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Vietnam Vet Tim O'Brien Explores Brutal Truths of War through Fiction.

Novelist Tim O'Brien. He was writing about Vietnam long before it became fashionable to do so. His Vietnam memoir, "If I die in a Combat Zone," was published in 1973. O'Brien's 1979 novel "Going After Cacciato" was praised for its depiction of the Vietnam War. It also was the surprise winner of the 1979 National Book Awards -- beating out books by John Irving and John Cheever. He's also written the novelS, "Northern Lights," and "The Nuclear Age." His new book, "The Things They Carried," (Houghton Mifflin publisher) began as a short story in "Esquire," and received the 1987 "National Magazine Award." The book is a series of stories that follow a group of soldiers in Vietnam.

18:49
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Other segments from the episode on March 22, 1990

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, March 22, 1990: Interview with Alexander Wolff, Armen Keteyian, and David Berst; Interview with Tim O'Brien; Review of the film "Pretty Woman."
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21:53

The Business of NCAA Basketball.

Sportswriters Alexander Wolff and Armen Keteyian. The pair have covered college basketball for years, and now they've collaborated on a new expose of college recruiting practices. It's called "Raw Recruits." (Pocket Books). Terry also talks with David Berst, the head of enforcement for the NCAA.

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22:24

Author Tim O'Brien Returns to Vietnam

Novelist Tim O'Brien has been called "one of our most eloquent writers about Vietnam" (Playboy). "In the Lake of the Woods" is his new novel about a man whose involvement in the war is much like O'Brien's. Both were at the My Lai massacre, and they shared a need to be accepted -- which drove them to serve in the war.

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54:00

Tim O'Brien On Writing About the Vietnam War.

Tim O'Brien is a novelist whose works often deal with the Vietnam War. His most recent novel was "Going after Cacciato," about a soldier in the war. O'Brien is currently guest lecturing at Temple University. He joins the show to discuss Vietnam, writing, and his work-in-progress "The Nuclear Age."

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Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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