Buzz Aldrin was the second man to step foot on the moon and the first to punch an Apollo conspiracy theorist in the jaw after the man demanded Aldrin swear on a Bible that the Moon landings were not fake. Aldrin dedicated a chapter to the incident in his 2009 autobiography Magnificent Desolation, titled after the words that he uttered while walking on the moon. Now he’s authored a new book from National Geographic in which he lays out his goals for the space program and how he believes we can get humans to Mars. It’s titled Mission to Mars. Then, winter inspires the layering of sweaters, big jackets and long johns, and now that spring is here, t-shirts, shorts and swimsuits anxiously await their yearly debut.  Steve Winick and Nancy Groce from The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress return to the program with a topic for all seasons, ‘clothing.’

   

  

 

Saul Bellow was a self-taught writer, whose prose remade American fiction in his own image and created many literary “sons” who were influenced by him. Now Bellow’s oldest biological son, Greg, has written a memoir titled, Saul Bellow’s Heart, which seeks to enlighten the world about his father’s inner life. Bob talks with Greg Bellow about family stories, literary legacies and the man he loved and still misses today.

  

 

 

Pot. Herb. Mary Jane. America has a love/hate relationship with cannabis. According to Yale-educated journalist and television producer Ryan Nerz, that relationship is more like a love affair. Nerz talks to Bob about his book on the subject, Marijuanamerica: One Man’s Quest to Understand America’s Dysfunctional Love Affair with Weed. Then, The Atlantic Wire reports that America is headed for a Weed Spring – a coming wave of revolutionary change for the sticky icky.  It is, after all, the largest cash crop in America, out-budding corn and wheat. Two states have legalized personal marijuana use, and eighteen states have legalized medical marijuana use, including last month’s recent addition, Maryland. NORML, the marijuana public-interest lobby, believes the rest of the nation is on its way.  Bob is joined by NORML Legal Counsel Keith Stroup and Communications Director Erik Altieri to talk about these and more changes in marijuana legislation.

 

  

 

Developmental psychologist Peter Gray has spent years studying the impact of children’s imaginative play on their growth and development.  He shares his findings in his new book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for life. Gray is the author of Psychology, one of the most widely used college textbook on the subject and a professor at Boston College. Then, best-known for her role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the Robert Altman film MASH, Sally Kellerman has a resume that ranges from jazz albums to Hidden Valley Ranch commercials. It’s been more than 50 years since her on-screen debut in Reform School Girl and Kellerman tells it all in her new autobiography titled, Read My Lips.

  

 

 

Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for The Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, English professor Bill Scott spent his sabbatical living and working as a librarian in the People’s Library at Zuccotti Park, the former headquarters of Occupy Wall Street.  In the early hours of November 15th, an army of police in riot gear   - acting on the authority of Mayor Michael Bloomberg - raided the park, seized the 5,554 donated books, and destroyed nearly all of them. Four library laptops were also destroyed, as well as all the bookshelves, storage bins, stamps and cataloging supplies and the large tent that housed the library. Occupy Wall Street sued and last month won a settlement that included an admission of guilt from the Bloomberg administration that reads in part, “Plaintiffs and Defendants recognize that when a person’s property is removed from the city it is important that the City exercise due care and adhere to established procedure in order to protect legal rights of property owners.”  Finally, the latest installment of our ongoing series This I Believe.