Authors on the Air: Mary and Carol Higgins Clark; Ricki Lake; Bill Baker

Compiled by Diane Patrick -- Publishers Weekly, 5/1/2009 3:02:00 PM

Authors on this morning’s Today show: 

• Mary Higgins Clark with her newest novel Just Take My Heart (S&S, 978-1416570868, $25.95; S&S Audio unabridged CD, $39.99), which PW called an “intense novel of suspense;” and Carol Higgins Clark, whose Cursed (Scribner, 978-1416562177, $25; CD, $29.99) is number 12 in her Regan Reilly mystery series. PW found “Clark's bubbly humor makes this a great vacation read for mystery-lite fans who love a Hollywood twist.” Tonight, Mary Higgins Clark visits Tavis Smiley. 

• Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, authors of Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience (Wellness Central, 978-0446538138, $22.99). From PW’s review: “Former talk show host Lake, producer of the documentary The Business of Being Born, joins with Epstein, the film's director, to further probe the subject of birth in America. Above all, the authors advocate a safe and empowered birth, whether one chooses a hospital, home or birth center.” 

This evening, 20/20 features Kent Whitaker, whose bestseller Murder by Family: The Incredible True Story of a Son's Treachery and a Father's Forgiveness (Howard Books, 978-1439164600, $13.99) comes out in paperback on May 12. 

Tonight, Tavis Smiley talks with broadcasting industry veteran Bill Baker, co-author of Leading with Kindness: How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results (Amacom, 978-0814401569, $24.95; Brilliance Audio unabridged CD, $29.95). 

Authors on this weekend’s BookTV schedule: 

• Research psychiatrist and treatment advocate E. Fuller Torrey considers The Insanity Offense: How America's Failure to Treat the Seriously Mentally Ill Endangers Its Citizens (W.W. Norton, 978-0393066586, $24.95). From PW’s starred review: “Chilling and well documented, this text has many no-nonsense solutions to protect the mentally ill themselves as well as society as a whole.” 

• Joseph Galloway and Harold Moore, authors of We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam (Harper, 978-0061147760, $24.95). PW starred its review, saying “It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir, We Were Soldiers Once... and Young. But they come close in this sterling sequel.” 

• Andrew Lih, a Beijing-based commentator on new media and technology for NPR and CNN, discusses his new book The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World's Greatest Encyclopedia (Hyperion, 978-1401303716, $24.99; Tantor Media unabridged CD, $34.99). PW noted “Other books have surfaced, but Lih's authoritative approach covers much more.” 

• David Williams, author of Bitterly Divided: The South's Inner Civil War (New Press, 978-1595581082, $27.95). PW’s starred review thought “This fast-paced book will be a revelation even to professional historians. Williams's long overdue work makes indelibly clear that Southerners themselves played a major role in doing in the secessionist South. With this book, the history of the Civil War will never be the same again.” 

• William Andrews and Regina Mason, editors of Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave (Oxford Univ. Press, 978-0195343328, $16.95). 

• History professor Christopher Catherwood introduces Winston Churchill: The Flawed Genius of WWII (Berkley, 978-0425225721, $26.95). 

• Author and magazine editor Jabari Asim considers What Obama Means: ...for Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future (William Morrow, 978-0061711336, $21.99). PW deemed it “a smart, easily-accessed history of African Americans in the public eye, suitable more for pop-culture enthusiasts than serious students of history or sociology.” 

• Andrew Newberg, co-author of How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist (Ballantine, 978-0345503411, $27). PW wrote “Although the book's title is a bit misleading, since it is not God but spiritual practice that changes the brain, this forceful study could stir controversy among scientists and philosophers.” 

• Peter Canellos, with Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy (S&S, 978-1439138175, $28; S&S Audio abridged CD, $29.99). 

Due to the nature of live programming, scheduling is subject to change. 

Booksellers can order these titles through Ingram at ipage .

Authors on the Air is compiled by Diane Patrick. To be included in this compilation, email author appearance information to DPatrickPW@aol.com (at least TWO days in advance, please).