WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show

Many women in post-war Liberia are jobless and lack decent housing and medical care. Compounding the problem are the more than 30,000 women and girls who served with fighting forces in Liberia’s recent wars. They were constant targets for rape and sexual violence. Find out how former female Liberian soldiers are struggling to piece together their lives again. Jackie Redd served in Charles Taylor’s forces throughout her teens and early 20s; Florence Ballah worked as a cook and porter in Liberia’s rebel group ULIMO. Both were abducted in their early teens and subsequently joined fighting forces. Tania Bernath is Liberia researcher for Amnesty International. Events: Amnesty International's documentary "Women of Liberia: Fighting for Peace" will be shown Thurs., July 24 92nd St. Y Tribeca 7pm-9pm Screening, Debate and Discussion 200 Hudson Street and Sun., July 27 Riverside Church 11 AM service, After Service Program, 1pm-4pm Screening, Liberian lunch, Liberian live music and DJ 490 Riverside Drive

In the 1990s, then-mayor Rudy Giuliani instituted his zero-tolerance campaign in New York City – to very mixed reviews! Alex S. Vitale, the author of City of Disorder: How the Quality of Life Campaign Transformed New York Politics, says that even before Giuliani's crackdown, City Hall was more likely to use tax dollars to subsidize the wealthy than aid the poor.

The city of Mobile, Alabama’s Mardi Gras celebrations is even older than New Orleans – and they’re also segregated into a black Mardi Gras and a white Mardi Gras. A new documentary, "The Order of Myths," investigates the ongoing segregation in Mobile, and whether its black and white residents are interested in integration. Margaret Brown is director; two of the film’s subjects are Joseph, the black Mardi Gras king; and Brittan, who was in the white Mardi Gras court. It opens July 25 at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue).

We find out whether Senator Joe Lieberman’s support will help John McCain in the Constitution State. Also: a look at the close race in the state’s 4th Congressional District, where Republican Chris Shays is fighting to keep his seat. Christopher Keating, Capitol bureau chief for the Hartford Courant, explains which issues matter most to Connecticut’s voters. States of the Union fact of the week: Before 1875, Hartford and New Haven alternated as capitals of Connecticut.

David Gordon Green has been called “one of the most interesting and idiosyncratic independent filmmakers of the last decade.” BAM is hosting a retrospective of films called "All the Real Americans: The World of David Gordon Green." It runs through July 24 and the films include “The Gravy Train” (1974) and “Tango and Cash” (1989). Events: David Gordon Green will be at BAM (30 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn) Wednesday July 23 at 6:50 pm to introduce the film "The Gravy Train" and Thursday July 24 at 7:30 pm for a Q&A following his latest work "The Pineapple Express"

During WWII, a small-time Dutch painter Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his own paintings as those of Johannes Vermeer. Edward Dolnick’s new book about what’s been called the greatest art hoax of the twentieth century is The Forger’s Spell. Event: Edward Dolnick will be speaking and signing books Wednesday, July 23 at 7 pm Barnes & Noble Upper West Side 2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street)

From his release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, to his recent shoestring campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel has devoted much of his long career in politics to fighting the rise of American militarism. His new memoir, co-written with Joe Lauria, is A Political Odyssey: The Rise of American Militarism and One Man’s Fight to Stop It.

Students, schools, and teachers are often judged by their standardized test scores. Find out what tests like the MCAT and the SATs really measure, and how often are they misunderstood and misused. Daniel Koretz is author of Measuring Up. Do you think your standardized test scores have been an accurate reflection of your abilities? Do the test results get too much emphasis?

If you’ve got a food-related question that’s burning a hole in your recipe book, now's your chance to ask Gourmet magazine editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl any question you’d like on the subject of food. Whether you want to know how to make the perfect pie crust or her favorite recipe for rhubarb or even why she carries a hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano in her pocketbook, Ruth would love to answer your questions -- so give us a call at 646-778-3729!

While in grad school, sociologist Peter Moskos also became a police officer in a troubled neighborhood in Baltimore. He describes his life as an academic-turned-cop in his new book, Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore’s Eastern District.

Rachel Kushner’s debut novel, Telex from Cuba, weaves together family stories and archival research to paint a portrait of the lives of American expats in pre-Castro Cuba. Events: Rachel Kushner will be speaking and signing books Tuesday, July 22 at 7 pm The Old American Can Factory 232 3rd Street (at 3rd Avenue) Gowanus, Brooklyn Rachel Kushner will be speaking and signing books Wednesday, July 23 at 7 pm 192 Books 192 10th Avenue (at 21st Street)

We’ve heard of Big Oil and Big Pharma…but Big Wine? Wine journalist Alice Feiring says we should reject Big Wine – viticulture as a business and technology – and return to the way things used to be done. Her new book is The Battle for Wine and Love.

We kick off our annual summer Underappreciated literature series with a look at the work of Sudanese writer Tayeb Salih. In 1967, Salih wrote a cornerstone of contemporary Arabic literature, Season of Migration to the North, a complex novel about a man who returns to the Sudan after finishing his education in England. Columbia University professor Bruce Robbins explains why Salih deserves more widespread recognition in the United States.

Adam Mansbach’s new novel, The End of the Jews, tells the stories of a young Jewish man in the 1930s, and a young Czech woman in the 1980s. Event: Adam Mansbach will be in a conversation with Keith Gessen, hosted by JEWCY.com Tuesday, July 22 at 7 pm 45 Main Street, Suite 613, (corner of Front Street) DUMBO, Brooklyn

There are more than 1,250 megachurches across the U.S. We look at the rise of megachurches, and why some have described them as the most successful community-building institutions of modern times. Frances Fitzgerald is staff writer at the New Yorker; Conde Nast Portfolio contributing editor Karl Taro Greenfield recently wrote "God Wants Me to Be Rich," a profile of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen. If you’ve attended services at a megachurch, or have been a member of one, we’d like to hear about your experiences. How has it affected you? How was/is it different from a more traditional churchgoing experience?

Just how precarious are American families’ financial situations right now? In his new book, High Wire, Los Angeles Times economic correspondent Peter Gosselin traces 25 years of shifting economic risk from business and government onto the backs of working families. We’d like to know how the economic downturn is affecting your life. Do you feel significantly worse off financially than you did 5 years ago?

White with grilled fish, red with meat? What drink goes best with veggie kebabs? James Beard Award-winning author Karen Page shares some tips on what to drink when you’re out grilling this summer! She's the co-author of What to Drink with What You Eat. Tell us what your favorite food/drink pairings are when you’re out grilling.

Barbecue guru Steve Raichlen, whose The Barbecue! Bible has been revised and re-released on its 10th anniversary, and world-class pitmaster Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama tell us how the best BBQ is made, and whether you can find the authentic stuff here in New York. Where is your favorite place to get BBQ? It doesn’t have to be in NYC; you can tell us about your favorite BBQ joint anywhere in the country.

Hear how rising prices for both food and fuel are affecting this major agricultural state. Plus, the Sunflower State is also home to one of the fall’s most competitive Congressional races and Senator Pat Roberts is running for re-election – we look at what the major issues will be in those races. David Seaton is editor and publisher of the Winfield Courier and the Arkansas City Traveler. States of the Union fact of the week: Kansas is the only state that has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1932.

Executive decisions made by the White House after 9/11 constituted "a war on American ideals," according to Jane Mayer of the New Yorker. In her new book, The Dark Side, she explains how those decisions were made, and why they’ll be the lasting legacy of the George W. Bush presidency.

Jess Winfield, a founding member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, has written a debut novel about sex, drugs, and Shakespeare. It’s called My Name is Will. Events: Jess Winfield will be speaking and signing books Thursday, July 17 at 7 pm Barnes & Noble Upper West Side 2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street) Jess Winfield, in conjunction with Brooklyn's Freebird Books will attempt to set the “World’s Record for Most Shakespeare Plays Performed Solo in Brooklyn in a Single Day” Saturday, July 19 at 2 pm Meet at Manhattan’s Pier 11 for the free Ikea water taxi to Brooklyn or at Rocky Sullivan’s bar at 34 Van Dyke Street (and Dwight Street), Red Hook

Behind-the-scenes information about Guantanamo is very hard to come by. Mahvish Rukhsana Khan, an American lawyer of Afghani descent, went to Guantanamo as a volunteer translator for detainees; she joins us to reveal what the detainees told her. Her new book is My Guantanamo Diary.

Georgette Gagnon, Africa program director for Human Rights Watch, gives us an update on the latest from Khartoum. We’ll talk about the ongoing proxy war between Chad and Sudan, and the recent ICC request for a warrant of arrest for Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir on charges of ten counts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

The album “Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975” is the bestselling album of all time in the United States. Now Don Felder of the Eagles has broken the band’s long public silence in a new memoir, Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001).

Word maven Patricia T. O'Conner takes your calls on the English language. A few things she wants to talk about today are the words "ask" vs. "axe," and how the word "subprime" made it into the OED. Call 646-778-3729 to ask Patricia a question.

Who has the real power in Washington? John Harwood, chief Washington correspondent for CNBC and co-author of the new book Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power, tells us just who wields the most influence in our nation’s capital…from strategists to fundraisers to lobbyists. Event: John Harwood will be speaking and signing books Wednesday, July 16 at 6:30 pm Museum of City of New York 1220 5th Avenue (at 103rd Street) To purchase tickets, go here.

Laurie Anderson’s recent piece, "Homeland," is a musical portrait of American culture. She’s performing it at the Lincoln Center Festival at the Rose Theater from July 22-26.

Middle East policy analyst Kenneth Pollack says that failed US policy in the region is the greatest danger to America’s peace and prosperity. His new book is A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East.

Bestselling author Stephen L. Carter's new novel is Palace Council. It's a political thriller set in the era of Watergate and Vietnam. Event: Stephen L. Carter will be speaking and signing books Tuesday, July 15 at 7 pm Barnes & Noble Union Square 33 East 17th Street

Amphibians are going extinct faster than any other group of organisms. Now zoos and other institutions all over the world are working together to create an Amphibian Ark to help save species in captivity and keep them breeding even as they disappear in the wild. Biologist Kevin Zippel is program director of the Amphibian Ark.