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!
(There are no weekend events scheduled during the month of August.)

TONIGHT - ANDREW BACEVICH

Andrew Bacevich's new book WASHINGTON RULES: America's Path to Permanent War (Metropolitan, $25) was just released on Tuesday, and he will appear at Politics & Prose tonight. The book is a provocative analysis of political assumptions and realities and we encourage you to attend. While coming from a West Point education and a career in the military, he has become known for his critiques of the use of military intervention in place of diplomacy (The New American Militarism), for addressing the economic myths that Americans live by (The Limits of Power), and for challenging the assumption that the world divides into clear polarities of liberty vs. repression. He would like to direct our attention to the fact that military threats may have less to do with our future than the growing economic powers of India and China. He wrote for The Boston Review,

as with the Cold War, the Long War rests on a false premise. To divide the world into two camps today makes no more sense than it did in Dulles’s time. Rather than creating clarity, indulging in this sort of oversimplification sows confusion and encourages miscalculation. It allows Americans to avert their eyes from the gathering forces—largely beyond the control of the United States—that are actually reshaping the international order. Sending U.S. troops to fight in Afghanistan sustains the pretense that we ourselves, exercising the prerogatives of global leadership, are somehow shaping that order.

Violent anti-Western jihadism—a cause that has about as much prospect of conquering the planet as Soviet-style communism—is not going to define the 21st century. Far more likely to do so is the transfer of power—first economic, then political—from the West to the East, from the Atlantic basin to the heartland of Asia. In that regard, the tens of thousands of U.S. troops shipped to Afghanistan matter less than the hundreds of billions of American dollars shipped each year to China. . . .

The Long War that President Bush began and that President Obama has now made his own provides an excuse for Americans to avoid confronting these larger matters. A policy of avoidance will not make the problems go away, of course. It will merely advance the day of reckoning that awaits.

This will be an insightful and provocative talk. Please join us!

Next Wednesday, August 11, 7 p.m., Politics & Prose will host country musician Rosanne Cash for the release of her new memoir, COMPOSED (Viking, $26.95), at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. Tickets may be purchased for $10 or receive two free admission tickets when you buy the book from Politics& Prose. Click here to reserve your book and tickets now!

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Around the World with Politics & Prose (in 92+ Books)

We receive a lot of questions every day: Who is tonight’s speaker? Where can I find The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? And, of course -- where are the stairs?

But some of our favorite requests come from the travelers (armchair or otherwise): the questions begin “I am going to...” or “I want to learn more about...” and conclude “I want to read something set there.”

We love this type of literary matchmaking, so we have compiled a list of our favorite novels from around the world. This list is in no way comprehensive or meant to be the final word. It is intended to spark conversation and exploration. But, if you’re journeying to Dublin, Denmark, or Duluth; intrigued by Kyoto or Kuwait; or hope to discover Accra or Azerbaijan, browse our list. Visit the store to see our beautiful map display. And most importantly, come talk with us. Keep asking us those questions. We'd also love to hear your suggestions! We look forward to traveling the globe and sharing literature with you!

-- Sarah Baline, Elizabeth Sher & Lila Stiff

Click here to see our recommendations for travellers.

 

Welcome to Kittur. Aravind Adiga’s tour of this South-Western Indian city of 193,432 takes place BETWEEN THE ASSASSINATIONS (Free Press, $15) of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and her son Rajiv in 1991. Interspersed with maps, history, and sight-seeing highlights, these 14 linked stories from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of The White Tiger focus on Kittur’s diverse and contentious religions, ethnicities, and castes. Of whatever faith or social level, however, the majority of Adiga’s characters are poor. Poor, angry, and defiant. They may sleep in the streets, beg for money for a father’s drugs, abase themselves before bosses and rich patrons, but these people never lose their essential dignity. Adiga’s searing stories of hard work, betrayal, love, and corruption capture “that strange mixture of the strikingly beautiful and the filthy that is the nature of every Indian village.” - Laurie Greer

Between the Assassinations is one of our Summer Newsletter Recommendations from Around the World and is 20% off for members. Click here to see more.

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 These titles were store favorites when they were in hardcover. Click FICTION or NON-FICTION to browse a more complete selection of recent paperback releases.

BOTH WAYS IS THE ONLY WAY I WANT IT (Riverhead, $15), Maile Meloy's second collection of short stories, is so quiet that many climaxes tiptoe by, only to make themselves felt later, as you turn them over in your mind. You'll be washing dishes or brushing your teeth and realize, suddenly, why the perversely casual relationship between a dead woman's father and her murderer's girlfriend in "The Girlfriend" resonates with so much truth; or why you felt so uncomfortable reading the benign "Travis, B.," where a lonely young man with a limping gait falls in love with a young lawyer he will never see again. Meloy draws her characters with simple, unfettered prose in which it is easy to lose yourself. - Lacey Dunham

Maile Meloy is one of Politics & Prose Best 20 Writers under 40. Click here to see more.

 

WHEN SKATEBOARDS WILL BE FREE (Dial Press, $15) is a lilting, blackly funny memoir of a most unusual adolescence. Said Sayrafiezadeh's Iranian father and American Jewish mother were zealous socialists, and they raised their son in a militant wing of the Socialist Workers Party. Sayrafiezadeh grew up in the peculiar, politically charged cocoon of Brooklyn and Pittsburgh of the 1970s and '80s; due to his parents’ single-minded fervor, he often suffered crippling poverty and neglect. But his dark humor softens the pathos--as do the glimpses we get of the adult Sayrafiezadeh auditioning for commercials and working for Martha Stewart. It’s one of the many ironies this talented writer plays with but never overplays. - Elizabeth Sher

 

When Skateboards Will Be Free is one of the Family Memoirs recommended in our Summer Newsletter. All the books in the Politics & Prose 2010 Summer Newsletter are 20% off to members through Labor Day.  Click here to see more.

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Lyndon B. Johnson: The American Presidents Series: The 36th President, 1963-1969

Signed by Charles Peters
First editions, first printings.
(Times, $23)
Hardcover - July 2010

We ran out of books at our event last week, and Charles Peters has graciously agreed to sign more books for our customers. You may order online, or call the store at 202-364-1919 before Saturday as we can also arrange for personalized copies.

Click here to see more of our signed books.

 

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Please note: You may click the links below to enroll in any of these classes online. However, selecting "Pay at Store" will NOT reserve your registration. Please submit a credit card payment to complete your enrollment or call the store at 202-364-1919 to register by telephone.

Saturday, September 18, 10 - 12 a.m.
JOURNAL KEEPING: Create Your Own Inspiration, One Day at a Time
with Phyllis Theroux

Many people start journals only to stop. There is an art to journal-keeping that is as easy as reaching up and screwing in a light bulb above your head. Imagine, years from now, that you or someone else opens your journal and is inspired by what you have written.  Join Phyllis Theroux, author of the memoir, The Journal Keeper (Atlantic Monthly, $24), for this practical seminar.  Cost: $40.  Space is limited. Reservations required. Click here to enroll online.

We belatedly recognize that some of our customers can not attend due to Yom Kippur. Please contact us if you would like to be informed of a future class.

Wednesdays, September 22 – October 27
THREE NOVELS BY F. SCOTT FITZGERALD :
   This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night
with Jackson R. Bryer, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Maryland

This course will study Fitzgerald’s three best completed novels, in chronological order. The emphases in class will be on discussion of the common themes and characters they share, the development shown by Fitzgerald through his career, his fiction as a reflection of the times in which he wrote, and the fictional techniques utilized in each novel and how - from novel to novel - they were both similar and varied.

$100 for non-members, $80 for members.
Class meets for 6 consecutive Wednesdays beginning, September 22 – October 27, 1-2:30 p.m., with the exception of October 13 when the class will meet from 3-4:30

Click here for more information and to enroll in the class.

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P&P Members always save 20% on our top twelve FICTION and NON-FICTION hardcover bestsellers. To read more about these books and to buy them from Politics & Prose, click the titles.

FICTION

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson (Knopf, $27.95)
2. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell (Random House, $26)
3. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart (Random House, $26)
4. The Rembrandt Affair, by Daniel Silva (Putnam, $26.95)
5. The Cookbook Collector, by Allegra Goodman (Dial, $26)
6. The Invisible Bridge, by Julie Orringer (Knopf, $26.95)
7. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson (Random House, $25)
8. Corduroy Mansions, by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon, $24.95)
9. Star Island by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf, $26.95)
10. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Holt, $27.95)
11. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner (Atria, $26.99)
12. What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25)

NONFICTION

1. Lyndon B. Johnson: The American Presidents Series: The 36th President, 1963-1969, by Charles Peters (Times, $23)
2. Morning Miracle: Inside the Washington Post A Great Newspaper Fights for Its Life, by Dave Kindred (Doubleday, $26.95)
3. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (HarperCollins, $27.99)
4. The Fever, by Sonia Shah (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, $26)
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (Crown, $26)
6. War, by Sebastian Junger (Twelve, $26.99)
7. Hamlet's BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age, by William Powers (HarperCollins, $24.99)
8. Sh*t My Dad Says, by Justin Halpern (It, $15.99)
9. 9 Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India, by William Dalrymple (Knopf, $26.95)
10. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, by Anthony Bourdain (Ecco, $26.99)
11. 4 Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food, by Paul Greenberg (Penguin, $25.95)
12. Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm, by Kim Eisler (Thomas Dunne, $26.99)

 

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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, August 5

Andrew Bacevich - Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War
7 p.m. In his new critique of American foreign policy, the author of The Limits to Power argues that the United States continues to operate according to a consensus of power, formed 50 years ago, that relies on our armed presence in every region of the world. As American influence falters, and with a new administration in charge, now is the time to rethink our assumptions and priorities.

Monday August 9

Justin Kramon - Finny
7 p.m. Kramon’s debut novel follows Finny Short from her first crush at age 14 to exile at a boarding school and on through her college years. Endearingly innocent, Finny has a knack for taking up with bold, adventurous, or just strange people, and Kramon has devised an equally lively and colorful plot.

Tuesday August 10

Ellen Bryson - The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno
7 p.m. The eponymous Fortuno is billed as the world's thinnest man. He's found his niche with P.T. Barnum's collection of human curiosities, and soon meets his true love there, falling for Iell Adams, the bearded woman. But Iell is not exactly what she seems, and Bryson's first novel is a deft look behind the scenes at this unusual form of show business in Gilded Age New York.

Wednesday August 11

Rosanne Cash - Composed @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
7 p.m. Cash tells about her upbringing as the child of country-music legend Johnny Cash and the stepdaughter of June Carter Cash. She grew up in Southern California, worked for Columbia Records in London, and recorded her first album on a German label. Her memoir recounts the long process of finding her place in the music industry.

Please note: This is a ticketed event. Two admission tickets are free with book purchase from P&P or are $10 each without purchase of the book. A book signing and Q&A will follow the author talk. This is not a musical performance, but CDs will be available for sale and signing. Selecting "Pay at Store" will NOT reserve your tickets and books. Please submit a credit card payment to complete your reservation for this ticketed event.

COMPOSED will arrive at the store next week on Tuesday, August 10. Books and tickets will be available on Tuesday, August 10 at Politics & Prose. On Wednesday, the day of the event, they can be picked up at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue after 6 p.m.  Books and tickets will NOT be mailed before the event. Signed books will be shipped after the event.

Thursday August 12

Peter Miller - The Smart Swarm
7 p.m. Miller, a senior editor with National Geographic, looks to insects for insight into human social behavior. Ants, termites, locusts, along with flocks of birds and schools of fish, all demonstrate complex group dynamics that we can learn from. One airline, for instance, used the African ants’ specialized communication system to improve its seating system.

Monday August 16

Dave Zirin - Bad Sports
7 p.m. Franchise owners and fans don't have the same view of the game, Zirin contends. Sports coumnist for The Nation and author of A People's History of Sports in the United States, Zirin speaks out against the arrogance of team owners who care more for profit and grand stadiums than for athleticism and old-fashioned fun at the balll games.

Tuesday August 17

Paul Greenberg - Four Fish
7 p.m. Today’s seafood market concentrates mainly on salmon, tuna, bass, and cod. Are these merely commodities for the table, or should these species be preserved as wildlife? Greenberg, a New York Times journalist, lays out the history of our taste for these fish and considers whether fish farming is the answer to overexploited wild fisheries. 

Wednesday August 18

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Summer Reading Ice Cream Truck
12-2 p.m. Join Politics & Prose as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Summer Reading Ice Cream Truck rolls into town. Come get a free frozen treat to celebrate the upcoming publication of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, BOOK 5: The Ugly Truth, which is on sale Tuesday, November 9. Other free goodies will be handed out. Please note: Jeff Kinney will NOT be present at this event.

Jonathan Weiner - Long For This World
7 p.m. The dream of living forever may be within reach, according to various scientists and researchers involved in studies of human aging. Weiner, the author of The Beak of the Finch and other acclaimed popular-science books, visits labs around the world, sorting the scientific thinking from the merely wishful. 

Thursday August 19

Frank DeFord - Bliss, Remembered
7 p.m. The commentator and Sports Illustrated senior writer is also a novelist, and in his latest fiction Deford tells the story of an American swimmer at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. She falls in love with a German, but politics cuts short their relationship. Later, back home and married to a soldier fighting in Europe, she unexpectedly meets Horst again.

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

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An annual favorite at Politics & Prose, the 2010-2011 August to August Calendar Organizers are now in stock for your academic planning. Available in a plethora of colors - including licorice black, cherry red, coral orange, cornflower blue, kiwi green, and magenta, these planners are perfect for high school and college students, teachers, and those just looking to get a jump start on getting organized for the coming year.  Spiral bound, 100% post-consumer recycled paper pages, from Mixed Role Productions. $16.95 each. Click here to order now.

 

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CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

(20% off through 08/11/2010)
Olive Dunwoody, heroine of BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS (Dial, $16.99), finds another world within the walls of her new house, an old mansion full of strange art. After finding a pair of spectacles and putting them on, Olive discovers she can walk into the paintings. But something is off about this wondrous world; an ominous shadowy presence seems to live in the paintings and there are three mysterious talking cats guarding the house. Will she have the courage to face an evil she can’t see? Join Olive’s quest for answers in Jacqueline West’s engaging new fantasy. Ages 8-10. Angela Williams

Don't forget to pick up a copy of our 2010 Summer Favorites from our Children's Department or click here to shop for them online.

While these titles are not discounted as the adult recommendations are, remember that we offer 10% discounts on all school reading list books. Bring your summer reading lists into Politics & Prose and we'll help you meet your requirements for the fall!

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

 

Wednesday August 18

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Summer Reading Ice Cream Truck

12-2 p.m. Join Politics & Prose as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Summer Reading Ice Cream Truck rolls into town on Wednesday, August 18. Starting at 12:00 noon, come get a free frozen treat to celebrate the upcoming publication of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, BOOK 5: The Ugly Truth, which is on sale Tuesday, November 9. Other free goodies will be handed out.

Politics & Prose will have a table in front of the store to pre-sell vouchers for the fifth book. We will also be giving away “golden tickets” in a random order that will entitle several lucky recipients to a free copy of the 5th book. The pre-sales will be 20% off the retail price for everyone.

PLEASE NOTE: JEFF KINNEY WILL NOT BE MAKING AN APPEARANCE OR SIGNING BOOKS AT THIS EVENT.

Story time takes a break during the summer.

We will resume after Labor Day on Monday, September 13 at 10:30 a.m.

 

JUST FOR OLDER TEENS

Check out our PG-15 section online! "Like" us on Facebook (Politics and Prose Teens), follow us on Twitter (@PnPteens), and read the teen book blog. We'll keep you up-to-date with news about events, new books, and reviews from our staff and from you! Just send reviews, written by you, of your favorite books to Dana at dchidiac@politics-prose.com. We will post at least one new review each week.

 

How was the Michael Scott event?

It was absolutely awesome!  Michael Scott gave an amazing talk about his series, the The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, on Tuesday, July 27, and he read from the most recent book, THE NECROMANCER.  He’s a real expert on world mythology, and his talk about the myths and pieces of true history that inspired his books made me want to stop everything and read the entire series cover to cover immediately.  Luckily for you, he allowed us to videotape his talk.  Click here to see it on Youtube! He lectures in the first video, reads in the second, and answers questions in the third. Enjoy!

Click here to order copies of THE NECROMANCER, signed by Michael Scott (Delacorte, $18.99). We also have a few signed copies of other books in the series, so please call the Children's Department if you are interested.

 

 

UPCOMING TICKETED EVENT

On Thursday, September 23, 3-4:30 p.m., best-selling teen author Suzanne Collins will be signing MOCKINGJAY (Scholastic, $17.99) at Politics & Prose. We are excited about hosting Suzanne Collins and look forward to having you join us. This is a ticketed event. One free ticket will be distributed when any book from The Hunger Games trilogy is purchased from Politics & Prose. Each participant must have a Politics & Prose event ticket and may get ONE book signed.

Scholastic Publishers stipulate that because Suzanne Collins suffers from hand strain, she will be "signing" books with a special stamp custom made for Mockingjay events.
- Ms. Collins will sign ONE book per person.
- Ms. Collins will not personalize books.
- Fans must be present in line to get a book signed. Ms. Collins will not sign books left at the store.
- Please note that this event is a book-signing only.

Click here to pre-order your copy of Mockingjay and to read more information about this book-signing event!

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

 

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ROSANNE CASH NEXT WEDNESDAY AT 6TH & I SYNAGOGUE

Besides signing her new memoir, COMPOSED, Rosanne will also be signing CDs, and we will have some of her very best titles: THE LIST (2009); BLACK CADILLAC (2006); RULES OF TRAVEL (2003); INTERIORS (1990), and KING’S RECORD SHOP (1987).

 

 

 

 

ALEX ROSS RECOMMENDS

It’s always enlightening to read Alex Ross in the New Yorker, as well as his two blogs, The Rest is Noise, and Unquiet Thoughts. (Alex’s new book, LISTEN TO THIS (FSG), comes out in October, and he will be at P&P.) This week, he reviewed a host of new CDs, including Stephen Hough, CHOPIN: LATE MASTERPIECES (Hyperion, $18.98), Marc-André Hamelin, CHOPIN: SONATAS 2 & 3 (Hyperion, $18.98), THOMAS LARCHER: MADHARES (ECM, $18.98), and Isabelle Faust’s BACH: SONATAS & PARTITAS, V.1 (Harmonia Mundi, $18.98).

 

 

 

 

MUSIC FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The various popular music styles that have emerged from South Africa over the last decades are among the richest and most diverse in the world. Three recently released compilations give you a small taste, from the more well known sounds of mbaqanga and South African jazz to lesser known funkier sounds:

NEXT STOP…SOWETO, VOL 1: Township Sounds the Golden Age of Mbaqanga (Strut, $15.98)

NEXT STOP…SOWETO, VOL 2: Soultown, R&B, Funk & Psych Sounds from the Townships, 1969-1976 (Strut, $14.98)

NEXT STOP…SOWETO, VOL 3: Giants, Ministers and Makers: Jazz in South Africa, 1963-1984 (Strut, 2 CDs, $17.98)

 

NEW

Ella Fitzgerald, BEST OF 12 NIGHTS IN HOLLYWOOD (Verve, $14.98) – If you weren’t able to snag a copy of 12 Nights in Hollywood – the 4-CD, limited edition box set recorded in a club setting during the early 1960s – here’s a chance to hear 13 of those great tracks of primo Ella.

Jimmy Webb & Guests, JUST ACROSS THE RIVER (E1 Entertainment, &17.98) – Songwriter Jimmy Webb wrote “Witchita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Up Up and Away” and many more hits. On this project, he duets with Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Michael McDonald, Mark Knopfler, J.D. Souther, Vince Gill, and Lucinda Williams on some of his greatest songs. The Times wrote about the CD.

Arcade Fire, THE SUBURBS (Merge, $15.99) – The Canadian group that’s getting lots of praise for their new album (see the Times last Sunday).