Midday on WNYC

Robert K. Brown, former Green Beret, who was kicked out of Special Forces twice, talks about finding his true calling as a publisher. He launched an upstart magazine called Soldier of Fortune, which pushed the bounds of journalism to its limits. His book I Am a Soldier of Fortune: Dancing with Devils tells his own story, taking the readers into combat zones with him and his daring combat journalists. 

Jayne Anne Philips talks about her new novel, Quiet Dell, which is based on a real-life multiple murder by a con man who preyed on widows— a story that has haunted the author for more than four decades. 

Bonnie Raitt discusses her success as an independent artist for the first time in decades. Last year, she released Slipstream on her own label and made her biggest debut in over 20 years, won the Grammy for Best Americana Album (her tenth), and is back on the road again this fall.

New York Times columnist and reporter Nick Bilton tells the story behind Twitter, a drama of betrayed friendships and high-stakes power struggles, as the founders went from everyday engineers to wealthy celebrities. Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal tells how, as Twitter grew, the four founders fought bitterly for money, influence, publicity, and control over a company that grows larger and more powerful by the day. 

Amy Tan discusses her latest novel, The Valley of Amazement. It spans more than 40 years and two continents, and resurrects pivotal episodes in history: from the collapse of China’s last imperial dynasty to the rise of the Republic, the explosive growth of lucrative foreign trade and anti-foreign sentiment to the inner workings of courtesan houses and the lives of foreign  “Shanghailanders," both erased by World War II.

Composer Nico Muhly discusses his opera Two Boys, which made its American debut at the Metropolitan Opera in October. He’s joined by Paul Appleby, who plays Brian, the lead character. The opera is based on real events 10 years ago in Manchester, England, and tells the story of a 16-year-old boy who nearly killed a younger boy — egged on, the attacker claimed, by mysterious people he encountered in an Internet chat room.

Is city living better or worse for our happiness? Charles Montgomery explores the intersection between urban design and the science of happiness, and looks at some of the world’s most dynamic cities—from Bogotá to medieval Tuscan hill towns to modern-day New York City. Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design includes new insights from psychologists and Montgomery’s own urban experiments to help us understand and improve our own communities.

Pete Hamill, reported from Vietnam in 1965, and Hal Buell and Santiago Lyon of the Associated Press discuss how photography tells the story of the war in Vietnam and talk about the new book Vietnam: The Real War, A Photographic History by the Associated Press, and the accompanying exhibition at the Steven Kasher Gallery in New York.

Director Sam Gold talks about the musical “Fun Home,” along with Jeanine Tesori, who wrote the music, and Lisa Kron, who wrote the book and lyrics. It’s based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel about her volatile, brilliant father whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. “Fun Home” is playing at the Public Theater through December 1.

Journalist Shahan Mufti tells his family’s history, which he can trace back 1,400 years to the inner circle of the prophet Muhammad. He offers a history of Pakistan by using the stories of his ancestors, many of whom served as judges and jurists in Muslim sharia courts of South Asia for many centuries. The Faithful Scribe is more than a personal history—it reveals the deepest roots of Islamic civilization in Pakistan.

Chef Jeff Henderson tells how he went from drug dealer to TV celebrity chef to nationally acclaimed speaker. He has devoted himself to mentoring and motivating at-risk and vulnerable Americans. In If You Can See It, You Can Be It, he offers 12 inspiring and pragmatic “recipes” to make life-changing decisions and secure personal and professional success.

Julia Collin Davidson, of America's Test Kitchen, talks about the versatility of the slow cooker. It’s not just for beef stew anymore. On this week’s Please Explain she talks about how to roast, poach, and even make cakes and custards in the slow cooker. Julia Collin Davidson is one of the editors of America’s Test Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Revolution.

Cookbook writer Rozanne Gold kicks off our three-ingredient challenge and explains how to make delicious dishes with just a handful of ingredients! loadSurvey( "3-ingredient-challenge", "survey_3-ingredient-challenge");

Cynthia Keller of the Culinary Institute of America tells us how to master the basics of cooking at home—from equipment to ingredients to technique. Cooking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America covers basic knife skills and essential cooking methods like braising and grilling. features hundreds of recipes, ranging from the very basic to the more complex, and covers almost every kind dish, including soups, starters, salads, meat, poultry, fish, grains, breads, and desserts.

As the new affordable healthcare law goes into effect people are confused about what's legal and safe when it comes to prescription drugs. New York Times reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal explains why more Americans are buying medicine from foreign pharmacies, even though the Food and Drug Administration considers it illegal in most cases. Her latest articles in her series “Paying Til It Hurts” are “As Drug Costs Rise, Bending the Law Is One Remedy” and  “The Soaring Cost of a Single Breath.”