Terkel comments and reads letters of ex-convict Jimmy Blake

Peter Lyon discusses the book "Success Story: The Life and Times of S. S. McClure." Includes recitation of "Immortality" by William Jennings Bryan.

Discussing and reading from the book "Hometown: an American contemporary chronicle" with the author Peter Davis.

Drugs, painkillers, football contracts and survival are all covered in Pete Gent's book, "North Dallas Forty". Gent said the business of football meant players would take painkillers and abuse their bodies with drugs all the in of doing whatever was necessary to win a game. An excerpt of an interview with George Allen is included.

Discussing the book "Mosquito coast" with the author novelist Paul Theroux.

"The Skull Beneath the Skin" is a Cordelia Gray mystery written by P. D. James. When creating a character, explained James, she refers to real living human beings with real feelings and real emotions. In her novels, James wants her readers to know what made the victim the way he or she is.

Fly fishing, relationships and people Norman Maclean has met are all apart of his book, "A River Runs Through It." Maclean's father taught Maclean and his brother the art of fly fishing. Maclean's book is semi-autobiographical with three short stories.

A discussion about the book, "House Made of Dawn," awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969. N. Scott Momaday reads from his book.

Discussing the book "An open book" with the author Monica Dickens.

The theme throughout Michael Thomas' book "Someone Else's Money" is money, art and power. In his novel, the objective is to use as little of one's own money and to use someone else's money. Thomas says vulnerable people are dependent on rich people and that the banks are playing with (using) other people's money.

Writer and poet Maya Angelou talks about her life, Creole influences, and her book “Gather Together in My Name” with Studs Terkel. Angelou reads an excerpt from the book and the recording opens with Angelou reading one of her poems.

Angelou discusses her book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and recites "When I Think About Myself." She talks about growing up in Stamps, Arkansas, and her family. Copyrighted material has been removed.

Justice and a mythical city in New York are both big parts in Mark Helprin's book, "Winter's Tale." When questioned what's the book about, Helprin explained that his novel is about justice: what justice is and how can it be obtained.

An interview with Maria Kuncewicz about her book of fiction, "Don Quixote and the Nannies" and how this book reflects her travels to Spain and her personal observations, memories, and experiences. The story reflects the freedom and beauty that people want today post WWII. Kuncewicz tells her experience as a child with nannies and a particular event that helped inspire her writing. She speaks about authority and author, Miquel de Cervantes. Kuncewicz also talks about the people of Spain and how they reflect different Don Quixote characters.