Future Talk: Conversations about Tomorrow with Today's Most Provocative People [Hardcover]

Larry King (Author), Pat Piper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 1998

What will the next century bring? If anyone can answer that, it is Larry King. As host of CNN's Larry King Live, he has talked to the people who have made this century happen, interviewing the most powerful voices in politics, media, business, religion, and entertainment. Now, in Future Talk, he speaks with the giants of today to get their perspectives on what's in store for us in days to come.

The interviews are arranged by subject, covering everything from science to spirituality, fashion to food, with the interviewees -- optimists and pessimists alike -- offering opinions in their area of expertise: Doris Kearns Goodwin on the future of the presidency and Bill Gates on the evolution of technology. Other authorities include Bob Costas on sports; Isaac Mizrahi on fashion; Maya Angelou on the arts; General John Shalikashvili, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the battlefield in the 21st century; and Stephen Jay Gould on the nature of man.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Larry King calls to ask what the world will be like in the next century, you don't tell him you're too busy to talk. Even Bill Gates finds the time to discuss the impact of e-mail on business ("The post office and delivery companies are going to see the quantity of correspondence they deliver fall, but at the same time they'll see the amount of merchandise they deliver rise").

With more than 40 original interviews with people ranging from artist Peter Max to Vibe's national affairs editor Farai Chideya, King covers all the major topics, including politics, science, media, education, business, the arts, and spirituality; he even gets input on the future of baseball from sportscaster Bob Costas and acting commissioner Bud Selig. In addition to knowing whom to talk to, King also knows to let them do most of the talking. His unintrusive questions allow his guests to flesh out their ideas in significant detail.

From Publishers Weekly

Interesting and eminently worth pondering, the comments by 48 specialists in fields ranging from education to sports to the arts will alternately hearten and disquiet readers. In this collection of original essays, King, writing with his former radio producer, Piper, asks the sort of futuristic questions that elicit information one wants to know about: for example, Bill Gates's prediction that our homes and offices will be papered with flat screens and that we will carry a lightweight screen as we do a wallet, so we will always be "connected." Esther Dyson, head of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, carries forward Gates's predictions by commenting that the Internet will spawn "lots of communities which will have governments of their own and there will be multilateral agreements between them and between various governments." With unfortunate timing, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, in discussing the "majesty" of the presidential office, goes on to note: "There are qualities in presidents that are far more important than whether... they had an affair."And poet Maya Angelou, who is not overwrought by electronic icons, turns to literary ones with her suggested reading list for the coming century; it includes the likes of James Baldwin and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.) FYI: The essays are also available on two 90-minute audiocassettes from HarperAudio.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1ST edition (March 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060174579
• ISBN-13: 978-0060174576
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,732,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read, April 30, 2002

By 

P. Gungor (Istanbul) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Future Talk: Conversations About Tomorrow with Today's Most Provocative Personalities (Paperback)

This book was wirtten in 1999, and after 2.5 years I saw lots of the things they said is getting real.
The book is mostly about American culture but therearesome parts which is global. And they really catch my attention.
The part that is most interesting and true is the converstaion with Richad Holbroke. His future forecast about terrorism was right. After 9/11, it became reality.
If you want to have a different point of view from experts, read this book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read, August 17, 1998

By 

Rachel Kingman (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Future Talk: Conversations about Tomorrow with Today's Most Provocative People (Hardcover)

This book captivated me this summer, and has lead me to look into and research other areas of our changing world...It is a must-read for any college student who wants to take an active role in the next millenium.