Click www.politics-prose.com/event for our author events calendar through December.
Thursday, November 10, 8 p.m.
Joan Didion
Blue Nights (Knopf, $25) - SOLD OUT
at The Avalon Theatre
5612 Connecticut Ave NW
Didion’s spare yet richly stylized prose made The Year of Magical Thinking a haunting chronicle of grief and love. Her new memoir returns to these themes, this time to chronicle the loss of her daughter. As Didion remembers the young woman’s life, she also looks back on her own, meditating on parenthood, aging, and identity.
Joan Didion will be in conversation with NPR's Susan Stamberg.
Friday, November 11, 7 p.m.
Jim Newton
Eisenhower: The White House Years (Doubleday, $29.95)
Newton’s account of Eisenhower’s administration debunks the notion that the 34th president presided genially over bland times. Drawing on recently discovered and newly declassified documents, the long-time journalist and biographer of Earl Warren shows that Eisenhower took aggressive action on many fronts, from overseeing the new national highway system to putting the economy into the black to turning McCarthyism into “McCarthywasm.”
Saturday, November 12, 1 p.m.
Nada Prouty
Uncompromised: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of an Arab American Patriot in the CIA (Palgrave Macmillan, $26)
Before being accused of passing secrets to Hezbollah (and being dubbed “Jihad Jane” by the New York Post), Prouty, a Lebanese-born naturalized American, had a sterling record as an undercover agent with the CIA. Then, as she recounts in her memoir, 9/11 led to anti-Arab sentiment. Eventually exonerated, Prouty nonetheless lost her job and her citizenship.
Saturday, November 12, 3:30 p.m.
William S. Cohen
Blink of an Eye (Forge, $24.99)
In the second thriller by the former Secretary of Defense and author of Dragon Fire, an atomic bomb has just destroyed a major American city. The national security advisor is charged with identifying the attackers, but although evidence seems to point in one direction, a surprise discovery changes the whole situation…
Saturday, November 12, 6 p.m.
Michael Dirda
On Conan Doyle: Or the Whole Art of Storytelling (Princeton Univ., $19.95)
With the heartfelt erudition familiar to readers of his blog and his Washington Post columns, the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic offers a spirited account of Doyle’s life and work. Best known now as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle was also a master of the supernatural story and a pioneer of science fiction. He wrote historical novels, essays, and memoirs; dabbled in tracts on spiritualism; and spoke out on social causes from imperialism and racism to more liberal divorce laws.
Sunday, November 13, 1 p.m.
Faye Moskowitz
And the Bridge Is Love (The Feminist Press at CUNY, $12.95)
Originally published in 1991 and now back in print, Moskowitz’s collection of personal essays is as fresh as ever. The author of A Leak in the Heart, Her Face in the Mirror, and other works of both fiction and nonfiction, Moskowitz teaches creative writing and Jewish American literature at George Washington University.
Sunday, November 13, 4:30-6 p.m.
Father -Son Tailgate Party with Katy Kelly and Fred Bowen
Authors Fred Bowen and Katy Kelly will be talking about their newest books. See the children's section for more details.
Tickets are $5 for members and $7 for non-members, and can be ordered by calling or visiting the store; please call the Children's Department at 202-364-1919 for information.
Sunday, November 13, 5 p.m.
Gershom Gorenberg
The Unmaking Of Israel (HarperCollins, $25.99)
In his assessment of contemporary Israel, Gorenberg, senior correspondent for The American Prospect and author of The Accidental Empire, argues that the country is undermining its own ideals. To return to the potential which the nation had in the beginning, he urges that Israel end the occupation, separate state from religion, and create a new civil Israeli identity for both Jews and Arabs.
Monday, November 14, 7 p.m.
Max Hastings
Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 (Knopf, $35)
In Armageddon, Overlord, Retribution, Winston’s War, and other military histories, Hastings has given thorough and insightful looks at various aspects of World War II. In his new study, he delivers a comprehensive overview of the entire war, from the experiences of combatants and civilians in Europe and Asia to military and political strategy.
Tuesday, November 15, 7 p.m.
Kati Marton and Strobe Talbott on
The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World (PublicAffairs, $29.99)
A panel discussion with Kati Marton and Strobe Talbott.
The late Richard Holbrooke was involved in most of the major foreign policy challenges of the last fifty years, from foreign service in Vietnam during the 1960s and directing the Peace Corps in Morocco in 1970 to serving as the Assistant Secretary of State for Asia (1977-81) and then Europe (1994-96). This collection of the diplomat's writings and reminiscences and assessments of those who knew and worked with him pays tribute to one of the towering figures of recent world history.
Please note that while originally scheduled, the editors will not be able to attend this event.
Wednesday, November 16, 10:30 a.m.
Tom Angleberger
Darth Paper Strikes Back (Amulet, $12.95)
In the sequel to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda!, Harvey makes Darth Paper and gets Dwight suspended for being a troublemaker. Origami Yoda enlists Tommy and Kellen to clear Dwight's name; the book constitutes the file of evidence that will prove Dwight is an asset to Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. Ages 8-11.
Wednesday, November 16, 3 p.m.*
Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (Amulet, $13.95)
In the sixth installment of the Diary, Greg is in trouble for damaging school property. He's innocent this time - sort of. He gets a reprieve when a blizzard closes his school, but he knows that when the storm is over, he'll have to face the authorities. Ages 9-12.
* Join us at 3 p.m. when we start our own blizzard with a snow-making truck; Jeff Kinney will speak at 4. The parking lot will be closed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 16 for the Jeff Kinney event.
Late breaking news! Actors Zach Gordon (Greg) and Robert Capron (Rowley) from the Wimpy Kid movies will also be speaking with Jeff at the event. Both boys will be handing out special posters at the event.
Tickets are required for the signing line and will be provided with your purchase. Please contact the store for more details, or see the children's department news below for more information.
Wednesday, November 16, 7 p.m.
Michael Ondaatje
The Cat's Table (Knopf, $26)
at Sixth & I Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Set on a ship bound from Colombo to England in the 1950s, the haunting new novel by the Booker Prize-winning author of The English Patient is the coming-of-age story of an eleven-year-old boy. Finding unlikely tutors on jazz, literature, and women among his fellow passengers, the boy also glimpses things he doesn’t understand, from a mysterious shackled man to the elusive Miss Lasqueti.
Click here to purchase the book and/or tickets.
Two free tickets will be provided with each purchase of the book from P&P. Additional tickets are $12 (or $15 the day of the event).
Wednesday, November 16, 8 p.m.
Claire Tomalin
Charles Dickens: A Life (Penguin Press, $36) - CANCELLED
Any account of Dickens is more a lives than a life; he was a journalist, actor, performer, and social reformer in addition to being a novelist. He was also the father of ten, and despite his advocacy on behalf of orphans and widows, he didn’t always treat his own family very well. Tomalin, award-wining novelist and biographer, charts Dickens’s career, book by book and child by child, focusing as much on his domestic life as on his public persona.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND THERE IS NO RESCHEDULED DATE.
Thursday, November 17, 7 p.m.
Annie Leibovitz
Pilgrimage (Random House, $50)
In her new collection, Leibovitz pays homage to the places that have nurtured some of the iconic figures in the arts. Off-duty from magazine assignments, she lets her camera roam the New England landscapes of Dickinson, Emerson, and Thoreau; captures images of the studios of Matthew Brady and Julia Margaret Cameron; and follows in the footsteps of Ansel Adams in the Yosemite Valley and Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico.
There will be no presentation and no Q&A. Book signing only; no memorabilia.
Friday, November 18, 4 p.m.
Sue Macy
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) (National Geographic, $18.95)
Can you imagine riding a bike sidesaddle? With the rise of bicycles as a mode of transportation, women gained a measure of independence, but it took the creation of bloomers to change attitudes about appropriate attire and to start an empowering fashion revolution. Ages 9-11
Friday, November 18, 7 p.m.
Adam Gopnik
The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food (Knopf, $25.95)
Eat to live or live to eat? Or, as the eloquent New Yorker essayist shows in this consideration of current attitudes about food, notice how central the dinner table is to ethnic and religious traditions, family life, and romance. Gopnik approaches his subject by way of 18th-century France, when restaurants as we know them developed. He goes on to sample related topics, such as eating locally, wine, and dessert.
Saturday, November 19, 1 p.m.
Gail D. Spilsbury
A Washington Sketchbook: Drawings by Robert L. Dickinson, 1917-1918 (Chesapeake, $30)
The author of New York Walk Book, Dickinson planned a similar volume of landscape sketches for the Washington area. Working in D.C. for a year, he left the project unfinished; the artwork languished in the Library of Congress from his death in 1950 until his grandsons rediscovered it sixty years later. Spilsbury, author of Rock Creek Park and founder of Bergamot Books, specializing in works on D.C., will introduce Dickinson’s beautiful legacy.
Saturday, November 19, 3:30 p.m.
David Elfin & Art Monk
Washington Redskins: The Complete Illustrated History (MVP Books, $30)
Elfin’s fifth book on the Redskins looks back to 1932, when the then-Boston Braves entered the NFL. That team became the Redskins when they moved to Washington in 1937. They won the championship that year and then again in 1942. Covering nearly 80 seasons, this is the essential book for the Redskins fan. Hail!
This event will be a talk and Q&A with David Elfin, followed by a book signing with both Elfin and Art Monk. They will only sign copies of this book. Absolutely no memorabilia or other items.
Saturday, November 19, 6 p.m.
Ann Blackman
Off to Save the World: How One Woman Made a Difference: Julia Taft (Maine Authors, $14.95)
Blackman’s fourth biography focuses on Julia Taft, one of this country’s top humanitarian relief experts. From directing the task force that managed the resettlement of refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to her humanitarian missions during the Ethiopian famine, Bangladesh flooding, and the Kosovo crisis, Taft steered U.S. responses to natural and man-made disasters around the world, becoming a legend in her field.
Sunday, November 20, 5 p.m.
Daniel R. Green
The Valley's Edge: A Year with the Pashtuns in the Heartland of the Taliban (Potomac Books, $29.95)
When Green spent 2005-06 in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan as a State Department political adviser, he found that U.S. strategy to oust the Taliban faced problems that ranged from unrealistic expectations and unfamiliarity with Afghan culture to lack of resources. Revisiting the area in 2009-10, he noted improvement, but his book shows that changes are needed if American policy is to succeed.
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