May 2011 5 Thursday, May 5, 7 p.m. 15 Sunday, May 15, 1 p.m. Monday, May 23, 7 p.m. May 11 Michael & May 11 Amy Stolls 23May 11 Roméo Dallaire Audrey Levatino The Ninth Wife They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die The Joy Of Hobby Farming (HarperCollins, $14.99) Like Children (Skyhorse, $14.95) An accomplished author of novels for young (Walker, $26) Proprietors of a twenty-three-acre farm near adults, Stolls here shifts to an older age group In 1994, then Lieutenant-General Dallaire led U.N. Gordonsville, the authors grow vegetables, raise with a story about marriage. Bess has just got- peace-keeping forces in Rwanda. He was horrified livestock, and participate in local farmers’ markets. ten engaged and is shocked to learn that her at the use of children as soldiers, and his outrage has They support this rural lifestyle with careers else- intended has eight former wives. Desperate to fueled this urgent call to action to end the practice— where, and their primer offers advice on the nuts and bolts of small-scale understand him, she sets out on a cross-country which has grown more extensive since the 1990s. agriculture, from compost to tractors, berries to cut flowers. Buy a trip to meet each of her fiancé’s erstwhile spouses. copy of the book, attend the event, and enter to win products fresh from Tuesday, May 24, 7 p.m. the farm like eggs, honey, llamanure soil amendment, homeade jam or Sunday, May 15, 5 p.m. Arthur Phillips 24May 11 flowers. Marc Kaufman 15May 11 The Tragedy Of Arthur First Contact (Random House, $26) Friday, May 6, 7 p.m. 6 (Simon & Schuster, $26) In his fifth novel, the author of Prague and The Alexi Zentner May 11 Once thought inhospitable to living creatures, Song is You channels Shakespeare. Or is the newly- Touch glaciers, volcanoes, and other extreme habitats discovered work by the Bard in fact the latest (W.W. Norton, $24.95) in fact do harbor life. So why not the universe forgery by the father of a writer named Arthur An accomplished short story-writer, Zentner has beyond Earth? Kaufman follows a range of scien- Phillips? An ingenious literary romp, the story is written a haunting first novel. Set in northern tists, from geologists and physicists to astrobiolo- also an exploration of love and family ties. Canada, it focuses on Stephen, an Anglican priest gists, explaining the challenges and theories of who has come home to see his dying mother. His the search for extraterrestrial life. Wednesday, May 25, 7 p.m. vigil is full of memories, and Zentner’s evocative 25May 11 Hannah Nordhaus prose balances the somber occasion with powerful descriptions of log- Monday, May 16, 7 p.m. The Beekeeper’s Lament ging, long winters, woodland spirits, and unforgettable characters. 16 May 11 Alexandra Styron (Harper Perennial, $14.99) Reading My Father Saturday, May 7, 1 p.m. Like an apian version of Johnny Appleseed, John Miller (Scribner, $25) May7 11 Sophia Rosenfeld travels the country with his bees, bringing hives of pol- Common Sense: A Political History Styron’s biography of her father, the great nov- linators to farmers who have none. Nordhaus’s book (Harvard Univ., $29.95) elist William Styron, is studded with famous profiles Miller and examines the challenges he and Before Tom Paine made common sense names, book awards, and ambition. It’s also other beekeepers face as the still unexplained Colony American and integral to popular democracy, it a memoir of living under the shadow of her Collapse Disorder continues to decimate these essential insects. had played a varied role in Europe during the father’s depression—a complement to his Darkness Visible Enlightenment and the Age of Revolutions. In , in which she comes to terms Thursday, May 26, 7 p.m. 26 her history of populist wisdom as a political with the anguish that caused them both pain. Francine Prose May 11 tool, Rosenfeld, a history professor and author of A Revolution in My New American Life Language, shows that it has been as manipulable as any other ideal. Tuesday, May 17, 7 p.m. 17 (HarperCollins, $25.99) Michael Spence May 11 Prose’s 16th novel is narrated by Lula, a young Saturday, May 7, 6 p.m. The Next Convergence Albanian working (legally) as a nanny in New

Miranda Kennedy May7 11 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $27) Jersey. Her life has gone from a nightmare to a Sideways On A Scooter As the extraordinary growth of China, India, dream, but American society and politics during (Random House, $26) and other developing nations continues apace, the second Bush term give Lula plenty of material Kennedy lived in New Delhi for five years, working the new world economy poses fresh challenges for sharp, ironic commentary. And if suburban life is a tad dull, three as a journalist and experiencing the fast pace of a for everyone involved. Spence, the 2001 winner Albanian thugs and the immigration bureaucracy liven things up. vibrant modern city. But beneath the Westernized of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, offers surface, traditional culture continued to exert a a lucid analysis of current trends and what they Saturday, May 28, 6 p.m. strong hold, especially for women. Kennedy’s mean for the future. Matthew Algeo 28May 11 memoir introduces several Indian women she knew, The President Is A Sick Man recounting how they negotiated old and new rules of behavior. 18 Wednesday, May 18, 7 p.m. (Chicago Review, $24.95) May 11 Roy Blount, Jr. Author of the popular Harry Truman’s Monday, May 9, 7 p.m. Alphabetter Juice Excellent Adventure, Algeo here reveals how May9 11 Sixth & I Historic Synagogue (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26) Grover Cleveland spent the Fourth of July in Geraldine Brooks Words have sense appeal, Blount declares. And 1893: Cleveland disappeared from public view Caleb’s Crossing proves. The humorist and author of Alphabet and had surgery for cancer. When the secret (Viking, $26.95) Juice has combed a range of sources, from the operation was reported, Cleveland denied it and As she did in her People of the Book, Brooks again OED to YouTube, for language with a “son- the public believed him. Twenty-four years later, Cleveland’s sur- transforms a suggestive historical nugget into a icky” punch. Eschewing objective definitions, geon admitted the truth—and still no one believed it. rich, fascinating novel. The eponymous Caleb, Blount clearly indicates his picks and his peeves, fleshing out ety- a Wampanoag from Martha’s Vineyard, in 1665 mologies and usage with many a crazy story. Tuesday, May 31, 7 p.m. became the first Native American to graduate Tayari Jones 31May 11 from Harvard. As narrated by Bethia—herself denied an education Thursday, May 19, 7 p.m. Silver Sparrow in her patriarchal Puritan community—Caleb’s is a powerful story Joel Achenbach 19May 11 (Algonquin, $19.95) of soaring aspirations and constraining realities. A Hole At The Bottom Of The Sea In her third novel, the author of Leaving Atlanta and This is a ticketed event. Tickets are $10 each in advance of the event (Simon & Schuster, $25.99) The Untelling chronicles the two families of a biga- ($12 on the day of and at the door), or two free admission tickets are The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon last mist. James’s daughters are born four months apart provided with each book purchased from P&P. April set in motion an environmental disaster and despite his best efforts to prevent it, meet and Tuesday, May 10, 7 p.m. that posed engineering challenges of unprec- become friends. While they share a biological father, edented proportions. Achenbach, Washington Post Melissa Fay Greene 10May 11 their material and emotional circumstances are strikingly different, and No Biking In The House columnist and National Geographic science writer, Jones skillfully contrasts their distinct coming-of-age stories. Without A Helmet focuses on the event’s political dimension as well (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26) as on the daunting technical aspects of plugging the burst Macondo Children and Teens’ Department In Without Me There is No You, Greene told the well that lay a mile below the ocean’s surface. ! moving story of AIDS orphans in Ethiopia. Her Wednesday, May 4, 10:30 a.m. new memoir is a humorous, and no less affecting, Friday, May 20, 7 p.m. 4 20May 11 Mary Gordon John Flanagan May 11 account of her own experiences with adoption; The Love Of My Youth The Emperor Of Nihon-Ja: Book 10 she and her husband have nine children, five (Philomel, $17.99) of them adopted, one from Bulgaria, and the others from Ethiopia. (Pantheon, $25.95) In the tenth and final book of the Ranger’s How this group has formed a family makes for a lively, loving book. Adam and Miranda seemed made for each other when they were teenagers during the sixties. Then Apprentice series, Horace is sent on a mission to 11 Wednesday, May 11, 7 p.m. their passions turned to careers and they went the eastern nation of Nihon-Ja. After no word May 11 Adam Hochschild their separate ways. Meeting again after 30 years, from him for months, Will, Alyss, and Evanlyn To End All Wars they walk around Rome and gradually relive the set out to discover his whereabouts, eventually (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28) past. A veteran novelist, Gordon skillfully evokes her characters finding that Horace has been caught up in a Hochschild’s history of World War I focuses on through a subtle range of emotions. plot by Senji warriors to overthrow the emperor. Ages 10 and up. those who had the courage to speak out against the conflict. Along with setting the social and Saturday, May 21, 1 p.m. Thursday, May 5, 10:30 a.m. May5 11 political context and charting the course of the Helon Habila 21May 11 Tom Lichtenheld war, he profiles the pacifists and conscientious Oil On Water Cloudette objectors who suffered derision, imprisonment, and torture for their (W.W. Norton, $14.95) (Holt, $16.99) convictions. Christie Watson This enchanting book from the best- Tiny Sunbirds Far Away selling illustrator of Duck! Rabbit! and Thursday, May 12, 7 p.m. 12May 11 (Other Press, $15.95) Shark vs. Train features Cloudette, a Alexis Madrigal Join us for two new novels by Nigerian writers, smaller than average cloud who longs Powering The Dream both set in the oil-rich and environmentally- to grow bigger and throw lightning, (Da Capo, $27.50) devastated Delta region. Habila won the 2003 show off rainbows, and make big storms. One day she discovers a Many of the ideas currently being considered Commonwealth Prize, and his third novel is the world that needs just enough rain and she turns a mud puddle into for renewable energy sources aren’t new. As story of a pair of journalists investigating the dis- a pond, to the delight of the resident frogs. Ages 3-6. Madrigal, Atlantic senior editor, reminds us, appearance of the wife of an oil executive. Watson’s electric cars were on the road in the 1890s, and debut recounts the experiences of a mother and Friday, May 6 10:30 a.m. solar-powered heaters warmed California water two children who leave Lagos for a rural village Robbin Gourley May6 11 before World War I. In looking back, Madrigal where they must do without electricity and run- First Garden looks forward, showing how we can learn from the past for a truly ning water, but where they find strength in some (Clarion, $16.99) sustainable energy future. of the traditional values. Michelle Obama started the White House kitchen garden in 2009--it’s the first veg- Friday, May 13, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 21, 6 p.m. etable garden on the grounds since Eleanor 13May 11 David Bezmozgis 21 Tim Harford The Free World May 11 Roosevelt’s World War II Victory Garden. Adapt Gourley gives a colorful tour in prose and (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26) drawings, describing the produce, telling where it goes, and includ- Bezmozgis earned acclaim with his book of (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $27) ing recipes. Ages 5-8. linked stories, Natasha, and was named one of Whether the problem at hand is personal, busi- The New Yorker’s twenty young writers to watch. ness-related, or on the order of new global chal- lenges, Harford, The Undercover Economist, says Thursday, May 12, 7 p.m. His first novel is the powerful story of the 12May 11 Krasnaskys, Soviet Jews who leave the USSR in that the old ways won’t cut it. Instead, we need to The Bethesda Library Lauren Myracle 1978. Each family member has his or her own use adaptive trial-and-error methods, and Harford Shine set of ambivalences and fears about emigration, and as they wait in draws on recent thinking in psychology, econom- Rome to see where they will go next, Bezmozgis skillfully ratchets ics, and evolutionary biology to illustrate how adapting can foster (Amulet, $16.95) up the personal and political stakes. innovation. This mystery by the author of the Internet Girls trilogy follows sixteen-year-old Cat as she tries to determine Saturday, May 14, 1 p.m. 22 Sunday, May 22, 1 p.m. who is behind a hate crime perpetrated against her Brian Till 14May 11 May 11 Ron Capps & Contributors friend. To get to the truth, Cat risks the alienation of Conversations With Power Veterans Writing Project her small Southern town. Ages 14 and up. (Palgrave Macmillan, $16) The Veterans Writing Project is a Washington D.C.-based Inspired by leaders such as Bill Clinton, non-profit that offers writing seminars and workshops for veterans. Thursday, May 19, 10:30 a.m. Rob Scotton Jimmy Carter, and Vaclav Havel, Till, a young In honor of Memorial Day, VWP staff members and seminar par- 19May 11 journalist and researcher at the New America ticipants, all veterans, will read fiction, non-fiction, and poetry from Splish, Splash, Splat! Foundation, set out to meet these people. He and about service in World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. (HarperCollins, $16.99) did, and the conversations he had with them— In his latest adventure, Splat along with many other world leaders and Nobel Sunday, May 22, 5 p.m. watches while the rest of the class goes laureates—are illuminating looks at public life. St. Albans School 22May 11 swimming. He’s alone on the sidelines— Writers In Residence except for Spike, who is also afraid of Saturday, May 14, 6 p.m. Writers Among Us the water. The two haven’t been friends, Frederick Kempe 14May 11 (St. Albans, $19.95) but now find they have something in Berlin, 1961 Since 1983 the St. Albans Writer-in Residence common. Can they bolster each other’s confidence enough to jump (Putnam, $29.95) program has brought poets, essayists, and fiction in the pool with the others? Ages 3-6. The Berlin Crisis was overshadowed by writers to teach and continue their writing at the Monday, May 23, 4 p.m. the Cuban Missile Crisis, but Kempe, former school. This anthology contains work from all the 23 Michael Scott Wall Street Journal columnist and editor, argues visiting writers; join us to hear some of the con- May 11 The Warlock that it was more decisive in shaping later Cold tributors read and talk about their experiences at St. Albans. War developments. Drawing on documents and (Delacourt, $18.99) extensive interviews, Kempe recreates the chill- In the fifth of the six-part Secrets of the Immortal ing moment when Soviet and American troops faced each other Nicholas Flamel series, Sophie and Josh are separated, directly, just yards apart. and Sophie must find an immortal to teach her Earth O An audio edition of this title is available to be ordered. Magic. But Nicholas and Perenelle are growing weak- L A large-print edition of this title is available to be ordered. er....Scott, an authority on world mythology and folklore, has created a sophisticated fantasy that interweaves historical, mythic, and fictional characters into a thrilling plot. Ages 12-15. 20% off P&P Hardcover Bestsellers and all Event Titles for Members throughout May 2011 5015 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008 Presorted 202.364-1919 First-Class Mail 800.722-0790 202.966-7532 (fax) US Postage email: books @ politics-prose.com PAID web: www.politics-prose.com Washington, DC twitter: @politics_prose Permit No. 2072

Store Hours: Monday–Saturday 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. May 2011 Sunday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Owner: Barbara Meade Events Calendar Founding Owner: Carla Cohen 1936-2010

Tuesday, May 3, 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, 7 p.m. Manning Marable Tribute Adam Hochschild Arthur Phillips

Thursday, May 26, 7 p.m. Francine Prose

Friday, May 13, 7 p.m. Monday, May 9, 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, 7 p.m. May 2011 David Bezmozgis Geraldine Brooks Melissa Fay Greene Sunday, May 1, 1 p.m. 1 2 Monday, May 2, 7 p.m. Joe Palca & May 11 May 11 Adina Hoffman & Book Groups Flora Lichtman Peter Cole P & P book groups meet monthly, and are free and open to the public. Annoying: The Science Of Sacred Trash Book group titles are 20% off for attendees. Read the book and join us! What Bugs Us (Schocken, $26.95) • Capital James Joyce Club (1st Thursday, 7:30 p.m.) (John Wiley, $25.95) A geniza is a repository for worn out papers, and 5/5: Slow traffic. One persistent mosquito. in 1896 Solomon Schechter, a Romanian-born • Classics (1st Monday, 7:30 p.m.) Someone humming that awful song. These Jewish intellectual, discovered in Cairo a remark- 5/2 The Nicomachean Ethics, Books 8 and 9, . by Aristotle things get on our nerves, but why? Palca and able trove of documents—wills, poems, letters, • Daytime (3rd Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.) Lichtman, NPR science correspondent and voice of Science Friday, and more—chronicling medieval Mediterranean Jewish life. In their 5/18: The Solitude of Prime Numbers, by Giordano • Evening Fiction (2nd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.) respectively, explore the psychology, evolutionary biology, and story of these “Living Sea Scrolls,” the authors, Jerusalem-based 5/10: A Fine Balance, by Mistry anthropology behind things that annoy us, and offer tips for man- writers, meditate on the importance of the written word to Judaism. • Fascinating History (4th Thursday, 7:30 p.m.) aging irritation. 5/26: Truman, by McCullough Tuesday, May 3, 7 p.m. 3 • Futurist (1st Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.) Sunday, May 1, 5 p.m. Manning Marable Tribute May 11 5/4: Crisis Economics, by Roubini

May1 11 Elif Shafak Malcolm X • Graphic Novel (4th Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.) Black Milk (Viking, $30) 5/25: The Fixer, by Sacco (Viking, $25.95) Manning Marable was scheduled for tonight • Legacies of American Exceptionalism (3rd Monday 7:30) to present his eagerly awaited biography of 5/16: The Holder of the World, by Mukherjee Shafak’s memoir explores creativity and mother- • Lez Read Malcolm X. Sadly, Dr. Marable passed away (2nd Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.) hood from the place where they collide. Author New 5/11: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Bechdel of two acclaimed novels, The Bastard of Istanbul on Friday, April 1, due to complications from • Poetry (4th Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.) and The Forty Rules of Love, Shafak stopped writ- pneumonia. The African-American studies pro- 5/24: The April Issue of Poetry Magazine ing after having a child; suffering from postpar- fessor was 60 years old. To honor his life and his • Public Affairs (4th Monday, 7:30 p.m.) tum depression and doubting her art, Shafak turned to the experi- life’s work we will host a discussion with his friends, colleagues, and 5/23: ences of other women writers—Plath, Woolf, Alice Walker—and other authors. More information to come. • Science Fiction & Fantasy (2nd Thurs., 7:30 p.m.) Demolished Man regained her confidence in literature. 5/12: , by Bester Wednesday, May 4, 7 p.m. • Spanish Language (3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.) May4 11 David K. Shipler 5/17: The Rights Of The People • Spirituality (3rd Sunday, 6 p.m.) (Knopf, $27.95) 5/15: • Teen In the first of two volumes examining the Bill of (4th Sunday, 3:30 p.m.) 5/22: TBD Rights in contemporary America, Shipler, author of • Travel (1st Tuesday, 7 p.m.) The Working Poor and Arab and Jew, focuses on the 5/3: The Discovery of France, by Robb Fourth Amendment. He finds privacy rights violated • Veterans Book Group (3rd Thursday, 7:30 p.m.)

by Bush-era warrantless wire-tapping, and in visits to New 5/19: • Women’s Biography (2nd Monday, 7:30 p.m.) Photo Credits: Adam Hochschild - Spark Media, Arthur Phillips - Barbi Reed, minority neighborhoods witnesses how racial profil- Francine Prose - Stephanie Berger, David Bezmozgis - David Franco, ing regularly flouts the guarantee against unreasonable searches and 5/9: Geraldine Brooks - Randi Baird, Melissa Fay Greene - Judith Augustine seizures. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 1 p.m. 2 7 p.m. 3 7 p.m. 4 10:30 a.m. 5 10:30 a.m. 6 10:30 a.m. 7 1 p.m. Joe Palca & Adina Hoffman & Manning Marable Tribute John Flanagan Tom Lichtenheld Robbin Gourley Sophia Rosenfeld Flora Lichtman Peter Cole Malcolm X The Emperor Of Nihon-Ja: Book 10 Cloudette First Garden Common Sense: A Political History Annoying: The Science Of What Sacred Trash 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 6 p.m. Bugs Us 7 p.m. David Shipler Michael & Miranda Kennedy Alexi Zentner 5 p.m. The Rights Of The People Audrey Levatino Sideways On A Scooter Elif Shafak The Joy Of Hobby Farming Touch Black Milk 8 9 7 p.m. 10 7 p.m. 11 7 p.m. 12 7 p.m. 13 7 p.m. 14 1 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue Melissa Fay Greene Adam Hochschild The Bethesda Library David Bezmozgis Brian Till Geraldine Brooks No Biking In The House Without To End All Wars Lauren Myracle The Free World Conversations With Power Caleb’s Crossing A Helmet Shine 6 p.m. 7 p.m. Frederick Kempe Alexis Madrigal Berlin, 1961 Powering The Dream Mother’s Day 15 1 p.m. 16 7 p.m. 17 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 19 10:30 a.m. 20 7 p.m. 21 1 p.m. Amy Stolls Alexandra Styron Michael Spence 18 Roy Blount, Jr. Rob Scotton Mary Gordon Helon Habila The Ninth Wife Reading My Father The Next Convergence Alphabetter Juice Splish, Splash, Splat! The Love Of My Youth Oil On Water Christie Watson 5 p.m. 7 p.m. Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away Marc Kaufman Joel Achenbach First Contact A Hole At The Bottom Of The 6 p.m. Sea Tim Harford Adapt

22 1 p.m. 23 4 p.m. 24 7 p.m. 25 7 p.m. 26 7 p.m. 27 28 6 p.m. Ron Capps & Michael Scott Arthur Phillips Hannah Nordhaus Francine Prose Matthew Algeo Contributors The Warlock The Tragedy Of Arthur The Beekeeper’s Lament My New American Life The President Is A Sick Man Veterans Writing Project 5 p.m. 7 p.m. St. Albans School Roméo Dallaire Writers In Residence They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Writers Among Us Like Children

29 30 31 7 p.m. Tayari Jones: Silver Sparrow 20%Author off PhotoP&P Credits Hardcover Bestsellers and all Event Titles for Members May 2011 throughout May Memorial Day