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Click here for our events calendar to preview upcoming events through the end of August.
Members always save 20% on author event books and titles included in other special promotions. Click here to register!
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Thursday, May 26
7 p.m. Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Gray
at Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD
Francine Prose - My New American Life *CANCELED*
Saturday, May 28
6 p.m. Matthew Algeo - The President is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea . . .
Sunday, May 29 and Monday, May 30
NO EVENTS - MEMORIAL DAY
Tuesday, May 31
7 p.m. Tayari Jones - Silver Sparrow
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Wednesday, June 1
7 p.m. Justin Cronin - The Passage
Thursday, June 2
7 p.m. David McCullough - The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris
at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I Street N
Friday, June 3 – Sunday, June 5
P&P SUMMER STOREWIDE MEMBER SALE
Friday, June 3
7 p.m. Oscar Hijuelos - Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir
Saturday, June 4
6 p.m. Andrew Krivak - The Sojourn
Sunday, June 5
5 p.m. Jim Axelrod - In the Long Run: A Father, a Son, and Unintentional Lessons in HappinessBottom of Form
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LETTER FROM BARBARA
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What does it mean for Politics & Prose to be an independent bookstore? And what does it mean for you?
In part, it means that we make our own decisions about the books we choose to put on our shelves, and about those we choose to endorse. Our buyers work on the sales floor, so we can respond more quickly when you request a book. When there is a good review in the New York Times and Diane Rehm interviews an author, in the rare event that we don't already have the books, we make sure we get them for you immediately.
Over the last 27 years, our reputation in the publishing world has helped to ensure the excellence of our daily author events. Our extended period of success in the industry helps us attract these events for you to enjoy and contributes to our national following through our podcasts and on C-SPAN BookTV. Your continuing commitment to become members, attend our book groups and events, engage passionately with authors, and purchase books from us throughout the year, is what makes P&P's author events so successful, the gold standard for all other bookstores throughout the country.
We are part of your community and have developed partnerships with other local businesses, neighborhood institutions, and public, private, and charter schools. We have events for students, book fairs for schools nearly every weekend of the school year, and partnerships with the Washington Literacy Council. Below in the events calendar, you'll learn about a library-building effort on which we are working currently in partnership with Ballou High School. Your participation in these efforts, your votes of confidence as members, and your purchases throughout the year support us in giving back to the community in which we live, to help local schools and encourage the love of reading.
Your commitment also allows us to attract and hire well-read, intelligent, and knowledgeable booksellers. They help you find the books you are looking for and those perfect selections you didn't even know you needed. They offer their reviews for books such as those that appear in our Summer Newsletter, on our website, and on shelf-talkers in the store. Below, as Short Story Month comes to a close, is a preview of some of the books they have chosen to feature as summer favorites - two novels composed of interconnected stories and two short story collections.
So thank you once again for your continued participation in creating a community of readers and for visiting and shopping with us in the store and online. In gratitude for your patronage, we will have two Summer Newsletters
this year, full of suggestions for your Summer Reading. If you're not
already a Politics & Prose Member, we hope you'll make the commitment to join and receive the 20% member discount on all titles reviewed in these
newsletters as well as discounts on our store Hardcover Bestseller lists
(12 fiction & 12 non-fiction titles) year round; a discount on the books
of all the authors appearing at the store; and 4 annual Member Sales
during which the choice is yours -- 20% off nearly everything in the
store (15% off music CDs and DVDs.)
Click to read more about our Membership Program.
Click here for a downloadable 2011 P&P Summer Newsletter.
SHORT STORY MONTH and preview of our SUMMER NEWSLETTER
By now, you are probably familiar with novels in the form of linked stories (Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin, Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge), but few are as eerie or as mesmerizing as Frederick Reiken's DAY FOR NIGHT (Back Bay, $14.99). Each chapter is a haunting experiment in structure and voice, featuring characters who are grappling with a past mystery or trauma, whether personal (a parent lost to cancer) or historical (the murder of 500 Jewish men in Lithuania in 1941). And while every strand of the narrative connects to a larger whole, the deep reward of Reiken's novel is that each segment contains a universe within itself. - Elizabeth Sher
When THE MADONNAS OF ECHO PARK (Free Press, $14) came out about a year ago, I was certain that Brando Skyhorse would be recognized as one of the best young writers working today. This novel is comprised of interconnected stories set in a once lustrous, but now working-class and Chicano, neighborhood in Los Angeles. The characters are realistic, the sights and sounds are vivid and exciting, and the stories pack an emotional punch. Take a moment and read the first page of this marvelous first novel—you'll be hooked. - Mark LaFramboise
 The five women featured in the nine stories of Susi Wyss's debut, THE CIVILIZED WORLD (Holt, $15), are from various cultures and countries linked by the commonalities of life: longing, fear, love, grief. As the stories progress, the women's lives intersect and the novelistic aspects of the book emerge. In "Names," Ophelia, the wife of an American Foreign Service Officer, writes down the names of Malawians she meets—a desperate attempt to manage the emotions around her infertility. Ophelia reappears in "Waiting for Solomon" as she tours Ethiopia with Janice while both women wait for child adoptions to be finalized. In the last story, "There Are No Accidents," Janice happens upon a beauty salon in Ghana run by her former employee, Adjoa, whose twin brother robbed Janice's house. Wyss's humane portrait of modern Africa and African women is carefully drawn and astutely, beautifully delivered. - Lacey Dunham
Missing J.D. Salinger? The winner of the 2010 Prix Goncourt for the Novella, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, reminds me of a more optimistic version of the curmudgeonly old recluse. As with his previous collections The Most Beautiful Book in the World and The Woman with the Bouquet, Schmitt here is philosophical, inventive, humorous, imaginative, and even mystical. The stories in CONCERTO TO THE MEMORY OF AN ANGEL (Europa Editions, $15) may take the reader down dark paths, exploring the worst in human nature, but they end with unpredictable twists, tantalizing both the characters and their readers with a sense of new possibilities. - Andrew Getman Click here to see more of our short story suggestions.
MEMBER DISCOUNTS ON GARDENING BOOKS
As spring is here, we are offering members 20% off all gardening books through the end of May. Click here for our suggestions! Whether instructional or inspirational, photographic or descriptive, if it's in our gardening section and you are a member, you will save 20%.
Next month, the entire month of June, we will discount all audiobooks. And don't miss our next storewide member sale on June 3-5!
FATHER'S DAY GIFT BAGS
Show Dad your appreciation by treating him to a gift that he can enjoy all year with a gift bag of five superb books!
Father's Day is June 19th this year. We've selected ten exceptional books that we think are perfect for dads. To tailor the gift for the father or grandfather in your life, pick any five books that you know he'll love from these ten selections. In addition, you can choose to include either a Politics & Prose canvas tote bag or a P&P baseball cap. We will wrap each book individually and are happy to ship your gift wherever you need.
Click the titles below to learn more about each of these books.
1. Otherwise Known as the Human Condition: Selected Essays and Reviews, by Geoff Dyer
2. The New Kings of Nonfiction, edited by Ira Glass
3. Our Kind of Traitor, by John le Carre
4. Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory, by Ben Macintyre
5. The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman
6. Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, by Karl Marlantes
7. Sh*t My Dad Says, by Justin Halpern
8. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, by David Grann
9. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis
10. Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason, by Russell Shorto
Click here to buy a Father's Day Gift Bag.
Price: $100 – five books of your choice plus tote bag or cap
$80 – P&P member price
For the fantastic gift of books that will arrive all year long, we also recommend the gift of a Book-a-Month or enrollment in our coveted Signed First Editions Club. Sign up for the First Editions Club now and receive a signed first edition, first printing of David McCullough's THE GREATER JOURNEY, as well as a 1st/1st of our previous selection Adam Hochschild's TO END ALL WARS. Click here to learn more about the Signed First Editions club.
Click here for other gift suggestions for fathers.
We also still have High School and College Graduation Gift Bags.
Click here for our booksellers' recommendations for graduates.
In addition to making great graduation and Father's Day gifts, books and gift certificate cards from Politics & Prose make great teacher gifts, too!
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BOOK NOTES
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 This has been another year of posthumous books. A new edition of The Autobiography of Mark Twain came out late last year, and The Pale King, the unfinished novel by David Foster Wallace, finally was published by his editor. These and others (2666 by Roberto Bolaño, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson) made us think about the many books that became famous only after the author was no longer around to reap the praise. Manning Marable's Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention was released just days after he died, and he had fully completed the book, but other authors did not consider their manuscripts to be ready for the world, and were even tormented by the sense that their work was incomplete. Geoff Dyer wrote:
As time goes by we drift away from the great texts, the finished works on which an author's reputation is built, towards the journals, diaries, letters, manuscripts, jottings. This is not simply because, as an author's stature grows posthumously, the fund of published texts becomes exhausted and we have to make do not only with previously unpublished or unfinished material but, increasingly, with matter that was never intended for publication. It is also because we want to get nearer to the man or woman who wrote these books, to his or her being.
- Geoff Dyer, Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence (Picador, $15)
Gilbert Cruz wrote more about the subject in a 2009 Time Magazine article about readers' appetite for dead authors' unpublished works. Click here for more posthumously published books that we believe deserve to be read.
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TICKETED EVENTS ON SALE NOW
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Thursday, June 2, 7 p.m.
DAVID McCULLOUGH
THE GREATER JOURNEY: Americans in Paris (Simon & Schuster, $37.50)
at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
One of the most esteemed and honored historians at work (two Pulitzers, two National Book Awards), McCullough combines his biographical and narrative skills to tell the stories of the ambitious Americans who went to Paris between 1830 and 1900. McCullough’s subjects here include Charles Sumner, Elizabeth Blackwell, Samuel Morse, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and many other prominent writers, artists, and thinkers.
This is a ticketed event. Click here to buy $12 tickets in advance of the event ($15 on the day of the event and at the door), or click here to purchase the book and receive two free admission tickets.
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Thursday, June 9, 8 p.m.
Dr. NORMAN E. ROSENTHAL with David Lynch
TRANSCENDENCE: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation (Tarcher, $25.95)
at The Avalon Theatre
Rosenthal’s pioneering work on seasonal affective disorder has brought relief to millions of people. In his new book, the internationally recognized psychiatrist explains transcendental meditation, describing what it is, how it works, and letting practitioners, among them David Lynch, recount their own experiences with TM.
This is a ticketed event. Click here to buy $8 tickets in advance of the event ($10 on the day of the event and at the door), or click here to buy the book and receive two free admission tickets.
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PODCAST OF THE WEEK
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Roy Blount, Jr. visited Politics & Prose on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 to present his newest book, ALPHABETTER JUICE: or, The Joy of Text. We still have a few signed first editions.
ALPHABETTER JUICE: or, The Joy of Text
signed by Roy Blount, Jr.
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26)
Hardcover - May 2011.
First Editions, First Printings.
Words have sense appeal, Blount declares. And proves. The humorist and author of Alphabet Juice has combed a range of sources, from the OED to YouTube, for language with a "sonicky" punch. Eschewing objective definitions, Blount clearly indicates his picks and his peeves, fleshing out etymologies and usage with many a crazy story.
Click here for a recording of his talk and to buy a signed first edition of his book.
We record nearly every in-store author event. In addition to posting some on our website, As of May 1, 2011 P&P will store all of these recordings on a public archive. Click here to browse and download more MP3s. Enjoy the free recordings and thanks for supporting our author events!
Politics & Prose also makes CDs of our events for $7.50 plus tax. We ask for a pre-payment for these orders. Please click here to order a CD. If you would like to request a recording from an event which is not already posted, send an email to Wendy Brown.
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COMING SOON TO YOUR FAVORITE BOOKSTORE |
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If you can't attend a talk, but would like to buy a signed copy or a recorded author presentation, click the title links to reserve your book online.
P&P members save 20% on all of these event titles.
Click www.politics-prose.com/event for our author events calendar through July.
Thursday, May 26
Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Gray
at Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD
7 p.m. In the summer of 1941 fifteen-year-old Lina and her mother and brother are deported from Lithuania to the northern part of Siberia, where her father is already confined to a prison camp. Lina's family and her neighbors are victims of Stalin's Baltic Cleansing. Based on the true histories of her family, Ruta Sepetys tells an emotional story that is now a New York Times best seller. Ages 14 and up
Francine Prose - My New American Life *CANCELED*
Unfortunately, Francine Prose had to cancel her event at Politics & Prose. There is no rescheduled date.
Saturday, May 28
6 p.m. Matthew Algeo - The President is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea . . .
Author of the popular Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure, Algeo here reveals how Grover Cleveland spent the Fourth of July in 1893: Cleveland disappeared from public view and had surgery for cancer. When the secret operation was reported, Cleveland denied it and the public believed him. Twenty-four years later, Cleveland's surgeon admitted the truth—and still no one believed it.
Sunday, May 29 and Monday, May 30
NO EVENTS - MEMORIAL DAY
Tuesday, May 31
Tayari Jones - Silver Sparrow
7 p.m. In her third novel, the author of Leaving Atlanta and The Untelling chronicles the two families of a bigamist. James's daughters are born four months apart and despite his best efforts to prevent it, meet and become friends. While they share a biological father, their material and emotional circumstances are strikingly different, and Jones skillfully contrasts their distinct coming-of-age stories.
Wednesday, June 1
Justin Cronin - The Passage
7 p.m. Cronin's third novel—the first volume of a projected trilogy—is the offspring of vampire tales, techno-thrillers, and post-apocalyptic fiction. The U.S. military discovers a virus with the potential to make humans indestructible, but once let loose, the Virals begin to destroy humanity. Join us for the paperback release of the chilling story no one could put down last summer.
Thursday, June 2
David McCullough - The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris
at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I Street N
7 p.m. One of the most esteemed and honored historians at work (two Pulitzers, two National Book Awards), McCullough combines his biographical and narrative skills to tell the stories of the ambitious Americans who went to Paris between 1830 and 1900. McCullough's subjects here include Charles Sumner, Elizabeth Blackwell, Samuel Morse, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and many other prominent writers, artists, and thinkers.
This is a ticketed event. Tickets are $12 each in advance of the event ($15 on the day of the event and at the door), or two free admission tickets are provided with each purchase of the book ($37.50) from P&P. We require a confirmed payment in order to secure a reservation.
Friday, June 3 – Sunday, June 5
P&P SUMMER STOREWIDE MEMBER SALE
All weekend long, from Friday, June 3 to Sunday, June 5, nearly everything currently on our shelves will be discounted to Politics & Prose members - and these discounts also apply to online purchases! (Some exclusions apply.) P&P members always receive 20% off purchases of event books, bestsellers, and other discounted items, even when shopping online. The sale offers 20% discounts on nearly all regularly stocked books, and 15% discounts on most CDs and DVDs. Come in early to have the best selection. Or shop online between June 3 and 5 and receive the same benefits! Our website is open 24 hours a day!!!
This is a great time to join our Membership Program to continue enjoying our author events, our superior book selection, and savings throughout the year!
SUPPORT BALLOU HIGH SCHOOL
This weekend we are partnering with Ballou High School at 3401 4th St. SE to help enhance their school library inventory. We will be holding a book drive during our Member Sale. The school librarian has selected a list of books from our store's inventory. We encourage customers to purchase any of these books at a 20% discount as a donation to Ballou. Read an article about the library's needs in this recent Washington Post article.
Friday, June 3
Oscar Hijuelos - Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir
7 p.m. From Morningside Heights to pre-Castro Cuba and back again, this memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love maps the making of an American writer. Hijuelos delves back into his upbringing in a working-class neighborhood and relives his catastrophic childhood visit to Cuba.
Saturday, June 4
Andrew Krivak - The Sojourn
6 p.m. Krivak's powerful debut novel follows Jozef from the New World back to the Old. After his mother's death in Colorado, the boy and his father return to Austria, where Jozef faces a difficult adjustment to rural impoverishment and later endures the grueling trenches of World War I.
Sunday, June 5
 Jim Axelrod - In the Long Run: A Father, a Son, and Unintentional Lessons in Happiness
5 p.m. There are many reasons to run a marathon. When Axelrod, national correspondent for CBS News, entered the 2009 New York race, he was out to beat the 3:29:58 it took his late father to complete the course when he was 46. More than just logging miles, Axelrod also worked for a better balance between family and career.
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P&P CUSTOMERS ARE ALSO INVITED TO . . .
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Politics & Prose supplies books to many book signing parties and events. The events below are open to the public; however, reservations and tickets should be acquired from the hosting organization. Please contact offsite@politics-prose.com if you are planning an event and would like us to supply the books.
Thursday, June 2, 7:30 p.m.
 Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 S. Park Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD
HELEN SIMONSON
MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND (Random House, $15)
Major Pettigrew has been called "the perfect romantic hero for thinking women of a certain age." Major Pettigrew was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 18 weeks and included in a Times "Top Books of 2010" list. Ms. Simonson is a graduate of the London School of Economics and a former travel advertising executive. As a stay-at-home mother with two young children, missing her busy advertising job, she signed up for a writing course at New York's 92nd Street Y and discovered her talent.
Please sign up in advance for this FREE event by calling the Village Center at 301-656-2797.
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FROM THE CHILDREN AND TEENS' DEPARTMENT
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A PICTURE BOOK IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
“What is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?” --Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
With just a few well-crafted images, a picture book can introduce a difficult concept, illuminate a historical moment, or tell a thousand silly stories. By reading pictures, children learn how stories work: how the pieces fit together to create a beginning, middle, and end; how characters grow and change; and how different readers can see the same story in different ways. Even after a child has learned to read long chapter books alone, picture books create an opportunity for reading together and developing the comprehension skills that will make them insightful readers.
With this in mind, we have gathered a selection of excellent picture books that will engage the imaginations of elementary school-age children. These complex books range in subject from fiction to biography to math concepts. Click here to browse the books online, or visit the store to see these and other picture books for older readers. 
CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
(20% off through June 1)
"You have to be patient if you want to learn about animals," wrote Jane Goodall in her journal. She was writing about gaining the trust of chimpanzees in Tanzania, but Jane had already learned at a young age the importance of observing wild animals before approaching them. From the first time she saw a chicken lay eggs to her groundbreaking discoveries about chimpanzee eating habits, Jane knew the value of being THE WATCHER: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps (Schwartz & Wade, $17.99). In this illustrated biography, Jeanette Winter chronicles Jane's life from childhood through old age with simple language and bright and playful paintings. Ages 5-7. –Amy Kane
 For another biography of Jane Goodall for a younger audience, check out ME…JANE (Little, Brown, $15.99) by Patrick McDonnell. Here is our review from our new catalog of 2011 Children and Teens' Department Summer Favorites.
Young Jane carries her stuffed chimpanzee everywhere, especially when she climbs her favorite tree to read the adventures of Tarzan. Patrick McDonnell’s understated text and pictures in ME…JANE (Little, Brown, $15.99) give the reader a glimpse of Jane Goodall’s intense curiosity about nature and her dream of going to Africa to study the real chimps in their own habitat. The final pages show her as a young woman waking up in her tent and going out to observe her beloved chimps. Ages 4-7 - Jewell Stoddard
For more recommendations, you can browse our catalog in .pdf format by clicking here. The printed catalogs will be available in the store soon.
Read about - and buy - more of our favorite books for children and teens by clicking here.
SUMMER STORY TIME
BearSong, the Guitar Man, leads his weekly morning story time, Monday mornings at 10:30 a.m. with stories, songs, finger plays, and more for children from birth to 4 years old and their caregivers. Our last story time before summer break is Monday, May 23 at 10:30 a.m.
We will have special story times with guest musicians and authors during the summer.
Regular story time will resume on Monday, September 12.
On Wednesday, June 8 at 4 p.m., Belgian author/illustrator Marie-Isabelle Callier will be here to present two of her books: Sarah et le petit pois (ALICE Jeunesse, $25.95) and Bosses, Cabosse et Carabosse (ALICE Jeunesse, $26.95). A third book J'aime pas le poisson by the author (ALICE Jeunesse, $22.95) will also be available for purchase. Please join us for this children's event held entirely in French for children between the ages of 5 and 10.
On Monday, June 13th at 10:30 a.m., Politics and Prose will host a Spanish Story Hour with the Spanish language learning program Isabella & Ferdinand. This event will be held entirely in Spanish. The group will be promoting their new exciting and educational new CD: Olé and Play: Isabella & Ferdinand Spanish Language Adventures ($19.99). Their CD is for children 3-11 years old and consists of 13 fun and engaging songs about important artists and historical figures from Spain and Latin America. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Andres Castro and their own talented music director Fran Revert, the songs are sung by Latin Grammy nominee Adriana Lucia, Emmy nominee Gaby Moreno, Madrid Teen Pop Festival winner Carlos Barroso and many of the wonderful Spanish students at Isabella & Ferdinand.
For upcoming events and more from the Children and Teens’ Department, click here.
KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION GIFT BAGS
Reward your favorite kindergartener with a graduation gift bag. We’ve hand-picked some of our favorites for future voracious readers and packed them together in a brightly-colored miniature Politics & Prose tote. We’re also happy to ship your gift.
Click on the titles below to read more about each book.
Kindergarten Graduation – Deluxe Gift Bag includes:
Click here to buy a Kindergarten Graduation – Deluxe Gift Bag:
$93 – four books, one CD plus tote bag
$74 – P&P member price
Kindergarten Graduation – Basic Gift Bag includes:
Click here to buy a Kindergarten Graduation – Basic Gift Bag:
$65 – three books plus tote bag
$52 – P&P member price
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MARKDOWN BOOKS
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One of today's foremost historians of black American experience, Ira Berlin challenges the standard linear view of African American history in his recent THE MAKING OF AFRICAN AMERICA: The Four Great Migrations. Seeing black history in this country in terms of waves, he identifies four foundational movements: the Middle Passage from Africa into slavery, the 19th-century transfer of blacks from New England to the South; the reverse migration that took Southern blacks into the north and west, and, finally, recent immigration from the Caribbean and Latin America. Berlin analyzes the dynamics of each swing, and looks at what they mean together for African-American identity. Available in hardcover, $6.98.
A true feast—for those who love Venice, Italian food, and Donna Leon's mysteries, BRUNETTI'S COOKBOOK combines photos, recipes, and Leon's writing, both excerpts from the novels and essays written especially for this project. Roberta Pianero, Leon's friend and favorite Venetian cook, provides instructions for nearly a hundred traditional Italian dishes, from antipasti to dolce; savor Leon's rich glimpses of her adopted city while the clams soak for the spaghetti alle vongole. Buon appetito! Available in hardcover, $9.98.
One of the hardest things to write about is regular, everyday life. Richard Russo has made small towns and average Joes his specialty and he's come up with novels so compelling, and characters so endearing, that he won a Pulitzer for Empire Falls. In BRIDGE OF SIGHS Russo takes us to Thomaston, New York, a place that has seen better days. But it's holding on, as are the Lynchs, Bergs, and Marconis, three families related by marriage, loves, and decades of small-town history, with its secrets and might-have-beens. Available in paperback, $5.98.
Click here to shop for more recently acquired remainders.
• Laurie Greer |
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MUSIC NEWS
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SINGER-SONGWRITERS
Loudon Wainwright III, 40 ODD YEARS (Shout Factory, 4 CDs & 1 DVD, $54.98) --
Loudon has written some of the wittiest and cheekiest songs ever, but also some of the most poignant and wistful. His lyrical details and observations are superb, yet his off-the-cuff delivery belies his solid craftsmanship. This grand box set brings together four CDs (three CDs of songs spanning Loudon’s 25 albums, plus another CD of rare and unreleased tracks). The DVD includes a 60-minute documentary, One Man Guy, plus TV appearances on BBC, Saturday Night Live, Austin City Limits, concert recordings, and more. Special appearances by Loudon’s musical kids, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, and Lucy Wainwright Roche.
Rosanne Cash, THE ESSENTIAL ROSANNE CASH (Sony Legacy, 2 CDs, $15.98) – It’s good to finally have an overview of Rosanne Cash’s career. This 2-CD compilation begins with a rare track from Rosanne’s German-only first release; goes through all of her hits from the 1980s on the Columbia label; then ends with her great recent work from the albums, Black Cadillac and The List.
The paperback version of Rosanne’s memoir, Composed (Punguin, $16) will be published on July 26. It has wonderful stories about many of these songs.
Sarah Jarosz, FOLLOW ME DOWN (Vanguard, $12.98) – We can honor the masters, but let’s make room for the talented up-and-comers. Sarah Jarosz is only 19, and is a very talented vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. Her album, Follow Me Down, is full of great songs, and two covers: Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells,” featuring Vince Gill, and Radiohead’s “The Tourist” with the Punch Brothers.
Ms Jarosz is playing tonight, Thursday, May 26, at Jammin’ Java, in Vienna.
Click here for news and reviews. Please call us at 202-364-1919 or email me at agoldinger@politics-prose.com to order these CDs.
• András Goldinger
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BOOK GROUPS
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Politics & Prose currently hosts a variety of book groups in the store each month.
P&P's book groups meet monthly and are free and open to the public.
These are the selections for the next week.
Click the titles to visit the book group's page.
Once on the website, click the title or book cover to read more about the books.
Thursday, May 26 & June 23, 7:30 p.m.
Fascinating History Book Group
Truman, by David McCullough
July 28 selection: Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877, by Eric Foner
Wednesday, June 1, 7:30 p.m.
Futurist Book Group
World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet, by Michael Chorost
July 6 selection: The Next Decade by George Friedman
Thursday, June 2, 7:30 p.m.
Capital James Joyce Book Group
The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri (Mark Musa translation)
July 7 selection: TBA
Click here to learn more about participating in these or other Politics & Prose book groups.
All of these book-group titles are discounted 20% to participants. Please join us!
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