Biography & Memoir

After serving in the Vietnam War, Peacock sought solace in nature. While camping in the woods, he had several encounters with grizzly bears. He wrote about his observations of the animals in his new book, Grizzly Years.

Brown joins Fresh Air to discuss the mechanics of filmmaking, and the impact the success of Jaws had on his career. His wife is Helen Gurley Brown; they work together on the women's magazine Cosmopolitan. David Brown's memoir is called Let Me Entertain You.

Adler has a new memoir about his career in musical theater. He wrote songs with Jerry Ross for The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Ross died early in their partnership in 1955.

Part II of the Fresh Air interview with the legendary B-movie producer and director. Corman talks about some of the unconventional research he did before making his films, including hanging out with the Hell's Angels and taking LSD. Despite having the opportunity to work with major studios, he chose to work independently, and eventually started his own production and distribution company, New World Pictures.

Part I of the Fresh Air interview. Despite his reputation as a master of the low-budget B-movie, Corman cites classic Hollywood and European films as his primary influences. He is known for his prolific pace, and for introducing now-famous actors like Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, and Vincent Price. Corman has a new memoir, called "How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime."

Landesman founded several nightclubs frequented by beat writers. He later published their work in his literary magazine Neurotica -- despite finding their writing limited. Landesman later lampooned the beat generation in his Broadway musical, The Nervous Set.

Dallas Morning News columnist A.C. Green got a new heart in 1988, seven months after being added to the transplant list. His new book, Taking Heart, details the experience of waiting, surgery, and recovery.

Gregg grew up in a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, and eventually had a 13-year career as a National League umpire. He has a new memoir about what it takes to make good calls.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the memoirs of Andrei Sakharav, a Russian scientist and political dissident who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. Leonard says the book is more than autobiography -- it's a guide for global citizenship.

Writer, poet, and commentator Andrei Codrescu. His thoughts regularly appear on "All Things Considered," and he also recently reported for ATC on the changes in his native country, Romania.

Biographer Laurence Bergreen. His new book is "As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin." (published by Viking Press). Bergreen is also the author of "James Agee: A Life."

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Cleopatra: Histories, Dreams and Distortions," by historian Lucy Hughes-Hallett (It's published by Harper and Row).

Book critic John Leonard "The Loony-Bin Trip," feminist Kate Millett's memoir of her dealing with manic depression. It's published by Simon and Schuster.

Native American activist Mary Crow Dog (Mary Brave Bird). Her memoir's called "Lakota Woman."

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews two new autobiographies by women: "How I Became Hettie Jones," by Hettie Jones, and "Love and Other Infectious Diseases," by Molly Haskell.

Journalist Morley Safer. His first book is "Flashbacks: On Returning to Vietnam" (published by Random House). In 1965 Safer went to Vietnam as CBS'S correspondent. His famous report of U.S. marines torching the Cam Ne hamlet in August 1965 angered the White House with threats to expose SAFER'S "Communist ties" unless CBS fired him. Safer went back to Vietnam in 1989 as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, and out of this trip came "Flashbacks," a look back at the war and an examination of Vietnam today.

Baseball Hall-of-Fame pitcher Bob Feller. Some call him the fastest pitcher in history---taking the mound for the Cleveland Indians when just a teenager, Feller racked up 266 wins, struck out over 2500 batters, and pitched the only opening day no-hitter in major league history. In his new book, "Now Pitching, Bob Feller: A Baseball Memoir," he recounts his more 50 years in the game. (The book is co-authored with writer Bill Gilbert and published by Birch Lane Press).

Book critic John Leonard reviews Deirdre Bair's new biography of Simone de Beauvoir.

Writer Hettie Jones. Her new memoir, "How I became Hettie Jones" (published by E.P. Dutton) is an account of living at the center of New York bohemianism during the 50's and 60's. It's also the story of Jones' interracial marriage to black poet LeRoi Jones. LeRoi Jones later became involved in the black militant movement, and changed his name to Amiri Baraka. The two divorced.