Books: "Our Own Worst Enemy"

This is where you can get information about many of the books discussed on The Early Show in September.

Monday, Sept. 10, 2007

"Our Own Worst Enemy: Asking the Right Questions About Security to Protect You, Your Family, and America," by Randall Larsen

We all have to think about terrorism.

But there's a right way and a wrong way, says retired Air Force Col. Randy Larsen, director of The Institute for Homeland Security (www.tihls.org/), and a CBS News consultant. He says the security threats you should be thinking about aren't always what you might expect.

Larsen addresses that in his new book, "Our Own Worst Enemy: Asking the Right Questions About Security to Protect You, Your Family, and America."

He discussed it in on The Early Show.

Larsen says the book goes into the full range of homeland security issues, "from the Oval Office, to the front office, down to your kitchen table."

"Our Own Worst Enemy" is filled with examples from Larsen of wrong questions: Why don't we put missile defense systems on airliners? Why aren't we prepared for rapid evacuations of our major cities? How do we win the war on terror? All sound like good questions, he says, at least until it's shown how they lead us down the wrong path.

For instance, it's often asked, "What must we do to ensure al Qaeda doesn't smuggle a nuclear weapon into a U.S. port?" That's the wrong question for three reasons: First, if al Qaeda got its hands on a nuke, they would never take them off. They wouldn't rent a 40-foot shipping container, put a padlock on it, and ship it to the U.S. They would charter a corporate jet or small ship, just as drug runners do. Secondly, if they did send it through one of our ports, all they'd need to do is put a quarter-inch of lead around it to defeat our best detectors. Third, al Qaeda doesn't need to get a nuke into the U.S. If it set one off anywhere in the world, the entire international security equation changes -- forever. The correct question is: "What do we do to prevent al Qaeda, or any other terrorist organization, from becoming a nuclear power?" The answer is by expanding the Nunn-Lugar program to locate, lock down, and eliminate the material terrorists could use to build a Hiroshima-style bomb. We spend about $1 billion a year on this program; that's what we spend every four days in Iraq. We need to establish the right priorities, and greatly expand Nunn-Lugar type activities.

Another wrong question: "How do we prevent a biological attack on America?" Why is it wrong? Because we can't. The ongoing bio-technical revolution, which in many respects provides great promise to us and our children in terms of medical care and public health, also has a dark side. Modern technology provides terrorist groups the capability to make bioweapons. That capability will only increase with time. Our focus on bio-defense must be in rapid detection, response and recovery -- not prevention. The good news is that proper research and development for new treatments and vaccines will also have enormous benefits in everyday medical care and public health, but we have to understand: Trying to prevent bioattacks is a great waste of money; the focus must be on rapid detection, response, and recovery.

To read an excerpt of "Our Own Worst Enemy," click here.

To watch Larsen's Early Show appearance,

"Husbandry: Sex, Love And Dirty Laundry -- Inside the Minds of Married Men," by Stephen Fried

Ladies Home Journal columnist Stephen Fried tries to help women understand why men behave the way they do in his new book, "Husbandry: Sex, Love and Dirty Laundry: Inside the Minds of Married Men."

"Husbandry" is a collection of 31 of Fried's columns for Ladies Home Journal. He's the first male columnist in the magazine's 100-plus years. The columns try to demystify men/husbands for women.

On The Early Show, Fried addressed what it's like writing for a women's magazine, then offered his take on several flashpoints between men and women. To see the segment, click here.

According to "Husbandry" publisher Bantam Books, "Fried draws on 20 years worth of his and his wife's marital experiences, interviews with other husbands, and countless studies on the science of relationships to explain (or apologize for) the actions (and inactions) of married men. His essays document their mysterious and often maddening behavior-in love, in friendship, in the bedroom, in the house (kitchen, closets, and bathrooms), and even in the locker room with their buddies. From the tortures of marital snoring to coping with the dishwasher, remembering to leave the toilet seat down, or landing those dirty socks in the hamper-just once!-no subject is out of bounds as Fried reveals the dailynesses of intimacy, of marriage, of love, of good times and bad."

To read an excerpt of "Husbandry," click here.

"I Dream in Blue: Life, Death, and the New York Giants," by Roger Director

There are fans, there are super-fans -- and then you have Roger Director.

The screenwriter and TV producer put his life on hold to chase a boyhood fantasy, living with his favorite team for six months.

His book about it is called "I Dream in Blue: Life, Death, and the New York Giants."

He went to training camp, all the games and their one playoff game in the 2006-2007 season, and got to spend time with the players off the field.

Director discussed his stint with the Giants, and his frequently humorous book, on The Early Show. If you'd like to see the segment, click here.

To read an excerpt of "I Dream in Blue," click here.

"Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health - A Guide for Young Adults," by Ross Szabo

Ross Szabo knows about what it was like to feel unrelenting stress and smothering depression as a teenager. He came close to suicide when he was still in high school, then discovered he had bipolar disorder.

After a few false starts, Szabo was able to finish college and is now on the lecture circuit, talking to students about mental health. He has also written a book, "Behind Happy Faces," that tells his story of fear and isolation. He also offers advice to students and their parents how to survive difficult times.

To read an excerpt of "Behind Happy Faces," click here.

To watch Szabo's appearance on The Early Show,