Click here for our events calendar and preview upcoming events through August.
Click here for more complete descriptions and to buy signed copies online.
Members always save 20% on event books. Click here to register!

 

 

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Our booksellers have created a display of books which they have enjoyed and think your fathers might like. Come in and take a look or browse them online by clicking here.

KIND WORDS FROM HENDRIK HERTZBERG

Last week we publicly announced our intention to seek a buyer for Politics & Prose. We wish to reiterate that the store continues to flourish as a healthy community resource here in Washington, DC. It merely has come to be the time for Carla and Barbara to think about retiring. Hendrik Hertzberg contribute this lovely and thoughtful tribute in his blog on The New Yorker website, which we would like to share with you.

P&P is not just a place to buy a book or sip an espresso, though I make it a point to do both every time I’m in the vicinity. It’s also the venue for a long-running, often high-end free show: the frequent author evenings in which scribblers give little speeches, answer unusually intelligent questions from members of a usually well-informed audience, and get their egos stroked. I’ve gotten mine stroked there twice, for "Politics" and, last year, for "¡Obamanos!". I have to admit that the latter wasn’t one of my better performances. I blame Carla. The introduction she gave me was so touching, affectionate, and effusive that I was left, if not technically speechless, flushed and stammering. (Robert McCrum is tonight’s guest. The reliably speechful Christopher Hitchens is tomorrow’s.)

I fervently hope that . . . the somebody or somebodies who buy [Politics & Prose] run it with the hands-on, brains-on, hearts-on personal dedication that its customers have taken for granted from Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade.

SUMMER READING

Come into the store (or browse the selection online by clicking here) to get your copy of our Summer Reading Recommendations. All of the books in the Politics & Prose 2010 Summer Newsletter are 20% off to members through Labor Day.  We're really proud of the range of recommendations and that so many of the staff wrote reviews that make you want to read the books.  We think you can find a nice selection for your summer vacation whether you are traveling or just propping your feet up on the back porch.

PLEASE NOTE: On Thursday, June 24 from 6:30 p.m. to closing, we expect the Children's Department to be very crowded due to the John Green and David Levithan author event for teenagers for their new book will grayson, will grayson. While you are welcome to shop during this event, we do want you to be aware that your shopping abilities may be slightly impeded.

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Before this loved one / Was that one and that one…

Learning to Love the Backlist

It takes a lot for a book, even a great book, to assert itself against the ever-filling sea of new novels, television shows, viral videos, blog items and all the other froth of cultural production. Talent, luck, and a cooperative cultural moment are all prerequisites for an audience to find a book. Fortunately, such discoveries often shed light on an author’s previous work, which reflect the inimitable qualities that became apparent to all in his or her break-through book. This is why, as excited as we get about new books, we love the backlist. To read more about the early books of Elizabeth Gilbert, Michael Chabon, David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen, and George Orwell, click here, and learn more about their books written before these authors became household names.

- Michael Allen

WORLD CUP SOCCER

- or football as some prefer to call it - is on many minds these days. Bars are opening early. There are outdoor screenings in Dupont Circle. And you just may need some background about the players and the teams. We have a display in the store of books written for this year's match-ups as well as about the sport in general. In particular, take a look at A Beautiful Game: The World's Greatest Players and How Soccer Changed Their Lives (HarperOne, $29.99). This collection of fabulous photographs by Tom Watt also includes interviews with famous players about growing up loving soccer. David Goldblatt's The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer (Riverhead, $25) is the most authoritative and fascinating compendium that a fan could hope for. This doorstopper of a history is an in depth study on the rivalries and great moments of the sport, but is also accessibly readable. Either selection would be a highly-appreciated gift for a true afficionado or a budding enthusiast. Click here to see all the books that we are offering and have on display!

- Andrew Getman

TICKET GIVEAWAYS
Thank you to everyone who submitted entries to our ticket drawings for the events with David Sedaris & Sarah Vowell at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium and with Spencer Wells at National Geographic Live! Our winners have been selected and contacted. Look for more of these opportunities in the future!

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WEATHERCRAFT by Jim Woodring (Fantagraphics, $19.99)
Finally! Weathercraft is a book best appreciated and understood by just picking it up and opening the pages. Lacking dialogue or narration, the story is as much about the characters roaming the panels as it is about the densely packed, twisted logic of the environment in which they roam. Manhog, the central character of this book, is a being of appetites and comforts—yet his desires lead him into trouble; the book follows Manhog from torture, imprisonment, and suffering to redemption, all as complicated as the psychedelic art Woodring has devised to tell his story. Full of symbols and the unflinchingly surreal, Weathercraft is an experience unto itself. As I said, "Finally!" Pick this up!

Adam Waterreus leads the graphic novel book group. On Wednesday, June 23, they will meet to discuss The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second, $29.95). Click here to see more of his suggestions for June.

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P&P Members always save 20% on our top twelve FICTION and NON-FICTION hardcover bestsellers. To purchase these books, click the titles.

FICTION

1. Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes (Atlantic Monthly Press, $24.95)
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (Knopf, $27.95)
3. The Passage by Justin Cronin (Ballantine, $27)
4. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (Random House, $25)
5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, $24.95)
6. The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer (Knopf, $26.95)
7. Innocent by Scott Turow (Grand Central, $27.99)
8. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman (The Dial Press, $25)
9. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Knopf, $25.95)
10. The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25)
11. The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller (Knopf, $25.95)
12. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins, $26.99)

NONFICTION

1. Hitch-22: A Memoir by Christopher Hitchens (Twelve, $26.99)
2. Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush (Scribner, $30)
3. The War Lovers by Evan Thomas (Little, Brown, $29.99)
4. Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre (Harmony, $25.99)
5. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (Ecco, $26.99)
6. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis (W. W. Norton, $27.95)
7. The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking, $30)
8. The Promise: President Obama, Year One by Jonathan Alter (Simon & Schuster, $28)
9. The Icarus Syndrome: A History of American Hubris by Peter Beinart (HarperCollins, $27.99)
10. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (HarperCollins, $27.99)
11. Crisis Economics by Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm (Penguin Press, $)
12. War by Sebastian Junger (Twelve, $26.99)

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These two titles were both store favorites when they were in hardcover.
Click FICTION or NON-FICTION to browse a more complete selection of recent paperback releases or click the title to purchase the books.

THE AMERICAN FUTURE: A History by Simon Schama (Ecco, $15.99)

For a lucky few kids, summer means going someplace special. For Benji in Colson Whitehead’s very funny novel, that place is SAG HARBOR (Anchor, $15.95), the enclave where the families of New York’s black professionals go. Benji and his younger brother are treated as a single entity by their friends, but during this summer of 1985, 15-year-old Benji states that he’s now Ben. Yet as much as he wants to declare his independence, he also wants to connect with his friends. As one of the few black kids at a Manhattan prep school, he decides it’s time to learn the latest slang, the hand jive, the newest dances. None of this is easy for Ben because he’s a geek more comfortable with playing Dungeons and Dragons than with getting down. Whitehead shows how Benji navigates through the summer with his pals and his job at the waffle shop, where he’s always covered in more batter than his co-workers are. Deb Morris

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If you can't attend a talk, but would like to reserve a signed copy or a recorded author talk,
click the title links to purchase online. P&P members save 20% on these author event titles.

Thursday June 17

Sebastian Mallaby - More Money than God
7 p.m. Hedge funds developed in the 1960s. They were nearly destroyed in the stock market debacles of the 1970s, the 1994 crash, and again in the 2000 dot-com crash. Yet they've survived each disaster, and as Mallaby, author of The World's Banker, shows in his history of hedge funds, they may well represent the future of finance.

Friday June 18

Michael Pertschuk - The DeMarco Factor
7 p.m. This profile of Maryland activist Vinny DeMarco focuses on specific campaigns - for gun control laws, increased cigarette taxes, and legislation to extend healthcare to low-income workers - while also outlining the general strategies of timing, coalition-building, and leadership which De Marco has developed during his two decades as an advocate for popular causes.

Saturday June 19

Steve Dryden - Peirce Mill: Two Hundred Years in the Nation's Capital
1 p.m. Established by Pennsylvania Quakers, Peirce Mill was in operation before the Revolutionary War and continued to be used to grind corn, wheat, and other grains until the 1890s. As Dryden, a preservationist and environmental activist, recounts in this history of the mill, the waterwheel was repaired in the 1930s and restoration of the building continues, with the goal of making the Rock Creek landmark an educational facility.

After the talk and Q&A, Mr. Dryden will lead interested participants out the back door of the store to Rock Creek Park, which is literally right across the parking lot. He will take us for a walk down along Broad Branch Creek to the Peirce Mill, where we will have a tour of the restoration. This will take about two hours, after which The Friends of Peirce Mill will offer shuttle rides back to P&P with an estimated return by about 4 p.m. Please join us!

Sam Munson - The November Criminals
6 p.m. Addison Schacht, high school senior, small-time pot dealer, socially awkward but with a head full of factoids, is an unlikely detective. But when a fellow student is killed, he takes the plunge into sleuthing. Munson's debut novel, set in Washington, D.C., has earned praise for its pitch-perfect presentation of character and voice.

Monday June 21

Bret Easton Ellis - Imperial Bedrooms
7 p.m. In this sequel to Less Than Zero, Ellis explores the lives of Clay, now a screenwriter; Trent, a producer, married to Clay’s old girlfriend; and Rip, who runs an escort service. All are hurtling out of control in the fast lane of Los Angeles, with its deals, drugs, and sex.

Tuesday June 22

David Lipsky - Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself
7 p.m. In March 1996 Lipsky, on assignment for Rolling Stone, accompanied David Foster Wallace for five days of his national tour for Infinite Jest. The resulting portrait is an intimate look at the writer’s thoughts on books and television, on the cities—Chicago, Minneapolis, and others—they visit, on chess and on being young in America.

Wednesday June 23

Dean Baker - Taking Economics Seriously
7 p.m. In this concise treatise by the Guardian columnist and “Beat the Press” blogger, Baker argues that the free market is a myth, given corporate interests in government interventions. Recognizing who really benefits from regulations would allow for innovative approaches, and among his recommendations is applying marginal cost pricing to health care.

Thursday June 24

Charles K. Ogletree, Jr. - The Presumption of Guilt
7 p.m. A law professor and author of All Deliberate Speed, Ogletree examines the July 2009 arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.  Ogletree replays the sequence of events, then examines the incident in the wider context of issues of race and justice, exploring why the arrest escalated into a national story and what still needs to be addressed on matters such as racial profiling.

John Green & David Levithan - will grayson, will grayson Lower Level
7 p.m. Join us to honor two award-winning authors on the occasion of their collaboration. When Will Grayson meets Will Grayson, both their lives are changed. One Will is sensitive and a true friend to fullback-sized Tiny Cooper; the other Will is cynical, sarcastic, and depressed yet maintains an edgy sense of humor. As their lives intertwine, the boys find the meaning of honest love and help Tiny produce an epic high-school musical. (Ages 14 and up)

Please note: We expect the Children’s Department to be very crowded due to this event for teenagers.  While you are welcome to shop during the event, we do want you to be aware that your shopping abilities may be slightly impeded.

Friday June 25

Piper Kerman - Orange is the New Black
7 p.m. Kerman was sentenced to 15 months in the minimum-security correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, ten years after she was involved in a drug deal. Blonde, blue-eyed, a Smith College graduate, and, at 34, a first-time offender, Kerman offers an unusual perspective on the criminal justice system.

Saturday June 26

Michael O'Hanlon & Hassina Sherjan - Toughing It Out in Afghanistan
1 p.m. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at Brookings, and Sherjan, president of Aid Afghanistan for Education, look at the present situation in Afghanistan, debunk mistaken impressions of the country, and lay out a plan for its future, including increasing the size and capabilities of the Afghan army and police, and facilitating Afghan businesses’ involvement in economic recovery.

UnRequired Reading for Teenagers
3:30 p.m. A panel of six authors who write for young adults will talk about teen reading. Participants include: Kristen Tracy, A Field Guide for Heartbreakers; Brent Crawford, Carter’s Big Break; Stacey Kade, The Ghost and the Goth; Daniel Waters, Passing Strange: A Generation Dead Novel; Elizabeth Rudnick, Tweet Heart; and Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin, The Half-Life of Planets.

Dan Nadel - Art in Time
6 p.m. Prompted by the success of his Art Out of Time, a collection of strips by lesser known artists, Nadel has gathered the less familiar work of well-known comics creators, including the gritty private eye tales of Harry Lucey, one of the Archie cartoonists, and the brutal Man-o-Metal pieces by H.G Peter, the golden-age Wonder Woman artist. If not for Nadel, these would have been lost.

Sunday June 27

Samuel Zipp - Manhattan Projects
1 p.m. Urban renewal—a strategy to create strong, modern cities, or a sure way to perpetuate racial and class inequities, displace people, and build alienating environments? Zipp, a Brown University professor of American Civilization and Urban studies, presents both sides of the debate in his study of post-war New York City.

Eli Kintisch - Hack the Planet
5 p.m. Many ideas for mitigating climate change that were once considered crackpot solutions are now gaining credibility. Kintisch, a writer for Science magazine, investigates the facts behind these geoengineering proposals, weighing the risks of trying what seems outlandish against those of doing nothing.

To see the complete schedule and to purchase any of the above books, click here.

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Politics & Prose supplies books for this book signing event.
Reservations and tickets should be acquired from the hosting organization.
If you can't attend a talk, but would like to purchase a signed book, call
202-364-1919 or 1-800-722-0790 or click the title link below.

Thursday, June 17, 5 p.m.

Fox Hill Club and Residences
8300 Burdette Road
Bethesda, MD
invites you to a
Champagne Reception & Book Signing with:
KITTY KELLEY
OPRAH: A Biography (Crown, $30)

Turning her reportorial sights on Oprah, Kelley has now given us an unvarnished look at the stories Oprah’s told and the life she’s led. Kelley has talked to Oprah’s closest family members and business associates. She has obtained court records, birth certificates, financial and tax records, and even copies of Oprah’s legendary (and punishing) confidentiality agreements. She has probed every aspect of Oprah Winfrey’s life, and it is as if she’s written the most extraordinary segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show ever filmed - one in which Oprah herself is finally and fully revealed.

RSVP to Lauren Myers at (301) 968-1851 or lmyers@foxhillseniorcondonimium.com

Wednesday, June 16, 12:30 p.m.

Congregation Har Shalom
11510 Falls Road
Potomac, MD

DAVID MAKOVSKY
MYTHS, ILLUSIONS, & PEACE (Viking $17.00)

A cogent analysis, co-authored by Dennis Ross, of what went wrong in Middle East policy and how to get it back on track. A Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, David Makovsky, together with Ross, brings fresh focus to a range of difficult issues with their profound gasp of Middle East realities.

For further information contact Jerry Miller: jmsm803@aol.com

Monday June 21, 7 p.m.

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown

LORI GOTTLIEB
MARRY HIM: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough (Dutton, $25.95)

Finding herself single at age 40, journalist Lori Gottlieb said the unthinkable in her March 2008 article in The Atlantic: Maybe she, and single women everywhere, were holding out for a mythical Prince Charming when what might really make them happy is Mr. Good Enough.

From culture to biology, Marry Him explores the dilemma that so many women today seem to face—how to reconcile the desire for a husband and family with a list of must-haves so long that many great guys get rejected out of the gate. A provocative romantic wake-up call, Marry Him asks us to look at ourselves and our belief systems about what it really means to be happily in love.

Click here for $8 advance tickets ($10 the day of the event) or receive two FREE tickets with the purchase of the book. Questions? Please call Sixth & I at 202-408-3100.

Monday, June 28, 7 p.m.

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown
ERIC POOLEY
THE CLIMATE WAR: True Believers, Power Brokers, and the Fight to Save the Earth (Hyperion $27.99)
The great American argument over global warming continues to rage on Capitol Hill and beyond. What is it like to devote your career to passing a climate bill — a decade-long struggle that’s hotter than ever today? Why has it been so difficult for the U.S. to come to grips with this problem, and why do so many Americans still believe it’s not really happening? Pooley describes the political and economic battle surrounding climate change legislation, offering a revealing look at the power players who are working to either make or break transformative energy policy.

In a rare panel discussion, Pooley interviews key players of the Environmental Defense Fund’s National Climate Campaign, the most passionate advocates for a mandatory declining cap on carbon emissions. Together, they will lead a tour of the climate battleground, from the backrooms of Capitol Hill to the corporate C-suites to the West Wing of the Obama White House.

Click here for $8 advance tickets ($10 the day of the event) or receive two FREE tickets with the purchase of the book. Questions? Please call Sixth & I at 202-408-3100.

Tuesday, June 29, 7:30 p.m.

Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 S. Park Ave.
Chevy Chase, MD
LUCIE SNODGRASS
DISHING UP MARYLAND: 150 Recipes from the Alleghenies to the Chesapeake Bay  (Storey Publishing $19.95)
Ms. Snodgrass spent 14 months visiting farms and dairies, vineyards, bison and oyster ranches - even a maple camp -  and intersperses recipes with profiles of local food producers, chefs and restaurants, and watermen.  The recipes showcase seasonal ingredients and regional favorites including seafood and local vegetables.  There are also personal recipes from farmers, vendors and chefs, including the Smith Island cake and a 40-ingredient challenge from Frederick's Volt restaurant. 

Ms. Snodgrass's food writing has appeared in the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun.  She and her husband, a fifth-generation farmer, live in Hartford County.  Please RSVP for this FREE event by calling the Village Center at 301-656-2797.

 

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CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

(20% off through 06/23/2010)

How will you celebrate THE LONGEST DAY (Dutton, $17.99)? In modern and medieval Sweden, where the sun shines for twenty-four hours on Midsummer Day, celebrations involve floral decorations and traditions that bring good fortune, health, and maybe love. Perhaps Stonehenge was build to celebrate the summer solstice. And in Wyoming, the US has its own stone monument celebrating midsummer. In addition to her fascinating compilation of solstice celebrations, which is cheerfully illustrated by Linda Bleck, author Wendy Pfeffer includes facts about the solstice and four craft projects, including how to make a sundial and a flower wreath. Ages 4-8 Dara La Porte

Read about - and buy - more of our favorite books for children by clicking here.

Our regular story time is on hiatus until after Labor Day. We are going to have a Spanish language story time on 3 consecutive Wednesday afternoons at 4pm, June 30, July 7 and 14.  More info to come!

For upcoming events and more from the Children and Teens' Department, click here.

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JAZZ PIANOS: HANK JONES AND THE NEW GENERATION

The jazz world lost one its greatest last month with the death of pianist Hank Jones. Listen to him on an album of duets with Joe Lovano, KIDS: Live at Dizzy’s (Blue Note, $17.98). The legacy of Hank Jones is very much alive in the new generation of pianists. Here are some new recommended titles:

Aaron Goldberg Trio, HOME (Sunnyside, $16.98) – This is one of the most melodic and swinging piano albums of the year. Goldberg’s trio with Reuben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums (with tenor saxophonist Marc Turner on three cuts) plays a great mix of originals plus tunes by Pablo Milanés, Jobim, Monk, and a crackling version of Stevie Wonder.

Ethan Iverson Trio, LIVE AT SMALLS (Smalls, $15.98) – Ethan Iverson is the pianist for the the Bad Plus; he also does many adventurous one-off gigs, including this trio with the great drummer, Albert “Tootie” Heath, and the bassist, Ben Street. The trio does classics by Billy Strayhorn, Lester Young, Jackie McLean, Gershwin, Kern, plus others.

Ethan also writes one of the best blogs/zines on the web; it’s full of in-depth interviews with fellow musicians, musical analyses, and much, much more. Click here to explore.

Bill Charlap & Renee Rosnes, DOUBLE PORTRAIT (Blue Note, $17.98) – When two pianists lay out a tune, then take turns improvising on it, it brings sweet rewards (and sometimes, a little rivalry).The husband and wife pairing of Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes keeps it in the family, and it’s a treat: “Never Will I Marry,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “My Man’s Gone Now,” plus songs by Jobim, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Gerry Mulligan, and Ms Rosnes herself.

Next week, more new piano releases by Jason Moran, Fred Hersch, Geri Allen, and Marilyn Crispell.

VOICES

Gerald Finley & Julius Drake, BRITTEN: SONGS & PROVERBS OF WILLIAM BLAKE (Hyperion, $18.98) – One of the most enjoyable concerts I went to this year was baritone Gerald Finley’s superb recital of songs by Schumann, Ravel, Ives and Barber. Mr. Finley was also gracious enough to sign some of his CDs for our store (we have a few left). His new recital, with pianist Julius Drake, showcases Britten’s song cycles (of poems by Blake and Walter de la Mare), and his settings of folk songs.

Renée Fleming, DARK HOPE (Decca, $17.98) – Ms Fleming’s crossover project, singing in her “low” voice, covering songs associated with Mars Volta, Arcade Fire, Peter Gabriel, and others.

NEW

Punch Brothers, ANTIFOGMATIC (Nonesuch, $15.98) – Mandolinist Chris Thile and his fellow new-grass pickers in the Punch Brothers write intricate songs, and back it up with virtuoso instrumental interplay. Listen to the Punch Brothers’s set from last weekend’s Bonnaroo Festival (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127481502 ).

 

Click here for more reviews and news. Please call us at 202-364-1919 to order these CDs.