Boston Public Library (Central Library, Copley Square)

In Rabb Lecture Hall. The Soiling of Old Glory is historian Masur's study of the Pulitzer-Prize winning photograph by Stanley Forman. A book sale and signing will follow.

Rabb Lecture Hall, ext. 2212. Roy J. Harris, Jr. will speak on his book Pulitzer’s Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism, the first thorough examination of America's greatest annual journalism prize over its 90-year history. This event takes place just days before the announcement ... (more)of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Abbey Room, ext. 2212. In his new book, The Great Experiment, Strobe Talbott, former Deputy Secretary of State (1994 – 2001) and current president of the Brookings Institution, recounts the development of nation-states and the progression to a global nation (i.e. The League of Nations and the ... (more)U.N.). Through the lens of history and personal experience, he assesses the prospects for global cooperation and the United States’ role in the process. Book signing will follow lecture and discussion.

held in the Rabb Lecture Hall

In Rabb Lecture Hall. Joe Cronin was a Harvard professor and dean, State Secretary of Education, Chairman of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, and has studied and written about Boston schools for more than fifty years.

In Rabb Lecture Hall (Ext. 2212). Susan Abulhawa discusses and reads from her recent novel, The Scar of David. A reception and signing take place at 5:30 p.m. Also, photographer Rania Matar presents black and white images of Middle Eastern women and the veil; and Qanunist (zither player) Jamal Sinno ... (more)offers performs in this fourth program of the Evelyn Abdalah Menconi Memorial Cultural Series.

Rabb Lecture Hall. A book sale and signing will follow.

In the Mezzanine Conference Room. In collaboration with the Chinese Historical Society of New England, this book contains more than 200 rare photographs.

In the Mezzanine Conference Room. King speaks on his book The Execution of Willie Francis. After Willie Francis did not die at his scheduled execution, a year-long legal struggle ensued. Making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Willie’s story is an extraordinary and troubling tale of a brutal ... (more)crime, community vengeance, legal heroism, and constitutional law.

Rabb Lecture Hall. Professor George Lakoff author of Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think, Whose Freedom?, and Don't Think of an Elephant!, explores the connections between cognitive science and political action. Why do many Americans vote against their own interests. Humans, ... (more)he argues, are not the rational creatures we’ve so long imagined ourselves to be. And savvy political campaigns should not assume people will use objective reasoning when deciding how to vote. Book signing will follow.

Held in Rabb Lecture Hall.

French Catholic Priest Father Patrick Desbois has devoted his life to confronting antisemitism and furthering Catholic-Jewish understanding. Using the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s archives to inform his search, he and his team have crisscrossed the countryside ... (more)in Ukraine in an effort to locate every mass grave and site at which Jews were killed during the Holocaust. To date, they have identified 800 of an estimated 2,000 such locations. They are also collecting artifacts and, most significantly, recording video testimonies from eyewitnesses—many of whom are speaking publicly for the first time. These invaluable testimonies will become part of the Museum’s permanent collection. Books will be available for sale.

in the McKim Orientation Room. (ext.2389 )

Casey Sherman is a veteran journalist and author of several books including the true crime bestseller A Rose for Mary: The Hunt for the Real Boston Strangler. Sherman has been nominated for an Emmy Award and was a leading member of the Edward R. Murrow Award winning WBZ-TV News team. He is also a contributing ... (more)writer for Boston Magazine and Boston Common. Casey Sherman’s latest book, The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue, was written in collaboration with Michael J. Tougias and is the true story of an incredible disaster and heroic rescue at sea. Tougias and Sherman have seamlessly woven together their extensive research and firsthand interviews to create an unforgettable tale of heroism, triumph, and tragedy, one that truly tells of the Coast Guard's finest hours.

Americans honor the flag with a fervor seen in few other countries: The Stars and Stripes decorate American homes and businesses; wave over sports events and funerals; and embellish everything from politicians' lapels to the surface of the moon. But what does the flag mean? In Capture the Flag: A Political ... (more)History of American Patriotism historian Woden Teachout reveals that it has held vastly different meanings over time. It has been claimed by both the right and left; by racists and revolutionaries; by immigrants and nativists. In tracing the political history of the flag from its origins in the American Revolution through the present day, Teachout demonstrates that the shifting symbolism of the flag reveals a broader shift in the definition of American patriotism. A story of a nation in search of itself, Capture the Flag offers a probing account of the flag that has become America's icon.

One of science fiction's most popular and enduring works is the Dune series by Frank Herbert. This seminal work has been continued by Herbert's son Brian Herbert and fellow New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson. The latest book in the series is Winds of Dune, and for the first time in over ... (more)five years, Brian and Kevin will be touring on the east coast. Returning to the most famous characters of the original novel Dune, Herbert and Anderson explore the crumbling empire after Paul Muad Dib's reign. Familiar characters such as the Lady Jessica, Gurney Hallack, the Princess Irulan and Duncan Idaho fill this novel with a cohesiveness and excitement to set fans of the series on the edge of their seats.

The son of two English professors, Lev Grossman grew up in Lexington, MA and graduated from Harvard University before embarking on a career in journalism. He worked for a string of dot-coms while writing free-lance articles about books, technology and culture in general for various medai, including Lingua ... (more)Franca, The Village Voice, Entertainment Weekly, TimeOut New York, Salon, and the New York Times. After a stint as a book critic, Lev decided to write his own novels, Warp and Codex. His latest novel The Magicians blends fantasy and reality in a remarkable coming-of-age novel that is sure to please a wide array of readers.

The Boston Book Festival 2009, presented by State Street Corporation, will take place on Saturday, October 24 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. in Copley Square. More than 70 top authors and presenters will be on hand for this FREE inaugural event. It's a great excursion for book groups, families, and anyone who ... (more)loves to read. The list of authors includes Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, Richard Russo, Anita Diamant, John Hodgman, Dennis Lehane, "Heroes" creator Tim Kring, Cornel West, actor Alicia Silverstone, Michael Patrick MacDonald, Jill Lepore, and children's book author and illustrator Chris van Allsburg. There is something for everyone: * Fiction and Poetry * Current Affairs and Memoir * Future of the Book technology panels and demonstrations * Photography and Food Writing * Children's Program * Exhibits and Booksellers * Music and Contests * Workshops and Open Mic * Book Signings and More * And, it's FREE and open to the public!