Parenting & Families

The former Saturday Night Live performer was best known for, Pat, the gender-ambiguous character. Sweeney took the character the big screen, but the result was a flop. When her brother was diagnosed with cancer, she took him into her home to take care of him while he was getting treatment. Her parents also moved in. Sweeney began work on a performance piece as a way to deal with the situation. Her brother eventually died, and she herself was diagnosed with cancer. She's now in remission. Sweeney's one woman show is called "God Said, Ha!"

Berube is a professor of English at the University of Illinois and is the author of the new book, "Life As We Know It: A Father, a Family, and an Exceptional Child." It's about the birth of his son in 1991, Jamie, who has Down syndrome, and how that has affected his family's life. Berube writes in the introduction, "individual humans like James are compelling us daily to determine what kind of 'individuality' we will value, on what terms, and why."

Book Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new book by Mona Simpson, about a troubled family living on a commune.

Leno talks with Terry about his life: growing up, his struggling years as a standup (with other comics like Robin Williams, Andy Kaufman, and Steve Martin), and taking over The Tonight Show. His new memoir is called "Leading With My Chin."

Commentator Dagoberto Gilb has some thoughts on his son and college.

Weston died last Friday. We replay part of our 1988 interview with his wife Jo Stafford. (Rebroadcast)

Washington Post reporter Leon Dash won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his eight part series "Rosa Lee's Story." He has turned that into the new book ,"Rosa Lee: A Mother and Her Family in Urban America." It shows Lee's day to day life in one of Washington D.C.'s poorest neighborhoods.

Former caseworker in New York City's Emergency Children's Services, Marc Parent. It was Parent's job to investigate cases of abused children during the evening and nighttime hours. He's written a new memoir about his experiences, called "Turning Stones: My Days and Nights with Children at Risk." Kirkus Reviews writes, "At once heart-wrenching and heart-lifting is this record of four years spent riding to the rescue of abused and neglected children."

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Crows Over A Wheatfield" by Paula Sharp.

Film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum reviews "She's the One," a sex-obsessed rom-com featuring Jennifer Aniston's big screen debut.

An excerpt from the NPR program "This American Life" produced by Ira Glass. This is the story of a Tom Jones impersonator produced by Jay Allison and narrated by Dan Gediman -- brother of the ersatz celebrity.

The Fresh Air classical music critic reads a new poem about his mother.

Vilar's memoir "A Message from God in the Atomic Age" chronicles three generations of self-destructive behavior: in 1954, her grandmother was imprisoned for opening fire at the U.S. House of Representatives; in 1977, her mother leapt to her death from a speeding car; and in 1988, Vilar herself was committed to a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide. Alternating between her notes from the psychiatric ward and the chronicling of the history of her family, Vilar tells of her own attempts to come to terms with her family history.

Film critic John Powers reviews "Manny and Lo," a low-budget film about runway orphan sisters.

O'Donnell's book is "Getting Over Homer" from Knopf. He's has also written two other books "Elementary Education," and "Vertigo Park: and Other Tall Tales." O'Donnell also did a stint writing for TV's Saturday Night Live. His twin brother, Steve, writes for David Letterman.

The psychosexual therapist, along with Ben Yagoda, wrote a new book about the well-being of the American family, "The Value of Family: A Blueprint for the 21st Century." Much of her perspective is informed by her experience fleeing the Holocaust as a child.

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor Willie Nelson recently released two new albums. With "Spirit," Nelson is the first country musician to record with Island Records. He recorded "How Great Thou Art" with his sister, Bobbie Nelson. That CD is a collection of gospel standards, like "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee."

Author and daughter of Jackie Robinson, Sharon Robinson. Her new book is "Stealing Home: An Intimate Family Portrait by the Daughter of Jackie Robinson" (Harper Collins). She grew up highly privileged in a comfortable Connecticut suburb in the 1950s. Despite the celebrity of her father, Robinson was not immune to racism and was often conflicted over her father's role in the civil rights movement. The book traces Robinson's search for her own success and identity.

Journalist and author Veronica Chambers. Her new memoir, "Mama's Girl" (Riverhead Books), describes her ascent from childhood poverty into the middle class. Growing up in the 1970s in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Chambers struggled to ease the strain on her single mother and to help her brother stay out of trouble. She overcame racial stereotypes by excelling in the gifted and talented program in school and graduating from college at the age of 20.

Another segment from Ira Glass' new show, "This American Life": Chinese-American writer Sandra Tsing Loh with a story about her eccentric father who lives in LA. He was hitch-hiking one day and was picked up by actress Angelica Huston.