How important were navies to the outcome of the Civil War? What's the key to preparing delicious meatless meals? What in the world is mycophilia? Who conceived and engineered Grand Central Terminal? What was Jewish New York at the turn of the 20th century? What is it like to be a refugee in the United States? How did Joseph P. Kennedy get from East Boston to Washington's inner circle? How did one man's incurable amnesia provide invaluable insight to neuroscientists? How do nature and the city co-exist? Could democracy in the workplace be the cure for capitalism? What is a mental disorder and what is simply a struggle with real life? Are amateur inventors and tinkerers at the heart of the American dream? Is it possible to find passion, purpose and a paycheck in the second half of life?
During the month of May, you can hear noted authors offer their thoughts on these and other questions at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Please join us at 6:30 p.m. on the sixth floor for these illuminating Author @ the Library programs. Whether or not you attend the talks, you might enjoy reading some of the books. You can reserve copies using the links below.
Wednesday, May 1: Professor James M. McPherson, author of War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865, explains how the Union and Confederate navies were crucial to the outcome of the Civil War.
Monday, May 6: Kim O'Donnel, author of The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations: Year-round Vegetarian Feasts (You Can Really Sink your Teeth Into) and The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook, shares some deliciously healthy ideas for meatless Mondays.
Tuesday, May 7: In an illustrated lecture on Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms, Eugenia Bone examines the role of fungi as exotic delicacy, curative, poison, and hallucinogen, ultimately revealing that a greater understanding of fungi is key to facing many challenges of the 21st century.
Wednesday, May 8: Dr. Kurt C. Schlichting examines the remarkable career of a man who had a profound impact on the history and development of New York City in Grand Central's Engineer: William J. Wilgus and the Planning of Modern Manhattan.
Thursday, May 9: Annie Polland and Daniel Soyer, authors of Emerging Metropolis, the second volume of the three-volume work, City of Promises, describe New York’s transformation into a Jewish city in an illustrated lecture, "City of Promises: A History of the Jews of New York."
Monday, May 13: Photojournalist Gabriele Stabile documents refugees, from their first steps on American soil to the cities and towns where they are rebuilding their communities in The Refugee Hotel.
Tuesday, May 14: Celebrated historian David Nasaw tells the full story of The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy.
Thursday, May 16: In this visual presentation Professor Suzanne Corkin explores the riveting story of H. M., the brain-damaged patient whose case, described in Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic, afforded untold advances in the study of memory.
Monday, May 20: Professor John Waldman presents diverse and intriguing perspectives on the relationship between nature and America's most prominent city in Still the Same Hawk: Reflections on Nature and New York.
Wednesday, May 22: Professor Richard D. Wolff discusses discusses a democratic alternative based on workers managing their own workplaces in Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism
Thursday, May 23: Professor Richard J. McNally, author of What Is Mental Illness?, gives an illustrated lecture describing how “real” disorders are defined, offering insight into the intense political and intellectual struggles over what goes into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the psychiatric "bible".
Tuesday, May 28: Journalist and This American Life commentator Jack Hitt tells the story of America's many amateur inventors and tinkerers, from Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity to Mark Zuckerberg's social media website in Bunch of Amateurs: A Search For the American Character.
Thursday, May 30: Marci Alboher, author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make A Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life, and Katherine Lanpher, radio commentator and author of the 2006 memoir Leap Days: Chronicles of A Midlife Move, offer a guide to finding passion, purpose and a paycheck in the second half of life.
Find lists of non-fiction books by authors speaking at the Mid-Manhattan Library in the BiblioCommons catalog:
- Author @ the Library, May 2013
- Author @ the Library, April 2013
- Author @ the Library, March 2013
- Author @ the Library, February 2013
- Author @ the Library, January 2013
This post includes authors who are discussing their recent non-fiction books at the Mid-Manhattan Library this month, but we have lots of other interesting readings and talks on on our calendar, including art lectures and discussions, monthly panel discussions featuring authors from the Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter and short story readings at Mixed Bag: Story Time for Grown-ups. Oh, and did I mention that all of our programs are free? We hope to see you sometime soon!