and also at journalists throughout all the different wars going back to world war i through today's. >> one of the authors is expert in the subject published other books for us >> pandora dna. >> looking at the history of the breast cancer gene and the author of love double mastectomy the same surgery and to the ned jovi had. so all the females have had breast cancer or have lost their breast to that disease so she looks at the gene itself and there was the

patent up until the supreme court overturned that and looking at the history of surgery and uses her family to tell the story. >> host: and also another book coming out is many weapons of mass to scrap -- mass destruction. >> this is the fourth in this series these are fun projects with stuff in said junk drawer this is of ninja like q tips and paper clips. this book was a momentous year in american history with of presidential election between pulled and henry clay because james

polecats one with the indexation and also without religious fervor at the time we thought the world would end with a crazy year in american history. >> host: how would you describe the world today? >> it is exciting with so many new developments with the electronic media and the way we are producing and distributing so is exciting. i am enjoying it. >> host:!mh booktv at book expo america.

>> longtime journalist comic tale what was your first job in journalism? >> guest: now the chronicle and i was thrown it in in as an editor of fashion provided not know all lot. schwartzman t-shirts but i learned that in today's santry to your for the fashion week i had to file every day it was so exciting. i totally fell into it. >> host: when did you get into the journalism you have been known for? >> guest: early because of the "new york" magazine or the herald tribune. they told me when i got my first job working three

floors away from the men it was the testosterone the zone there were no women at the time. so wondering if i wouldn't be a free-lance writer you have to be brave. so i would go down the back stairs some editors would not see me cross into the zone to pitch my best story. i would have been fired if my editors had seen the but he said come on in. where did you come from? i said the esters it -- estrogen's own i said the men who were having sex to

share that beach house so they could attract other beautiful girls and he said did you go? i said yes. he said right did just like you voted to me and that was my big break. within one year they left the paper and started new york magazine on its own and i was with it for the whole run. >> host: what was your relationship? >> guest: tempestuous. and wonderful. he was the older mentor come on fryer and he liked my riding and help to my career. then we began to have a romance but we were not

eager to think of anything permanent. in the '70s nobody was getting married everybody was getting divorced or having other arrangements. so we would be together for a while then there was an explosion. i was a divorced single mother 15 years. that was pretty exciting in the '70s and early '80s. not intel 1984 when he took me to london to talk about the date. not too close to christmas. go ahead.

and finally he brought out the ring. [laughter] >> host: and were married? >> 1984 through 2008. >> host: with your memoir daring. where does that come from? >> that is when i finished the book to think what is the theme of my life? that word came up. taking chances. actually taught how to swim when i was two years old the}= wanted me to know how but then a lot of times your

parents did not care where you were until you would show up for dinner. i was seven years old i started to type stories on a typewriter and by the time i was 10 years old i would sneak into new york on the train to go to is the top of grand central station to look at the crossroads of 1 million private lives. i did do that. i learned a lot about writing then if i waited until i was noticed for four or five years that whole period would have passed me by. all the way to the end of my life during is what allowed

me to live my life and then i would dare to love again. that is part of this story i have to tell. just keep getting up putting 1 foot in front of theater. >> host: the subtitle is passages. >> and with the turmoil and in decision between the more stable states -- stages we all need change.

end with us a job and relationship or the fact you just make money and what happened was a lot of men and a lot of women changed their lives. that there were other aspects of their lives they needed to put into play. i did other passages books new passages, silent passages, after writing those and then returning as

independent and then after taking care of my husband i thought i had past everybody else that i know maybe it is time to put the lessons on myself. but i did not know how. i realized this is all whole different john ryan is not the same offense journalism or nonfiction. so i studied with roger. and he told me this is above real people.

in you and many other characters. it was fascinating because it was the new way to express myself. >> host: you right you were a late bloomer problem drinker. >> guest: yes i was. because of the years of taking care of my has been dan not being able to work am pulling back from social life then i would walk down columbus avenue to stop at the sports bar with two or three glasses of wine and tell i realized i was turning into the alcoholic my mother was and i was always afraid would happen in.

program that was very valuable. >> host: so you don't drink at all today? >> guest: no. i'm clean. >> host: as a woman journalist what is your take? >> i feel there is some sexes and involved. i could not remember the high profile editor to be marched off the premises. that does not happen very often. in to you have not been the

editor but my goodness. in the previous editor at the time was pretty material. so i think jill made the effort for the different point of view for the editor. as a tough journalist. . .

one time she called me up and said i want you to do a post. i said i'm not even catholic. [laughter] they think we are going a little bit beyond our goal. i could see her eyes kind of fool around her head because she just delivered a baby and the last thing she was thinking about was the end of fertility but being tina she recognized nobody has ever said that. i've never even heard of that word discussed.