Biblio File

December Author @ the Library Programs at Mid-Manhattan

December Author @ the LibraryThe lost tribe of Coney Island... building the Statue of Liberty... a culinary history of America in 100 bites... the sinking of refugee ship The Wilhelm Gustloff during World War II...  a close-up of the planet Mars... forgiving, remembering, and forgetting in personal and political contexts... a road trip through presidential libraries... curious New York activities... what online data can tell us about ourselves... reducing inequality in the 21st century... the history of New York's mass transit systems between 1940 and 1968... tales from a world traveler...

If any of these topics sound intriguing, please join us for aAuthor @ the Library program in December at the Mid-Manhattan Library Come hear scholars and other experts discuss their recent nonfiction books and answer your questions. And this month, we've also got distinguished fiction writer Kevin Baker on the schedule. Author talks take place at 6:30 p.m. on the 6th floor of the Library unless otherwise noted. You can also request the authors' books using the links to the catalog included below.

Lost Tribe of Coney Island

 

 

Monday, December 1

The Lost Tribe of Coney Island, with writer and journalist, Claire Prentice and Kevin Baker, the best-selling author of Dreamland and The Big Crowd.

The authors’ dialogue and illustrated lecture uncover the forgotten tale of the Igorrotes, a tribe from the Northern Philippines, 50 of whom were taken to Coney Island in 1905 and put on display amongst the fairground rides and freak shows.

 

 

Liberty's Torch

 

 

Tuesday, December 2

Liberty's Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty, with Elizabeth Mitchell, a journalist and the author of Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing, and W.: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty.

This illustrated lecture tells the story of the envisioning, funding and building of the Statue of Liberty for the first time, dispelling long-standing myths  around its creation. 
 
 
The American Plate

 

 

Wednesday, December 3

The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites with Libby O'Connell, Senior Vice President of Corporate Outreach and Chief Historian to the History Channel.

This visual lecture focuses on three iconic periods in the history of New York—New Netherlands, the Gilded Age, and 9/11—that illustrate how foodways reveal an engaging view of history for diverse audiences.  

 

 

Death in the Baltic

 

 

Thursday, December 4

Death in the Baltic: The World War II Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, with Cathryn J. Prince, award-winning author.

The worst maritime disaster in modern history occurred during World War II, when more than 9,000 German civilians drowned.  This illustrated lecture reconstructs this forgotten moment in history and weaves personal narratives into a broader story, finally giving this World War II tragedy its rightful remembrance.

 

Mars up Close

 

 

Monday, December 8

Mars Up Close: Inside the Curiosity Mission, with Marc Kaufman, a science journalist, who writes about NASA and space science for NationalGeographic.com and The Washington Post.

This illustrated lecture takes the audience inside the mission and onto the surface of Mars, with images never published before, many with surprising colors and landscapes. 

 

Forgiveness and Remembrance

 

Tuesday, December 9

Forgiveness and Remembrance: Remembering Wrongdoing in Personal and Public Life, with Jeffrey M. Blustein, Arthur Zitrin Professor of Bioethics at City College and Professor of Philosophy at City College and the Graduate Center of the City University.

This illustrated lecture examines the complex moral psychology of forgiving, remembering, and forgetting in personal and political contexts.  It challenges a number of entrenched ideas that pervade standard philosophical approaches to interpersonal forgiveness and offers an original account of its moral psychology and the emotions involved in it. 

Chasing History - jacket

 

 

Wednesday, December 10

Chasing History: One Man's Road Trip Through the Presidential Libraries, with David Cross, an attorney and freelance writer.

In this illustrated lecture, the author recounts his road trip to all the 13 presidential libraries in the United States

 

 

Secret New York

 

 

Monday, December 15

Secret New York — Curious Activities, with TM Rives, writer and photographer.

This illustrated lecture explores some of the curiosities of the Metropolis and focuses on the spots that resonate with a special something: history, irony, and / or weirdness. 

 

 

 

 

Dataclysm

 

 

Wednesday, December 17

Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking), with Christian Rudder, author and co-founder of the online dating service OkCupid.

In the age of Big Data, Christian Rudder stands out. Rudder has worked with the richest data sets in the world, accumulated from the dating site he co-founded, OkCupid, as well as Twitter, Google, Facebook, and the like. In his new book, Dataclysm, he uses this data to show us the human behavior behind the numbers: a revolutionary look at who we truly are.

 

The Citizen's Share

Thursday, December 18

The Citizen's Share: Reducing Inequality in the 21st Century, with Joseph R. Blasi, professor at Rutgers University, Richard B. Freeman, Chair in Economics at Harvard University and Douglas L. Kruse, Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University.

 This illustrated lecture traces the development in American history of the idea of workers owning the businesses where they work and looks at how it applies in today's economy. 

From a Nickel to a Token

Monday, December 22

From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA, with Andrew J. Sparberg, author, transit historian, and retired Long Island Rail Road manager.

This illustrated lecture chronicles the fascinating microhistory of New York’s transit system and examines 20 specific events between 1940 and 1968, book-ended by subway unification and the creation of the MTA. 

Chasing Wild Ass - jacket

 

Tuesday, December 23

Chasing Wild ASS, with Jon Haggins, the producer and host of GlobeTrotter TV.

This illustrated lecture is a narrative of the author’s travels to more than 60 countries around the world.

 

 

 

 

If you'd like to read any of the books presented at our past author talks, you can find book lists from our January 2013 - December 2014 Author @ the Library programs in the BiblioCommons catalog.

The Author @ the Library posts include authors discussing their recent nonfiction works at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Don't miss the many other interesting classesfilms, readings and talks on our program calendar. Enjoy art lectures and artist conversations, monthly panel discussions featuring authors from the Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter, and short story readings at Story Time for Grown-ups. All of our programs and classes are free, so why not come and check one out? Looking forward to seeing you soon at the library!