Jim Foster: Conversations On The Coast

In "Harold E. Stassen: The Life and Perennial Candidacy of the Progressive Republican," co-author John F. Rothmann writes about the life of a man who was elected governor, served in the United States Navy during World War Two, was involved in writing the United Nations charter, and ran as a candidate for president ten times over many decades. The book was co-written by Alec Kirby and David G. Dali...

In "Hallam's War," author Elisabeth Payne Rosen writes a historical novel set in the late 1850s during the Civil War as told through the eyes of a young couple, Hugh and Serena Hallam, as they move their family from Charleston to Tennessee and struggle with their beliefs on slavery. This discussion took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Fran...

In "Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's," author John Elder Robison writes a memoir about what it was like growing up with Asperger's syndrome, even though he wasn't diagnosed until later in life, how learning the diagnosis changed the way he viewed himself and the world around him, plus how he became involved making exploding guitars for the band KISS. This discussion took place on a 2008...

In "A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler," author Jason Roberts writes the biography of a man who lived during the 1800s named James Holman who fought the slave trade in Africa and traveled the world unlike anybody before or since, all as he became blind later in life. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" o...

In "Till the End of Tom," author Gillian Roberts writes the next in her Amanda Pepper Mystery series in which English teacher Amanda Pepper is tasked with solving the case of the death of a man who seems to have a long list of people with motives to kill him. This discussion took place on a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Burning Man," author Solange Ritchie writes a novel about a murder mystery in which FBI Forensic pathologist Catherine "Cat" Powers struggles with a case while at the same time balancing being a single mother. This discussion took place on a 2015 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," author and journalist Mark Richardson investigates what happened to writer and philosopher Robert Pirsig and the people described in his 1974 book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in the years that followed the publication of the critically acclaimed work, which earned a Guggenheim Fellowship for Gene...

In "206 Bones," author Kathy Reichs writes the next novel in her Temperance Brennan medical thriller series, the inspiration for the television series Bones, which begins with the forensic anthropologist finding herself captured after being accused of mishandling an autopsy in a recent case. This discussion took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in...

In "Rules of Deception," author Christopher Reich writes a thriller novel about a surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Ransom, who discovers the secret life his wife had been leading right after her sudden and tragic death during a climbing excursion they took in the Swiss Alps. This discussion took place on a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "War of Words: A True Tale of Newsprint and Murder," author Simon Read writes about the history of San Francisco during the 1880s including two actual shootouts between the families of the mayor of San Francisco, Isaac Kalloch, and the de Young brothers, the founders of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. This discussion took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Fo...

In "The Devil's Wind," author Richard Rayner writes a novel about an architect who finds himself caught up in a world of corruption and mystery during the 1950s in Los Angeles and Las Vegas as it transitioned from simply a desert to a gambling oasis. This discussion took place on a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Letters to Zerky: A Father's Legacy to a Lost Son...and a Road Trip Around the World," co-author Bill Raney presents a memoir and memorial recounting a family trip with his wife and young adopted son in 1967 through Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, shortly before they both tragically died upon their return. This discussion took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim...

In this episode, Community Relations Director of Books Inc. Phillip Prock discusses the opening of a new Books Inc. store in Alameda, California. Also discussed include "The Stupidest Angel" by Christopher Moore; author and first female Iron Chef Cat Cora; and children's author Peggy Rathmann. This discussion took place on a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating...

In "The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions," author Sister Helen Prejean writes about how innocent people are being executed by the death penalty, as illustrated by the cases of Dobie Gillis Williams and Joseph Roger O'Dell, and the legal and religious arguments used to justify capital punishment. This discussion took place on a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The C...

In "The Song Is You," author Arthur Phillips writes a novel about an unusual love story taking place in a new digital world between a middle-aged man, whose previous marriage fell apart, and a young Irish singer quickly becoming a star. This discussion took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War," author Nathaniel Philbrick writes about the Mayflower voyage and first Pilgrim settlement in New England, and the war fought years later between the Puritans and Indians known as King Philip's War. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems," author Henry Petroski explores how science and engineering can work together to solve issues around the world, from climate change and renewable energy to the development of more efficient automobiles. This discussion took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Fra...

In "Killing the Messenger: A Story of Radical Faith, Racism's Backlash, and the Assassination of a Journalist," author and investigative reporter Thomas Peele writes about the history of the Black Muslim movement, including the killing of journalist Chauncey Bailey in Oakland to prevent the publishing of a newspaper story. This discussion took place on a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast...

In "The Accident," Author Chris Pavone writes a novel of suspense taking place during a single 24 hour period centering around an author finishing the manuscript of a tell-all book that would have wide-ranging ramifications when released as both a book and a movie. This discussion took place on a 2014 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Higher Power of Lucky," Author Susan Patron writes an illustrated children's book about a young girl named Lucky who lives in a small California town where she is worried she'll be abandoned by her guardian to an orphanage. This discussion took place on a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Fifth Vial," Author Michael Palmer writes a medical thriller novel centering around three people connected by a vial of blood, organ donation, and raises the question of what can happen when science ends up in the wrong hands. This discussion took place on a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Silent Voices: People with Mental Disorders on the Street," Author and former commissioner of mental health Robert Okin writes about what he learned after spending two years on the street meeting and photographing homeless individuals with mental illness, and how people can do something about it instead of just looking the other way. This discussion took place on a 2014 episode of "Conversatio...

In "Navigating the Badlands: Thriving in the Decade of Radical Transformation," Author and business forecaster Mary O'Hara-Devereaux writes a book offering strategies and tools that executives and business leaders can use to create better organizations and reach global markets. This discussion took place on a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco...

In "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox," Author Maggie O'Farrell writes a novel about a woman released from a local Victorian asylum in Scotland after being locked away for 60 years starting in the 1930s, and how it affected the entire family who didn't even know she existed. This discussion took place on a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, Ca...

In "Chance," Author Kem Nunn writes a novel about a neuropsychiatrist named Dr. Chance who enters into a romantic relationship with one of his patients while in the middle of his own divorce. This discussion took place on a 2015 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.