Jim Foster: Conversations On The Coast

In "Van Gogh: The Life," Co-Author Steven Naifeh presents a comprehensive biography of Vincent Van Gogh with the full cooperation of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, including a deep look into his personal life as well as the work of the Dutch painter. This discussion took place on a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. The book wa...

In "Colonel Roosevelt," Author Edmund Morris writes the third and final book in a biographical series about President Theodore Roosevelt, focusing on the last 10 years of Roosevelt's life in which he went on a safari and ran a robust third-party presidential bid, among other things. This discussion took place on a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Fran...

In "The Lake Shore Limited," Author Sue Miller writes a novel about a play centering around a terrorist bombing of a train as it pulled into Union Station in Chicago and of a man waiting to hear whether his estranged wife traveling on the train was safe, similar to how the writer of the play Billy had waited to find out whether her significant other was on one of the planes used in the 9/11 attack...

In "Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity, and the War on Terror," Author Steven H. Miles uses his background in medical ethics to investigate the role that the medical corps of the United States armed forces played in the abuse of Arab and Muslim prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and how the practices went against international human rights. This discussion took place on a 2006 epi...

In "Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business," Author and Restauranteur Danny Meyer writes about what he learned in creating and running restaurants, including the concept of something called Enlightened Hospitality which can be applied in any business. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Franci...

In "Getting to 50/50: How Working Couples Can Have It All by Sharing It All," Co-Author Sharon Meers talks about her own real-world experiences and the research that she and co-author Joanna Strober did regarding how working mothers can have successful careers, a great marriage, and be a great mother, all at the same time. This discussion took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast...

In "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House," Author Jon Meacham writes a biography about President Andrew Jackson and how he reinvented the office of the American presidency and divided a nation at the same time. This discussion took place on a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Fade," Author Lisa McMann writes the second in a trilogy of Young Adult Fantasy books that follows a teenage girl who gets sucked into other people's dreams and nightmares without them knowing she is there, and finds herself way in over her head. This discussion took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Wawona Hotel," Author Matthew McKay writes a novel about a woman who awakens from a coma after a car crash, and emerges with new abilities and empathic awareness that has a lasting affect on her life and those around her. This discussion took place on a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "After Her," Author Joyce Maynard writes a novel about two daughters of a detective father who is searching for a murderer, loosely inspired by the Trailside Killer case in Marin County, California, in the late 1970s. This discussion took place on a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Walking in Circles Before Lying Down," Author Merrill Markoe writes a novel about a woman who has to put her life back together after a string of romantic disappointments and gets unexpected help from her dog Chuck, and all other dogs too, when they shockingly begin talking back to her. This discussion took place on a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in...

In "Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline," Author Lisa Margonelli presents a wide-ranging glimpse into the infrastructure of the oil industry and refineries, including the people and pipelines around the world that play a part in transporting it to the masses. This discussion took place on a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Franc...

In "The End of the Jews," Author Adam Mansbach writes a novel about the struggle to hold on to the Jewish identity across several different generations throughout the 20th century, but widens to many different topics including cultural identity, racial politics, love and family. This discussion took place on a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisc...

In "Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet," Author James Mann writes about a group of advisers known as the Vulcans who set a different foreign policy for the United States than anticipated under the presidency of George W. Bush, not following in line with what George H.W. Bush had done years earlier. This discussion took place on a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with...

In "Home For Sale," the late Author and Detroit native Leo Litwak speaks about his novel set in Detroit in the 1950s during the real estate boom and bust, and the resulting economic and social transformation that took place afterwards. This discussion took place on a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

Kathleen Little, an employee in the children's book department at a San Mateo bookstore called "M Is For Mystery," peels back the curtain on independent bookstores and discusses a number of books for children and young adults to be on the lookout for. This discussion took place over several episodes in late 2004 on "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, Californ...

In "Kinder Than Solitude," Author Yiyun Li writes a novel about three people whose lives are changed by a murder one of them may have committed, shifting in time between America and China in the 1990s. This discussion took place on a 2014 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues, Book 3)," Author Peter Lerangis writes the next in a series of children's books following two orphans, Dan and Amy, as they choose between taking a million dollars or going on a search for 39 clues that will amass the greatest power ever known to humankind. This discussion took place on a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in...

In "The Boat," Author Nam Le presents a collection of seven short stories based in different places around the world with the common theme of how the human condition crosses cultural boundaries. This discussion took place on a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Defending Jacob," Author William Landay writes a novel about an assistant district attorney whose own young teenage son is accused of the murder of a fellow student, and how the drama affects the life of the family. This discussion took place on a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California.

In "Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship," Author Robert Kurson writes a nonfiction book about the deepwater search for a ship of the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister, and the dangerous world of piracy during the 17th century. This discussion took place on a 2015 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, Califor...

In "Letters to a Young Teacher," Author & Educator Jonathan Kozol writes about his visits to an inner-city school first grade classroom in Boston, discussing a number of subjects including high-stakes testing, inequalities of urban schools, vouchers, and the importance of hard-working teachers. This discussion took place on a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating...

In "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes," Leslie S. Klinger presents an annotated edition of Watson's collections of Holmes' most colorful cases, including thousands of notes and hundreds of illustrations. Among the stories are the origins of how the relationship between Watson and Holmes began. This discussion took place on a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating...

In "Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure," the late Author P.B. Kerr writes his first children's book about twins from New York who discover that they have magical powers as they travel to far off places including London, Egypt, and the North Pole. This discussion with the author took place on a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, Cal...

In "What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!," Author Barbara Kerley writes a children's book about Alice Roosevelt and how she lived life on her own terms, including when she moved into the White House after her father Teddy Roosevelt became president in 1901. The book is illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. This discussion w...