 39195
by Paula B. Doress-Worters and Diane Laskin Siegal 
read by Madelyn Buzzard
7 cassettes
Believing that "each of us can take an active role in our
well-being as we age," the authors, in collaboration with
The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, provide
information on social, economic, health, and other issues
that women face as they age. Aimed at women over forty, the
text is supplemented by personal accounts and a resource
directory. 1994.


Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the
Islamic World
RC 39289
by Jan Goodwin 
read by Celeste Lawson
3 cassettes
Goodwin became interested in the plight of Muslim women
because of her relationship with a Pakistani girl who became
like her daughter and who was bartered in marriage at age
eleven. Goodwin interviewed women, and some men, in ten
Islamic countries. She examines the lives of women of
various stations and the effects of changing Islamic
attitudes in the late twentieth century. Violence. 1994.


Princess Sultana's Daughters
RC 39757
by Jean Sasson 
read by Celeste Lawson
2 cassettes
Sasson continues the account of the treatment of women in
Saudi Arabia that she began in _Princess (RC 36195)_. Here
she tells the story of Sultana, who is fortunate enough to
have a relatively enlightened marriage, and her daughters,
Maha and Amani, and the injustices they must face as women.
During a visit to a friend, Maha experiments with lesbianism
and has a mental breakdown. Amani becomes a religious
fanatic. Some violence. 1994.


Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls
RC 40455
by Mary Pipher 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
A clinical psychologist discusses the problems adolescent
girls face in relation to the women's movement. Pipher
believes that rather than helping teenagers, the movement
has produced an adverse effect on girls, causing them to
have lower self-esteem and to be more prone to depression.
Using case studies, Pipher explains some of these dangers
and suggests measures to correct them. Bestseller 1994.


A Woman's Life: The Story of an Ordinary American and Her
Extraordinary Generation
RC 38768
by Susan Cheever 
read by Susan McInerney
2 cassettes
Linda Green is a forty-something schoolteacher and mother of
two with a house in the suburbs. Her life is the basis of a
study of women who struggle to balance professional and
personal lives. Green, a one-time "hippie," drug-user, and
partner in an open marriage, accepted some of the changing
values of her generation, but she still puts everyone else's
needs before her own. 1994.


Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years; Women, Cloth, and
Society in Early Times
RC 40176
by Elizabeth Wayland Barber 
read by Catherine Byers
2 cassettes
This history of women's work begins with the ancient
societies of Scandinavia, Greece, Egypt, and Europe. Barber
uses her skills in archaeology and interest in textiles to
gather evidence of strong correlations between the daily
lives of women, which included making cloth, and the effect
of their work on the economy and culture of their times.
1994.

World History

The Baltic Revolution: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the
Path to Independence
RC 39391
by Anatol Lieven 
read by Peter Johnson
4 cassettes
Lieven, a journalist for the _Times_ of London, was
stationed in the Baltic region from early 1990 to late 1992.
He combines a history of the Baltic states and their people
with personal reports from citizens who struggled for their
freedom first in 1918 and then again in the 1990s. In
conclusion he discusses new relationships with Russia and
the West. 1993.


The Breakup of the Soviet Union: Opposing Viewpoints
RC 40166
edited by William Barbour and Carol Wekesser 
read by Peter Johnson
2 cassettes
In this volume of the Opposing Viewpoints series, political
observers and leaders debate issues related to the collapse
of the Soviet Union. They discuss the effect of the breakup
on the rest of the world, the response of the United States,
and the ethnic conflicts and struggling economies of the
republics. For junior and senior high and older readers.
1994.


Breakup: The Coming End of Canada and the Stakes for America
RC 39766
by Lansing Lamont 
read by Robert Sams
2 cassettes
An American author looks at the country he states has
questioned its fate since its inception in 1867. Lamont
traces the roots of discord between English- and
French-speaking peoples who settled the land, discovers
cracks in the vast regions that make up the commonwealth,
assesses the influences of the United States, and predicts
the consequences on both sides of the border if Quebec
secedes and the nation dissolves. 1994.


The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance
RC 40011
by John Hale 
read by Patrick Horgan
5 cassettes
Survey of European history from the mid-1400s to the early
1600s, an exuberant era referred to as "the long sixteenth
century," when nations were becoming aware of the meaning of
Europe and individuals strove for achievements. The author
investigates Europe's discovery of itself just as its
separate countries grew protective of their artistic,
military, and political accomplishments. 1993.


A Fish in the Water: A Memoir
RC 39638
by Mario Vargas Llosa 
read by Jake Williams
5 cassettes
The renowned novelist relates the story of his Latin
American youth and describes how he often incorporates
personal experiences into his fiction. He also tells what
motivated him to campaign for democractic and economic
reforms and eventually for the presidency of his native
Peru, an effort that failed. In addition to a self-portrait,
Vargas Llosa offers an overview of the Peruvian literary and
political scene spanning four decades. 1993.


Franco: A Biography
RC 40610
by Paul Preston 
read by Ed Blake
7 cassettes
Biography of Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco
Franco, who is noted for his victory over Republican forces
in the brutal Spanish Civil War and for his forty-year
iron-handed rule of Spain until his death in 1975. Covers
the birth of Franco in 1892 in Galicia, his childhood, his
early military career in Morocco, his rise to power during
the 1930s, his political maneuverings during World War II,
and the postwar Franco era. 1994.


Imperium
RC 39704
by Ryszard Kapuscinski 
read by Roy Avers
3 cassettes
A Polish journalist's impressions of the Soviet Union based
on his life in Poland during the Soviet invasion in 1939,
his travels from Moscow to the furthest regions, and talks
with people from all walks of life. In a series of essays,
he ponders the disintegration of an empire built up over
centuries and observes democratization efforts as they come
up against bureaucracy, poverty, crime, and general decline.
1994.


The Impossible Country: A Journey through the Last Days of
Yugoslavia
RC 39577
by Brian Hall 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
3 cassettes
First-hand account by an American journalist who traveled
around Yugoslavia in the months leading up to the outbreak
of the 1991 civil war. Hall describes the creation of the
country after World War I and outlines its troubled history.
He expresses the opinions of ordinary people, including
Serbs, Croats, and Muslims, as well as the views of their
leaders. 1994.


The Knights of Malta
RC 40609
by H.J.A. Sire 
read by Robert Blumenfeld
3 cassettes
History of the Order of St. John, a religious military order
founded in Jerusalem in the eleventh century. The author
traces the development of this multinational brotherhood
that offers hospitality to pilgrims. He also describes their
political, economic, and cultural legacies. And he
highlights the resurgence of this mainly European Catholic
order, which presently numbers 10,000 knights and is headed
by an Englishman. 1994.


The Living and the Dead: The Rise and Fall of the Cult of
World War II in Russia
RC 40788
by Nina Tumarkin 
read by Suzanne Toren
2 cassettes
The author draws on her personal experiences of life in the
Soviet Union during World War II and traces the history of
the Russian version of the "Great Patriotic War." Tumarkin
explains how Stalin distorted and sanitized the truth about
his role and that of the Communist Party, thereby creating a
myth that persisted until Gorbachev's glasnost. 1994.


The New Middle East
RC 40808
by Shimon Peres and Arye Naor 
read by Ken Kliban
2 cassettes
The Israeli minister of foreign affairs presents his vision
for the future of the Middle East. Eager to preserve the
peace accord signed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and
Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat,
Peres advocates compromise, joint economic ventures, a
determination to replace military spending with social
programs, and a desire for Israel to be a good neighbor to
the entire Arab world. 1993.


The Path to Power
RC 40699
by Margaret Thatcher 
read by Patricia Kilgarriff
5 cassettes
In this companion to _The Downing Street Years (RC 39179)_,
Thatcher looks at her personal life. She discusses her
childhood, her years at Oxford, her marriage to Denis
Thatcher, her family life, her first steps in politics, her
experiences as a minister and as leader of the opposition,
and the beginning of her role as prime minister. Bestseller
1995.


The Princes in the Tower
RC 40697
by Alison Weir 
read by George Holmes
3 cassettes
Weir offers an account of events leading to the deaths of
two princes, sons of King Edward IV. She discusses the line
of succession to the English throne, including the crisis
that made Edward IV king. Using previously published
histories by Sir Thomas More and Dominic Mancini, as well as
the _Croyland Chronicle_, Weir analyses accounts of the
princes' imprisonment and assigns responsibility for their
deaths. 1992.


The Private Life of Chairman Mao: The Memoirs of Mao's
Personal Physician
RC 40449
by Zhisui Li 
read by Gordon Gould
5 cassettes
Portrait of Mao Zedong, ruler of the People's Republic of
China, by the chairman's private physician. Li reports on
Mao's promiscuity, slovenliness, idiosyncrasies, and
interpersonal relationships. The author was also privy to
Mao's views on political matters and an eyewitness to many
historical events, including the Great Leap Forward and the
Cultural Revolution. 1994.


The Rainbow People of God: The Making of a Peaceful
Revolution
RC 40175
by Desmond Tutu 
read by Patrick Horgan
2 cassettes
Speeches and writings, connected by narrative to provide
historical context, display the role that the Anglican
archbishop Tutu played in the anti-apartheid movement in
South Africa. Begins with a letter to the prime minister
written shortly before the 1976 Soweto student uprising, an
event that started years of resistance. The story is carried
through the release of Nelson Mandela and his victory in a
democratic election. 1994.


Russia 2010: And What It Means for the World
RC 40223
by Daniel Yergin and Thane Gustafson 
read by Kimberly Schraf
3 cassettes
The authors offer four scenarios for Russia's future. With
the collapse of the political and economic systems in the
1990s, there are possibilities of a balance of forces,
disintegration until the union reverts to separate states,
an authoritarian regime, or the creation of a miracle from
Russia's natural resources and talent. 1993.


Russia under the Bolshevik Regime
RC 39240
by Richard Pipes 
read by Ken Kliban
5 cassettes
In this sequel to _The Russian Revolution (RC 32799)_, the
author examines the totalitarian state that was created
between the uprising and Lenin's death in 1924. With access
to archives opened in the 1990s, Pipes discusses Soviet
leaders' expansion plans, the Civil War, the 1921 famine,
Lenin's policies, and the failures that threatened the early
demise of the entire regime. 1994.


Sandcastles: The Arabs in Search of the Modern World
RC 38709
by Milton Viorst 
read by Peter Johnson
4 cassettes
Viorst, a writer for the _New Yorker_ and author of several
books on the Middle East, examines the history, politics,
and culture of the Arab countries of Iraq, Turkey, Egypt,
Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Jordan, as well as the
Palestinians. He talked with officials and citizens and
emphasizes the Gulf War and the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. He also comments on the Arab mood after the 1993
peace agreement. 1994.


Serbs and Croats: The Struggle in Yugoslavia
RC 39592
by Alex N. Dragnich 
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
Guide to the troubled history of Yugoslavia. The author
outlines the birth of the independent state in 1918 as the
home of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes; recalls Croatian
atrocities against the Serbs in World War II; interprets
Tito's regime; and discusses the breakup of the united
republics and the continuing bloodshed among people who
share many things but remain divided by centuries-old
hatred. 1992.


Special Tasks: The Memoirs of an Unwanted Witness--a Soviet
Spymaster
RC 39189
by Pavel Sudoplatov and others 
read by Lou Harpenau
4 cassettes
Sudoplatov's memoirs, as told to Jerrold and Leona Schecter
by himself and his son. They cover Sudoplatov's intelligence
career, which coincided with Stalin's thirty years in
office. Some of the author's descriptions of his activities,
such as the acquisition of U.S. atomic secrets, challenge
prevailing accounts. He also provides insight into Soviet
society. Bestseller 1994.


The Struggle for Russia
RC 39258
by Boris Yeltsin 
read by Ken Kliban
3 cassettes
Russia's first popularly elected leader draws on his
personal diaries for this account of the collapse of the
Soviet Union and Russia's move toward a democratic and free
market system. Chronicling historical events, anecdotal and
autobiographical, Yeltsin includes subjects that range from
bold political moves to quieting his infant daughter. Sequel
to _Against the Grain (RC 33193)_. 1994.


Summing Up: An Autobiography
RC 40661
by Yitzhak Shamir 
read by Lou Harpenau
3 cassettes
Shamir, born in Poland in 1915, believes little of what he
has experienced could have been foreseen by the child who
attended a Hebrew school and whose parents were dedicated
Zionists. Shamir, who arrived in Israel (then Palestine) in
1935, discusses his long involvement with underground
groups, his membership in the Knesset, his term as prime
minister, U.S.-Israeli relations, and some of the men with
whom he worked, including Menachem Begin. 1994.


The Waning of the Middle Ages: A Study of the Forms of Life,
Thought, and Art in France and the Netherlands in the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries
RC 41199
by J. Huizinga 
read by Laura Giannarelli
3 cassettes
Huizinga believes people too often look at the end of an era
as the dawn of another, rather than as the termination of
itself. Using religious and secular art, poetry, and
literature of the Middle Ages, Huizinga shows that period's
strange contrasts and analyzes its effect on the twentieth
century. 1924.