BOOK TV.NET
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95010

BTV 001
HOWARD ZINN - The Possibility of Hope - TRT 1 hr, 41 min.
A beautiful three-camera shoot in Santa Cruz. Zinn covers the usual suspects: capitalism, racism, working class history, etc. Howard Zinn had this to say about this video:
    "My wife and I just saw the video you did of my talk in Santa Cruz, and we’re just delighted with it. You did a great job! Many videos have been made of my talks (now I’m boasting) but none as good as this one. It is photographed so well, and the cuts to the audience are done so skillfully that you are able to get a real sense of the atmosphere that day."
No other radical historian has reached so many hearts and minds as Howard Zinn. His A People's History of the United States has gone into more than 25 printings and sold over 400,000 copies. It is rare that a historian of the Left has managed to retain as much credibility while refusing to let his academic mantle change his beautiful writing style from being anything but direct, forthright, and accessible. Whether his subject is war, race, politics, economic justice, or history itself, each of his works serves as a reminder that to embrace one's subjectivity can mean embracing one's humanity, that heart and mind can speak with one voice.

BTV002
HOWARD ZINN WITH STUDS TERKEL, introduced by ALICE WALKER - TRT 1:29:22
Shot in Berkeley with an excellent introduction by Alice Walker. Studs Terkel, radio personality and author of "Working," "Race," "Hard Times," and other oral history classics, joins Howard Zinn in a discussion of the Civil Rights Movement, the hierarchy of values, and the responsibility of historians. This lively video is a ‘must-have.’
No other radical historian has reached so many hearts and minds as Howard Zinn. His A People's History of the United States has gone into more than 25 printings and sold over 400,000 copies. It is rare that a historian of the Left has managed to retain as much credibility while refusing to let his academic mantle change his beautiful writing style from being anything but direct, forthright, and accessible. Whether his subject is war, race, politics, economic justice, or history itself, each of his works serves as a reminder that to embrace one's subjectivity can mean embracing one's humanity, that heart and mind can speak with one voice.

BTV003
HOWARD ZINN - "Our Legacy from the Sixties" - TRT 1:23:51
Shot at UC Berkeley, this video features Howard Zinn discussing the successes and the perceived failures of the Sixties’ rights movements. Howard Zinn had this to say: "Thanks so much for the video. Just saw the Berkeley one, and you did your usual artistic job of capturing the atmosphere- the crowd, etc."
No other radical historian has reached so many hearts and minds as Howard Zinn. His A People's History of the United States has gone into more than 25 printings and sold over 400,000 copies. It is rare that a historian of the Left has managed to retain as much credibility while refusing to let his academic mantle change his beautiful writing style from being anything but direct, forthright, and accessible. Whether his subject is war, race, politics, economic justice, or history itself, each of his works serves as a reminder that to embrace one's subjectivity can mean embracing one's humanity, that heart and mind can speak with one voice.

BTV004
HOWARD ZINN - "What Does the Past Say About the Future…and So What?" - TRT 1:15:27
Howard Zinn joins Santa Cruz high school students in a discussion of the nature of our class system, war, immigration, and authority. Leave it to high school students to ask the most honest, straightforward and sincere questions I’ve heard at any Zinn talk. No grandstanding here, folks.
No other radical historian has reached so many hearts and minds as Howard Zinn. His A People's History of the United States has gone into more than 25 printings and sold over 400,000 copies. It is rare that a historian of the Left has managed to retain as much credibility while refusing to let his academic mantle change his beautiful writing style from being anything but direct, forthright, and accessible. Whether his subject is war, race, politics, economic justice, or history itself, each of his works serves as a reminder that to embrace one's subjectivity can mean embracing one's humanity, that heart and mind can speak with one voice.

BTV005
HOWARD ZINN - "The Community Television of Santa Cruz Interview" - TRT 53: 00
Interviewed in the studio by Clay Butler, Howard Zinn is asked about rediscovering Columbus, the nature of war, the role of historians, and democracy vs. capitalism. Features bonus footage of Howard Zinn in a car, and talking at a banquet.
No other radical historian has reached so many hearts and minds as Howard Zinn. His A People's History of the United States has gone into more than 25 printings and sold over 400,000 copies. It is rare that a historian of the Left has managed to retain as much credibility while refusing to let his academic mantle change his beautiful writing style from being anything but direct, forthright, and accessible. Whether his subject is war, race, politics, economic justice, or history itself, each of his works serves as a reminder that to embrace one's subjectivity can mean embracing one's humanity, that heart and mind can speak with one voice.

BTV009
NORMAN SOLOMON - "Wizards of Media Oz" - TRT 50 min.
Shot at Capitola Book Café, Norman talks about his latest book, "The Wizards of Media Oz," a collection of his syndicated "Media Beat" column. Keep track of the number of times he says "media."
Solomon and co-author Jeff Cohen subtitle their book Behind the Curtain of Mainstream News, and they aren't just in Kansas anymore. They analyze contemporary American life as reflected in the print and broadcast media. Their pithy and pointed criticisms spare neither liberals or conservatives.

BTV018
SAUL LANDAU - "Red Hot Radio" - TRT 60 min.
Professor, columnist, and documentary film-maker, Saul attacks everything assumed and sacred with a wonderful sense of humor. Topics include GATT, NAFTA, the Mexican economy, shopping malls, and DC culture.
Saul Landau has been all over the literary map, winning everything from the Edgar to the Emmy. Currently a fellow at the Washington D.C. Institute for Policy Studies, his articles have appeared in the New York Times, The Nation, and Rolling Stone. One thing is certain, Saul Landau did not gain his ticket to travel by pulling punches. Fasten your seat belts for a gate crashing tour of politics, vice and corruption in this collection of witty and brash political commentaries first heard on Pacifica Radio.

BTV019
PAUL HARRIS - "Black Rage" - TRT 60 min.
Attorney Paul Harris discusses the historic use of the "Black Rage Defense": where an attorney urges the jury to look at the defendant’s environment as a possible explanation of the defendant’s actions. Paul Harris is the first attorney to successfully use this defense.
Never before have racial and legal issues been so intertwined and controversial. Harris, former head of the National Lawyers Guild, pioneered the original "black rage" defense a quarter of a century ago. He presents the historical, legal, and sociological issues in sharp, compelling prose.
    "Harris is one of the greatest warriors of civil rights and justice in recent decades. [This] is essential reading for every thinking American."
    - Congressman John Conyers

BTV020
RON RUIZ - "Guiseppe Rocco" -TRT 60 min.
Santa Cruz County attorney general discusses his second novel. The first half is devoted to his life story, which is quite interesting. The second half is devoted to selected passages from the novel.
Ronald Ruiz tells the gripping story of the rise and fall of two American families. Guiseppe Rocco is an Italian immigrant and self made millionaire with three sons. When the eldest elopes with Sally Martinez, an improbable matriarch who has cared for her six younger brothers and sisters since their mother disappeared, Guiseppe comes to recognize his daughter-in-law as a
means to perpetuate his empire. A subtle recasting of the Horatio Alger myth by a writer The Houston Post calls "talented, painstaking and intelligent."

BTV021
MICHAEL RIORDAN - "Crystal Fire" - TRT 60 min.
Crystal Fire covers the history of the microprocessor. What could be more fun? Actually, Michael makes it about as interesting as possible, with a complementary slide show to enhance the talk. Topics include Silicon Valley backbiting, CEO desertions, and the marketing of the microprocessor.
Here is the brilliant story of one of the most important inventions of the century, the creation of the transistor. It won the Nobel Prize for William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain of Bell Labs, and led to the computer revolution. It is a technological and a human drama, compellingly told by a physicist at Stanford and UCSC.
    "Clear, readable, interesting, deeply knowledgeable - an important subject and a damn fine book."
    - Horace Judson, director, Center for History of Recent Science

BTV022
SHELBY STEELE - "A Dream Deferred" - TRT 60 min.
Black conservative Shelby Steele attacks affirmative action. Cool and collected, Shelby holds his own during a heated Q&A session.
Shelby Steele is currently a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. In his new essay collection, the self-described black conservative and author of The Content of Our Character explores the untold story behind today's polarized racial politics: America's collision with its own racial shame in the civil rights era. Steele eloquently argues that the
liberalism that grew out of the 1960's has as its first and all-consuming goal the expiation of American guilt rather than the careful and true development of equality between the races.

BTV023
DANIEL KOHANSKI - "the Philosophical Programmer" - TRT 60 min.
Programmer Daniel encourages his colleagues to take seriously the effects their programming decisions will have on society. Laid-back and happy, Daniel will keep you thinking.
Here's a much needed book which examines computer programs from philosophical and ethical vantage points as well as discussing how programs work and Daniel Kohanski * are written. In the tradition of Nicholas Negroponte and Esther Dyson, Kohanski informs and illuminates in clear prose key issues and questions of our computer era, from privacy and piracy to information and intelligence.

BTV024
DOUG DOUD - "Blues For America" - TRT 60 min.
An old leftie that’s never lost his fire, Doug Doud attacks the usual suspects with wit and just the right amount of indignation. If you like Howard Zinn, you’ll probably like Doug.
This history of America in the 20th century is also the memoir of a remarkable scholar and political activist. Dowd became chair of Economics at Cornell after refusing to sign a loyalty oath at Cal in 1950. He was a national figure in the anti-war movement, and has written a powerful political and economic analysis of modern America.
    "A wonderful book...by the extraordinary Doug Dowd."
    - Howard Zinn
    "A vivid, witty, moving account of much of the history of this century" -
    - Noam Chomsky
    "Personal, provocative, and elegantly written, [it] ought to be widely read, and relished."
    - Jonathan Kozol

BTV025
DAPHNE SCHOLINSKI - "The Last Time I Wore A Dress" -TRT 60 min.
Imprisoned in a mental institution in her teens, she was quickly diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder (a fancy way of saying "We don’t think you’re girly enough"). With a wry, bitter wit, Daphne recounts her experience in our corrupted mental institutions, and how art helped her deal with it.
This amazing book tells the troubled story of renowned painter Daphne Scholinski, whose struggles with (and forced commitments for) her own gender identity bring into question the very nature of self-identity.
    "Surely the most candid account of adolescent life in a bin since Girl, Interrupted, this compelling story of sexual persecution, artistic birth, and the heretofore undocumented relationship between sanity and mascara reveals as much about America's obsession with female conformity (and panty hose) as it does about the heroic author. Shocking, funny, and triumphant."
    - Author Mark Matousek

BTV031
FRANCES CONLEY - "walking out on the boys" - TRT 60 min.
She was America's first tenured female neurosurgeon and is now chair of the Stanford Faculty Senate professor of neurosurgery. Dr. Frances Conley has also experienced all kinds of sexual harassment and bias. Her resignation from
Stanford in 1991 caused national headlines, and she tells her story in a dramatic memoir which is a cautionary tale about today's world of medicine.
    " ...heart-pounding reading."
    - San Francisco Chronicle

BTV034
WILL SELF - "Great Apes" -TRT60 min.
Droll and very tall, Will Self discusses the inspiration and the meaning behind his book. Personal anecdotes, simian anthropological humor, and a bonus post-talk interview explaining how the book cover was done.
Like a modern Kafka, British satirist Self has penned a marvelous novel of a separate reality populated (so to speak) by chimpanzees. Artist Simon Dykes is the only human (or thinks he is) as Self propels a wild and instructive tale through the streets of London.
    "Makes you laugh a great deal, ponder more, and raise a thankful cheer that a writer such as Self has managed to survive the late 20th century without being shot at dawn."
    - The Daily Telegraph

BTV036
GARY RIVLIN -"The Plot to get Bill Gates" - TRT 60 min.
Bill Gates-haters will love this. Gary is a natural speaker and quite hilarious.
Over the last ten years, Bill Gates has evolved from a mere software mogul to a full-blown global icon, as universally known and scrutinized as Michael Jordan or Madonna. Meanwhile, legions of people, obsessed with Gates and his $80 billion empire, have begun plotting strategies to end Microsoft's dominance over the technology universe. Gary Rivlin, editor of the East Bay Express, spent three years researching and writing a chronicle of the software wars. Wickedly funny, his new book reads like a hybrid of Moby-Dick and Roger & Me. This is great gossip, and a fascinating inside look at moguls like Larry Ellison, Marc Andreessen, Jim Barksdale, Ralph Nader and John Doerr.

BTV037
WENDY CHAPKIS - "Live Sex Acts" - TRT 60 min.
This provocative new book looks at what the author calls "land mines within feminism": prostitution and pornography. What are the gender and cultural issues involved, and who is in control? What are the issues confronting women, and feminism itself? Chapkis, former professor at UCSC, answers these questions based on a decade of interviews and research.
    "This is social science as it ought to be written...tough realism, a capacity for clear thinking, and an irrepressible sense of humor.
    - Robert Connell

BTV044
TIM FERRIS - "The Whole Shebang" - TRT 60 min.
Tim Ferris rules. In the first part, Tim explains why you don’t have to read a book to the end, and then moves on to the subjects in his book. Great questions as the audience plays ‘Stump The Author.’
Tim Ferris is one of the preeminent science writers of our time. His new book, subtitled A State-of-the-Universe(s) Report, is a fascinating look at the key issues on the cutting edge of science and cosmology. He engages topics as diverse as the origins of the universe, curved space, and whether there may be other universes, all in crystal clear prose.
    "A splendid tonic for our all too worldly claustrophobia. Your consciousness will be altered to the point that you'll never look at the heavens again without stupified awe and wonderment."
    -Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall

BTV045
FRITJOF CAPRA - "The Web of Life" - TRT 60 min.
A somewhat dry yet informative talk about a complex and emerging field.
Subtitled A New Understanding of Living Systems, this fascinating book synthesizes the dazzling array of recent scientific findings from chaos theory to systems theories to new ways of looking at ecology.
    "This book, a rare blending of the heart and the head, should be required reading."
    - Theodore Roszak

BTV054
SUSIE BRIGHT - "The Sexual State of the Union" - TRT 60 min.
Local sex-positive activist, columnist, and founder of On Our Backs, Susie examines puritan hang-ups and the resulting cultural baggage of our sex-phobic society. Funny and laid-back.
One of the country's most thought-provoking commentators on sex and culture, Susie Bright returns for a (rather timely) discussion of the current state of sexuality in America..
    "[She] approaches sexuality with an openness and humor that are as disarming as they are radical."
    - L.A. Reader

BTV060
SUSIE BRIGHT - "Sexual State of the Union" (Capitola Book Café) - TRT 60 min.
Local sex-positive activist, columnist, and founder of On Our Backs, Susie examines puritan hang-ups and the resulting cultural baggage of our sex-phobic society. Funny and laid-back.
One of the country's most thought-provoking commentators on sex and culture,
Susie Bright returns for a (rather timely) discussion of the current state of
sexuality in America.
    "[She] approaches sexuality with an openness and humor that are as disarming as they are radical."
    - L.A. Reader

BTV061
KEVIN DANAHER - "Corporations are Gonna Get Your Mama" - TRT 60 min.
Kevin Danaher, co-founder of Global Exchange and the editor of "50 Years is Enough: the Case against the World Bank and the IMF," rips it up on the UCSC campus. Humorous, in your face, pull-no-punches commentary.

BTV062
JOHN TRUDELL - "No title" - TRT 60 min.
Native American activist and poet John Trudell attacks capitalism, racism, Christianity, sexism, and the usual suspects with wit and wisdom. People who like Howard Zinn or Michael Parenti will probably like this.
John Trudell is a poet, a singer and one of the most powerful voices of the human spirit today. He came to prominence as a long time activist for Native American rights and freedoms, as the national spokesperson during the Indians of All Tribes Occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969, culminating in the formation of AIM (American Indian Movement) in the 70's. He was the
National Chairman of AIM, 1973 - 1979, at a time of great turbulance and intensity for Native Americans, culminating in the seige of Pine Ridge, the Occupation of Wounded Knee, the Jumping Bull Incident (2 FBI agents, 1 Native American were killed) and the years of trials and continious attacks following these events. These events mark the beginning of intense surveillance and scrutinization of John Trudell by the F.B.I. (Federal Bureau of Investigation), a 17,000 page FBI file is testimony to this, as well as the overt beginning of a war on the members of AIM by the FBI's cointelpro factions to subvert the movement.

BTV064
HOWARD ZINN AND CLAYBOURNE CARSON - "Revisiting the 60’s" - TRT 90 min.
Howard covers the civil rights movement like no one else. Joined by Claybourne Carson, this talk is loaded with historical context, personal stories, and humor.
No other radical historian has reached so many hearts and minds as Howard Zinn. His A People's History of the United States has gone into more than 25 printings and sold over 400,000 copies. It is rare that a historian of the Left has managed to retain as much credibility while refusing to let his academic mantle change his beautiful writing style from being anything but direct, forthright, and accessible. Whether his subject is war, race, politics, economic justice, or history itself, each of his works serves as a reminder that to embrace one's subjectivity can mean embracing one's humanity, that heart and mind can speak with one voice.

BTV068
MARTIN LEE - "The Beast Reawakens" - TRT 60 min.
Can you cover the rise of international fascism from the 1940’s to the present in 56 minutes? …Martin Lee thinks he can, in this incredible talk.
Includes bonus diagram created on posterboard!
Ever since the Oklahoma City bombing America has struggled to understand the issues of repression involved. This extraordinary book details the resurgence of facism and Nazism in modern America, by carefully following the dispersal of hatred from Nazi Germany to the present. "This compelling, intelligent investigation, which reads more like a thriller than a history lesson, contributes much toward understanding the politics of hatred." (Publishers Weekly) Lee is a longtime journalist for The Nation, Newsday, Mother Jones, and many other publications, and is a co-founder of FAIR, the media watchdog group.

BTV070
MORTON MARCUS - "When People Could Fly" - TRT 60 min.
Local poet and professor Morton Marcus reads from his new book of poetry. Morton’s engaging speaking style makes this enjoyable for even poetry-haters.
The venerable and much praised teacher from Cabrillo College presents a new collection of stories from the beginning to the end of time, his own history of the world.
    "This generous spirited book...is a major contribution to our lives and to out literature."
    - poet Vern Rutsala

BTV071
ROXANNE DUNBAR-ORTIZ -"Red Dirt" - TRT 60 min.
Okie Roxanne covers her life in California versus Oklahoma in an
informative talk.
This is a memoir about, as the subtitle states, Growing Up Okie. Dunbar-Ortiz was born during the Dust Bowl as the youngest child of sharecroppers and experienced a tough childhood.
    "There are many qualities to praise in Red Dirt: its masterful evocation of a time and place, its telling details of both the pain and beauty of rural life, its straightforward yet elegant prose."
    - LA Times

BTV072
NANCY SCHEPER-HUGHES " Small Wars "- TRT 60 min.
Editor and anthropologist Nancy discusses the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of children in the world, focusing on developing nations. Honest, straightforward assessments with a touch of black humor keeps this topic interesting and not too depressing.
In the past decade, commendable efforts to assure the survival of children in the world's harsher environments have occurred primarily on the medical and nutritional fronts. Now, by focusing on case studies ranging from Cuba and Brazil to Portugal and New York City, Small Wars emphasizes the cultural ideas of childhood and parenthood, specifically the economic and political realities that give rise to various forms of abuse and early death. Philippe Bourgois, one of the contributors, will be joining Nancy Scheper-Hughes for this insightful discussion.

BTV074
JUAN RAMIEREZ - ""- TRT 60 min.
Watsonville resident and Vietnam vet Juan tells it like it is in a brutal and honest talk about his experiences.
This startling, poignant memoir tells the toll of Vietnam on the flesh and spirit of Watsonville resident, Juan Ramirez. In 1968, the year of the Tet offensive, he joined the marines and two bloody tours later, was wounded, undesirably discharged, and plagued by survivor's guilt. By tracing his roots, and exploring the cultural pressures and social demons that weighed on his family and community, Juan Ramirez offers an unflinching look at the fall and redemption of one Mexican American veteran.

BTV075
BLAIR JACKSON - "Garcia-An American Life" - TRT 60
min.
Light and breezy, with just the right amount of mix of reporting and
storytelling, rock and roll journalist Blair discusses the life of Jerry Garcia.
This comprehensive biography of Jerry Garcia, late leader and guitarist of the Grateful Dead, follows the amazing trajectory of his life, from Acid Test parties at the dawn of the LSD age, to the flowering streets of Haight Ashbury. We continue on from Woodstock and Altamont, to the infamous notoriety of the Dead as the most popular touring rock group in America. Veteran rock journalist Blair Jackson has woven together Garcia's personal and professional story from the more than 100 of his own interviews with Garcia, his friends, lovers and bandmates. The color images and testimonies offer an intimate portrait of a brilliant guitarist and songwriter.

BTV076
ROBERT F. BARSKY - "Noam Chomsky" - TRT 60 min.
Shot at Capitola Book Café, Robert shares his comprehensive knowledge of
Noam Chomsky’s life. Informative, humorous, and as close to a Chomsky
Autobiography as we’re going to get.
Subtitled A Life of Dissent, this is the first comprehensive biography of the famous professor, linguist, and political thinker. It looks at the forces which shaped him, the intellectual and developmental underpinnings of his groundbreaking work, and offers a generous selection of Chomsky's own writings and speeches on a myriad of topics political and psychological.
    "This is an essential book not only for Chomsky aficianados and adversaries, but for all students of American political and intellectual life."
    - Russell Jacoby, UCLA

BTV077
BARRY LOPEZ

BTV078
JUDD WINICK

BTV079
CATHERINE J. KORDICH

BTV080
AELINE YEN MAH

BTV081
MARA FREEMAN

BTV082
KEN BAKER

BTV083
Leonard Shlain
The Alphabet vs. The Goddess

BTV084
Gregory Stephens
On Racial Frontiers

BTV085
Mickey Hart
Drum Planet

BTV086
Ruthanne Lum McCunn
The Moon Pearl

BTV087
Kenn Harper
Give Me My Father's Body: The Life of Minik, the New York Eskimo

BTV088
John Stauber
Trust Us We're Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles on Your Future

BTV089
Jim Gensheimer
Pain and Grace: A Journey Through Vietnam

BTV090
Alexander Cockburn and Jeffery St. Clair
Al Gore: A User's Manual (Verso)

BTV091
Elliot Aronson
Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching Compassion After

BTV092
Scott L. Malcomson
One Drop of Blood: The American Misadventure of Race

BTV093
Genevieve Obert
Prince Borghese's Trail

BTV094
Michael Brown Race
Race, Money and the Welfare State

BTV095
Lisa See
The Interior

BTV096
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Africana and Wonders of the African World

BTV097
Judy Yung
Unbound Voices: A Documentary History of Chinese Women in San Francisco

BTV098
Gina Kolata
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Cause It

BTV099
Ian Frazier
On the Rez

BTV100
Matt Bernstein
Sycamore Tricks and Treats: Sex Workers Write About their Clients

BTV101
Ruth Hunter
What a Life! Heroines, Sung and Unsung

BTV102
Paulina Borsook
Cyberselfish: A Critical Romp through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High Tech

BTV103
Eric Larson
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

BTV104
Patricia Wakida, and Lawson Inada
Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese Internment Experience

BTV105
John Philip Santos
Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation

BTV106
Gray Brechin
Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin (University of California Press)
This urban biography provides an entirely new vision of San Francisco's history, laying bare its inner dynamics. In it, Gray Brechin examines the far-reaching environmental impact that one city and its powerful families have had for over a century and a half. Written in a lively, accessible style, the narrative is filled with vivid characters, engrossing stories, and a rich variety

BTV107
David Abernethy
Dynamics of Global Dominance: European Overseas Empires, 1415-1980 (Yale)
For centuries Europeans ruled vast portions of the world. This magisterial survey of the rise and decline of European overseas empires asks how and why these empires took shape, persisted, and finally fell. In a discussion that encompasses European and non-European actors as well as the economic, social, cultural, and political dimensions of empire, David B. Abernethy, professor of Political Science at Stanford, explains Europe's long occupation of global center stage and throws new light on today's postcolonial world and the legacies of empire.

BTV108
Christopher Hitchens
The Trial of Henry Kissinger (Verso)
With the detention of Augusto Pinochet, the possibility of international law acting against tyrants around the world is emerging as a reality. Yet, as Christopher Hitchens demonstrates in this compact, incendiary book, the West need not look far to find suitable candidates for the dock. The U.S. is home to an individual whose record of war crimes bears comparison with the worst dictators of recent history: Ex-Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Henry A. Kissinger. Weighing the evidence with judicial care, Hitchens takes the floor as prosecuting counsel. He investigates, in turn, Kissinger's involvement in the war in Indochina, mass murder in Bangladesh, planned assassinations in Santiago, Nicosia and Washington, D.C., and genocide in East Timor. Drawing on first-hand testimony, previously unpublished documentation, and material released under the Freedom of Information Act, he mounts a devastating indictment of a man whose ambition and ruthlessness have directly resulted in both individual murders and widespread, indiscriminate slaughter.

BTV109
James Houston
Snow Mountain Passage (Knopf)
The most harrowing of all pioneer stories - the ordeal of the Donner Party - has finally been retold in the intimate, brilliant writing of the nationally acclaimed and local novelist, James Houston. We follow the Frazier family's 1846 crossing of the country, watching their optimism and dreams turn toward ingenuity, courage, and terror. The mix of history and myth within their fateful choice of a wrong mountain pass - and the violent story of survivors - is gripping and ever timely.

BTV110
Louise Erdrich
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse (Harper Collins)
According to Publisher's Weekly, Erdrich's new novel "places (her) solidly in the first rank of American novelists and preeminently in the roster of those who depict Native American culture." The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse deepens and enlarges the world of Erdrich's previous novels set on the same reservation. In it, we meet Father Damien Modeste, a priest who has served his beloved people, the Ojibwe, on the remote reservation of Little No Horse for over fifty years. Now, nearing the end of his life, he dreads the discovery of his physical identity, for he is a woman who has lived as a man. Spanning an entire century, this magnificent novel captures the essence of a time and the spirit of a woman compelled by her beliefs to serve her people as a priest.

BTV111
Janis Cooke Newman
The Russian Word for Snow (St. Martin's)
Janis Cooke Newman shares her touching and perceptive account of her journey toward motherhood in this intimate tale of adoption. From her own unorthodox efforts to become pregnant, to her first visit with the Russian infant boy who would become her son, and her desperate attempts to adopt against the background of Moscow's political upheaval, Newman writes with clear passion and relentless determination. Although 22 million Americans have been touched by adoption, not until The Russian Word for Snow has there been a book about what it feels like to adopt. An insightful, courageous journey straight from the heart.

BTV112
Richard Lange
Fox Run (Otter B Books)
Introducing us to a unique narrative voice, this darkly humorous and austere debut novel tells the story of Mike Martinez -- straight A student, obsessive compulsive, liar, thief. He's had fourteen addresses in his fourteen years, but when his family relocates yet again -- this time to San Diego -- he sees a chance to shed his status as the perpetual new kid and make a new kind of life for himself. His dream of transformation, of shedding a troubled past and making a fresh start is the dream of California, indeed of America, and his pursuit of it is comical, tragic and ultimately compelling. Please join us as we celebrate one of our own.