Interview [Hardcover]

Claudia Dreifus (Author), Clyde Haberman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 1997

As one of the preeminent interviewers of our time, Claudia Dreifus crisscrosses the globe to interview an eclectic selection of the world's most powerful and interesting women and men, the people whose opinions will shape our future. Dreifus's interviews, by the subjects she chooses and the questions she asks, depict her own forceful vision of our times, as well as that of those she interviews.
Interview is a cornucopia of interviews with leading writers, generals and politicians, television newscasters and actors, spiritual leaders and famous spouses. The book is divided into six sections. Saints: The Dalai Lama (2 interviews), Aung San Suu Kyi, Andrew Young; Visionaries: Esther Dyson, The Tofflers, Art Caplan; Media Freaks: Cokie Roberts/Nina Totenberg/Linda Wertheimer, Dan Rather, Richard Dreyfuss, Samuel Jackson; Warriors: Colin Powell, Gen. John Shalikashvili, Benazir Bhutto, Joycelyn Elders, Serge and Beate Klarsfeld; Poets: Isaac Bashevis Singer, Toni Morrison, Arthur Miller; Citizens: Nadine Strassen, Barney Frank, Myrlie Evers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In an age when incisive interviewing has dwindled to asking celebrities what type of tree best describes them, Claudia Dreifus breathes life back into journalism. Here her well-thought-out questions draw sparks, irreverence, and insights from a broad-ranging group of subjects she dubs saints, philosophers, media freaks, poets, or citizens. "Saint" Andrew Young, when asked about the massive welfare cuts the United States Congress recently rallied around, snaps out: "Unless Jesus is lying, a lot of these people are going to hell." Other pithy interviewees include Congressman Barney Frank; civil rights veteran Myrlie Evers; writer Toni Morrison; Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto; bioethicist Arthur Kaplan; and news commentators Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, and Linda Wertheimer, the three graces of National Public Radio.

From Library Journal

Journalist Dreifus's specialty is the question-and-answer format of interviewing, which provides a refreshing account of the interviewee's actual words without the filter of the interviewer's personality. Here she interviews mostly the famous and/or powerful, ranging from Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi to bioethicist Arthur Caplan to Toni Morrison. The interviews are expanded with material cut from the original, accounts of problems getting the interview, or timely updates. Dreifus's questions are intelligent and frequently pointed, as are most of the answers. Recommended for all libraries.?Rebecca Wondriska, Trinity Coll. Lib., Hartford, Ct.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press; First Edition edition (June 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888363428
• ISBN-13: 978-1888363425
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,041,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Claudia Dreifus writes the "Conversation with..." feature in the Tuesday Science Section of the New York Times.

She's also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University's School of International and Policy Affairs where she teaches courses in writing about international relations and also on writing about global science.

Many of her students have gone on to have successful careers in media and in diplomacy.

"Higher Education?" is Dreifus' sixth book and her first published collaboration. Her co-author on this work was Andrew Hacker, contributor to the New York Review of Books, her life-partner.

And now that they've written a book together, they are both feel they've developed the skills to negotiate world peace.