7:30 p.m.

EcoThrifty: Cheaper, Greener Choices for a Happier, Healthier Life

New Society Publishers

Our environment is awash in a sea of plastic, our climate is changing, and diet- and lifestyle-related illnesses are epidemic. Are we doomed? No. We can make greener, healthier choices, and we can do it while saving money. Deborah Niemann has packed EcoThrifty with simple, practical ideas and recipes, including those for making homemade skin products and cleaning products, growing your own food, and cooking more from scratch. A must-read for anyone who has ever wanted to live a greener life but thought that it would be too expensive, time-consuming, or difficult, this handy, complete guide will show you how small changes can have a huge environmental impact and save you thousands of dollars, all while improving your quality of life.

"Those of us embarking on the journey of consuming less and enjoying ourselves more desperately need guidebooks, and Deborah Niemann has written one for us. Ecothrifty leads us gently down the path of changing the way we think about what we buy." - Kathy Harrison, from the Foreword

Friday, November 9

7:30 p.m.

Book Release Party for two Flannery O'Connor Award Winners

Hugh Sheehy

The Invisibles

Amina Gautier

At-Risk

Both books University of Georgia Press

Help us celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction and the publication of work by two recent winners.

At the heart of Hugh Sheehy's thoughtful thrillers are finely crafted character studies of people who wrestle with the darker aspects of human nature-grief, violence, loneliness, and the thoughts of crazed minds. In this debut, Sheehy shines a spotlight on the bleak fringes of America, giving voice to the invisibles who need it most. In a starred review of The Invisibles, Publishers Weekly called Sheehy "a wicked new talent."Hugh Sheehy received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama and is now a lecturer at Yeshiva College in New York City. His stories have appeared in Glimmer Train, Kenyon Review, Best American Mystery Stories, and others. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.

In Amina Gautier's Brooklyn, some kids make it and some kids don't, but not in simple ways or for stereotypical reasons. In At-Risk, now in paperback, Gautier explores the lives of young African Americans who are trying to survive in complicated circumstances. Within these stories they exist as real people and can be seen as they are, in the moment of choosing. Amina Gautier is an assistant professor of English at DePaul University. (At-Risk will also be discussed by the Women's Book Group on December 18th.)

7:00 p.m.

Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt

Nation Books

OFFSITE: The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago

For tickets ($5 each) go to http://hedgeswrightevent.brownpapertickets.com/ 

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Chris Hedges is now a senior fellow at the Nation Institute and Truthdig columnist. In Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, Hedges and Sacco (the book's illustrator) show us what life looks like in places where the marketplace rules without constraints, where human beings and the natural world are used and then discarded to maximize earnings. Hedges will speak about poverty in the U.S. and read from his work and then engage in a conversation with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Book signing and reception to follow. Women & Children First is pleased to be the bookseller at this event.

7:30 p.m.

The Blue Kind

Northern Illinois University Press

Join us for the launch of The Blue Kind, a dystopian drug fantasy told from the perspective of a young woman struggling to break from her physical and emotional connections to a drug cartel. The story is set in a city's apocalyptic debris where "the laws of physics are lax and everyone gets high." Although Alison is powerless within the system, hopelessly stoned, and traumatized by the events of the past, she is determined to get out of the mess she's in. When a new drug is discovered, it promises to fix their lives-but with a catch-it's sold by the city's most dangerous kingpin. The lines between running from a bad husband and a vengeful drug dealer begin to blur, as do the lines between escaping from addiction and escaping from a city. Kathryn Born is a Chicago-based artist and writer, and co-editor of The Essential New Art Examiner. She also is editor-in-chief of Chicago Art Magazine, which went to an online-only format earlier this year.

7:30 p.m.

The Healing

Random House

Plantation mistress Amanda Satterfield's intense grief over losing her daughter crosses the line into madness when she takes a newborn slave child as her own and names her Granada. Troubled by his wife's disturbing mental state and concerned about a mysterious plague sweeping through the slave population, Master Satterfield purchases Polly Shine, a slave woman known as a healer who immediately senses a spark of the same gift in Granada. Soon a battle of wills begins, leading to tragedy. Rich in mood and atmosphere, The Healing is a powerful, warmhearted novel about unbreakable bonds and the power of story to heal. Jonathan Odell is the author of the acclaimed novel The View from Delphi, and his short stories and essays have appeared in numerous collections. He spent his business career as a leadership coach to Fortune 500 companies and currently resides in Minnesota.

11:00 a.m.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel

Abrams

Jeff Kinney, author of the famous Wimpy Kid series, stops by the store to sign books and meet readers (and/or their parents)! Surprise someone in your life with a signed copy of the seventh book in the series, The Third Wheel, which publishes November 13th.

Sappho's Salon Dance Party and Mixer

7:30 p.m.

$7-$10 sliding cover charge

Come shake, shimmy, and groove at Sappho's Salon's dance party and mixer. Our midwinter dance party was such a success that we're doing it again. Lesbians, queer girls, and their friends are invited to join us for tonight's party. Think you have the moves? Earn the title of Sappho's Smoothest Mover with our Smooth Mover contest while Sappho's house DJ SpinNikki gets your body moving with a funky mix of classic disco and soul, global sounds, pop, indie, and electronic dance music. Bring your pals and meet new ones. Light refreshments and beverages will be provided. Proceeds benefit the Women's Voices Fund.

5:00 p.m.

Poems 2

Over the course of her 85 years, Barazani has had several careers, but none she loved so well as writing poetry. She has kept journals full of poetry for more than seventy years and is now collecting some of that work into chapbooks. The first, Poems, was published in October 2011, and now we celebrate the publication of her second one. In her poems she celebrates her daily life and her feelings about the world around her and its challenges. Barazani has lived in Edgewater for more than fifty years with her husband, Morris, an artist. 

Happy Thanksgiving! We will be closed for the day, celebrating with family and friends.

Please remember to shop at Women & Children First (in person or at www.womenandchildrenfirst.com) on Small Business Saturday! Also, watch your email for special Thanks for Shopping Indie promotions beginning today and running into December.

5:00 p.m.

This Fragile Life: A Mother's Story of a Bipolar Son

Chicago Review Press

OFFSITE: Northwestern University, Hagstrum Room, University Hall 201, 1897 Sheridan Rd., Evanston

Charlotte Pierce-Baker did everything right when raising her son, providing not only emotional support but the best education possible. At age twenty-five, he was pursuing a postgraduate degree and was seemingly in control of his life. She never imagined her high-achieving son would wind up in jail.The moving story of an African American family facing the challenge of bipolar disorder, in This Fragile Life Pierce-Baker traces the evolution of her son's illness and, in looking back, realizes she mistook warning signs for typical child and teen behavior. Hospitalizations, calls in the night, alcohol and drug relapses, pleas for money, and continuous disputes, her son's journey was long, arduous, and almost fatal. This Fragile Life weaves a fascinating story of mental illness, race, family, the drive of African Americans to succeed, and a mother's love for her son. Women & Children First is pleased to be the bookseller at this event.

7:30 p.m.

Allison Adler, Jennifer A. Freeman, Claire Young, Vicki Zwart (authors) and Angus Carroll (editor)

Lyin' Cheatin' Bastards

Assassin Bug Press

From Anthony Weiner's wiener to Larry Craig's infamous bathroom toe-tap, we've come to expect large stores of stupidity and dishonesty from our elected officials. But it's getting hard to keep track of who's done what-hence the handy compendium Lyin' Cheatin' Bastards. No political office is sacred and no party immune. From small-town mayors to well-known congressmen, this fully illustrated compilation proves neither intelligence nor integrity is required to get elected in America. In fact, it may be time to ask if there's a deeper problem. Do the right people run for office? Have we set the bar too low? Is there anything we can do but laugh? Join the authors and editor of the collection for what is sure to be a revealing evening. 

7:30 p.m.

When We Were Free to Be: Looking Back at a Children's Classic and the Difference It Made

University of North Carolina Press

Celebrate Free to Be...You and Me's 40th anniversary with cultural historian Lori Rotskoff and gender expert Deborah Siegel as they discuss the creation and legacy of this popular children's classic (as well as other songs, stories, toys, and television)-and explore how the world of gender has changed for girls, boys, and the folks who raise them. Lori Rotskoff teaches at the Barnard Center for Research on Women and is the author of Love on the Rocks. DeborahSiegel, Ph.D., is an expert on gender, politics, and the unfinished business of feminism across generations. She is the author of numerous books and online projects (including the blog The Pink and Blue Diaries) and is currently a visiting scholar at Northwestern University and Midwest director of The OpEd Project.