Allan Gregg In Conversation (audio)

American legal scholar Robert Bork is the author of "Coercing Virtue: The Worldwide Rule of Judges". He is critical of the role of judges whom, he says, often become activists making up constitutional law themselves, thereby usurping the power that belongs to the people and their representatives. (Originally aired April 2002)

In her book "A Short Guide To A Happy Life", Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Anna Quindlen gives us her take on domestic and political life, from graduating university to living through the new Bush administration. (Originally aired January 2001)

In his book "Gay Marriage", Jonathan Rauch posits that gay marriage reinforces the institution of marriage and all people should be allowed to participate in it. (Originally aired May 2004).

Global affairs expert Janice Stein is the editor of "Diplomacy in the Digital Age", a collaboration of essays inspired by former Ambassador to the United States, Allan Gotlieb, who believed the art of diplomacy had to change to adapt to the digital age. In this conversation, Stein addresses WikiLeaks, which she believes could not have happened before 9/11; Stephen Harper's more muscular foreign policy, trade with the U.S. and Canada's poor reputation for safeguarding the environment.

Danielle Crittenden is the author of "What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us". She believes that the present generation of young women may be the victims of their mothers' generation of feminism. Although these women have great freedom, they still feel trapped and unhappy. The message they inherited was that career is all and marriage and family should be postponed. She explains why this advice has backfired. (Originally aired March 1999)

Ron Graham is the author of "The Last Act", which is an account of Trudeau's struggle to make Canadians fully independent and to entrench the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

After the huge success of "The Wealthy Barber", Dave Chilton has written a follow-up; "The Wealthy Barber Returns". He dispenses financial advice for this economy, and addresses the subjects of personal debt and the importance of saving.

John English is the author of "Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau". The book reveals intimate details about the former prime minister's personal life, from his time in psychoanalysis to his relationships with women. (Originally aired January 2007)

Psychology professor Lt. Col. Dave Grossman talks about his new book "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society". He maintains that it is inherent in us to resist killing our own species and that research has proven that many soldiers engaged in face-to-face combat found it difficult to kill. Soldiers can be trained however, to overcome that resistance. Some veterans are still plagued with guilt about taking another man's life, but this guilt can be eased if they are assured that what they did was right. Addressing the rise in civilian murders, he believes that part of the reason is that children are becoming desensitized to violence because they are associating the bombardment of graphic images by the media with pleasure. (Originally aired March 1996).

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about her new book "Wait Till Next Year". It is a poignant memoir about growing up in New York in the 1950s and her passion for baseball, specifically the Brooklyn Dodgers, which she inherited from her father. She believes the 50s were the glory days of baseball and she tells a charming anecdote about getting the autograph of her hero, Jackie Robinson. (Originally aired January 1998)

Political pundit Peter Beinart believes a return to the historical roots of liberalism will be the only political movement to save the U.S. and its place as a positive force in the world. Only liberals can win the war on terror by promoting freedom throughout the world. His book is called, "The Good Fight." (Originally aired June 2006)

Law Professor Alan Young has ruffled some feathers in the legal profession with his book "Justice Defiled: Perverts, Potheads, Serial Killers and Lawyers". He believes that drug use should be decriminalized, his argument being that too much money and court time is being used in the prosecution of drug users. He believes that if recreational drug use, including heroin and cocaine, was legal, the majority of people would use them responsibly. However, he concedes that some would not and possibly more users would become addicted. He also believes prostitution should be decriminalized. He takes a swing at his own profession, which he says is rife with hypocrisy and greed, and at the use of plea bargaining, which he sees as a sham, used only by lawyers to ditch unprofitable cases quickly. (Originally aired November 2003)

Patchen Barss is the author of "The Erotic Engine". Barss contends that the main driving force behind the evolution of the internet, has been the pornography industry. Their early use of video streaming and their dominance in the commercialization of the internet, helped build up bandwidth. Barss thinks their next innovation will be tactile forms of communication.

Neuroscientist Marc Lewis is a former drug addict. He talks about his descent into addiction, how he finally got clean and why he'll always be an addict. His book is "Memoirs of an Addicted Brain".

As a sequel to his best-selling book "The Wonder of Boys", Michael Gurian has now released "The Wonder of Girls: Understanding the Hidden Nature of our Daughters". Gurian explains how biology, brain structure and hormones such as oxytocin and cortisol, are all factors that affect girls' academic performance and behaviour. (Originally aired September 2002

Loretta LaRoche explains how laughter is the best prescription to reduce stress and improve health. A popular lecturer, LaRoche is a proponent of the positive effect of humour on healing. Her book is "Relax: You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left". (Originally aired June 1998)

Author Michael Gurian is the author of "The Minds of Boys", which is an explanation of why boys are failing at school. He researched schools in 35 countries to find out why girls were outstripping boys. He believes the reason lies mainly with the learning differences of the two genders which are pre-determined by structural differences in the brain. Girls have a greater capacity for verbal skills, which encompass reading, writing and speaking, while boys have a natural advantage with spatial/mechanical skills. (Originally aired October 2006.)

Drew Hayden Taylor is an Ojibway from Ontario's Curve Lake Reserve. A playwright and columnist, Taylor spent 15 years writing and researching aboriginal humour. His book, "Me Funny" is a collection of essays on humour by native writers. He believes aboriginal humour, which tends to be self-depricating, has been an important survival tool used to help them through difficult times, such as colonization, residential schools and adoptions. (Originally aired June 2006)

Jeanne Beker's autobiography is called "Jeanne Unbottled: Adventures in High Style". She talks about the early days as co-host of "The NewMusic", and then as host of "Fashion Television". There are anecdotes about the celebrities she met and she touches on the seamier side of the industry; drug use and racism.. (Originally aired February 2001).

Self-help guru Robin Sharma, author of "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", which paralleled his own life, has now written a sequel; "The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari".