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kcet public television] [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: amy waldman is out with her first-ever novel, and it is called tavis," a book that is receiving rave reviews. amy, good to have you on the program. it is all up or down from here. >> let's say up. tavis: i say that because there is so much talk about your first novel. what do you say about that? >> i think it is a lot to do with my talents, but it is also that there is a lot of interest in this topic. tavis: i will get to the book in just a second, but i want to ask you why it is, given how raw emotions are after 9/11, relative to a monument, relative to how we teach muslims, being able to have a house of worship, how do you get away with putting that stuff in a novel? >> i think the novel is kind of the perfect place for it, because it is fiction. it is a little easier, i think of it. it is like putting vegetables into some kind of food in a way. it is a story in the and, so i think that makes it easier to talk about. being afraid to offend people, i think i block all of that out, and also when you are

[captioning made possible by kcet public television]avis: how have you remained a person of faith through these years? just from what i know of your life, i could suggest to you that there were moments along the way where your faith was tested and yet, for all these years, you have remained a person of faith. >> i sincerely believe that everything is grace. and you have to stick around long enough to see it through. i am a very optimistic person. if i were told that this was the last the day, i would still give thanks and praise, it has been wonderful. i could not have asked for more love for support or compassion. it has been an extraordinary life. i give thanks and praise every day. it is a mystery that i embrace. if you want to talk about god, we don't know what god is, do we? it is a question that advised of history, we don't know. the more explanations we give, the more we realize how little we know. we are limited, we are so finding. i am president of the mystery of just being alive, every single day. tavis: i am not being comical

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[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: steven naifeh and gregory white smith are pulitzer prize- winning authors. their latest is easily one of the most talked-about books of the year. a new biography of a vincent van gogh. it is titled "van gogh: the life." good to have you here. >> thank you very much. tavis: let me start by asking what it is about a vincent van gogh that makes it worth giving 10 years of your life to do. we all make decisions and choices every single day. maybe you did not know it was going to be a decade when you started. why was it worth that? >> we did not know exactly what we were getting into. i think it was a realization that he was a unique cultural figure. you cannot name and another artist that is so loved. people go to his grave every year. this is a level of appreciation that goes way beyond any other artist. >> it's almost has a religious feeling. half a million people go visit his grave. they write little notes. painters will bring their paintbrushes and put them on the grave. russia

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[captioning made possible by kcet public tavis: pleased to welcome jimmy cliff to the program. he has been an influential force in the music business nearly 50 years. next year marks his 40th anniversary of the seminal album and companion movie, "the harder they come." next week, he has a new six-song bp called "sacred fire." it is an honor to have you on the program. >> thank you. tavis: i love the title of that, "sacred fire." >> "sacred fire" are the secrets that i have kept secret over the years, things i have yet to do, things i have yet to accomplish as an artist. on another level, it is the n as an earthman. and connecting my secret fire from my solar plexus to the earth. these are secrets that have been kept secret, and i am growing to understand these things. tavis: and now the secret is out. yous go back and have unpacked a few things. i thought i heard you say there is so much stuff that you still want to do musically. given the icon you are, i am trying to figure out what the heck that maybe, jimmy. >> i have done at a lot of things to become what i have become. to

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: susan herman is the present of the aclu. after serving two decades on the board of directors, she teaches law at brooklyn law school. her new text is called "taking liberties: the war on terror and the erosion of american democracy." good to have you on this program. i want to jump right in. this book is released and the timing could not be more propitious. we are almost commemorating this is the 10th anniversary of the patriot act. it has now been extended until 2015. let me ask what your assessment is of the patriot act now. >> a lot of people -- what a lot of people do not know is that it is a whole grab bag. my original copy printed out at 300 pages. it is hundreds of amendments. most people are familiar with the surveillance issues. because there are so many different provisions, is it's a good or bad thing? there are so many different parts. you would have to break that down. what i could say to generalize is that although i think it was understandable in the fall of 2001, 45 days after 9/11, which were trying to figur

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[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: i am pleased to have john lithgow on this program. his threat -- his standout career includes emmy awards and two oscar awards and two tonys. he is out with a terrific new memoir, called a "drama," about acting. have you been busy? >> i have been busy telling people about this book. i have never done boat tours before. tavis: what do you think of it? kfar >> it is hard work. by have come here to rest. tavis: i will make this easy for you. drama.e why the title, a traum it is a memoir. >> it is in the more about the first half of my life and all of the influences inside and outside of theaters, on stage and off stage in my life that basically turn made to the after the i was when i arrived about age 35. the formative years. i called it a "drama. are things i was almost done with a book by the time i hit on the title. it is certainly a nonfiction. it is on as to a fault, this book. but i decided to tell my story -- is honest to a fault, this book. but i decided to tell my story b