Come join us for an Author @ the Library talk this November at Mid-Manhattan Library to hear distinguished non-fiction authors discuss their work and answer your questions.

Author talks take place at 6:30 p.m. on the 6th floor of the Library, unless otherwise noted. No reservations are required. Seating is first come, first served. You can also request the author's books by clicking on the book cover images below.

	MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015 The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State's History with Bruce W. Dearstyne, who served as a program director at the New York State Archives and on the staff of the Office of State History. This lecture presents New York State history by exploring sixteen dramatic events, from the launch of the state government in April 1777 to the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Great political changes, historical turning points, and struggles for social, racial, and environmental reform are explored. The momentous events illustrate the “spirit” of New York—the elusive traits that make New York State unique and a leader among the fifty states—and the complexity of its history.
	TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2015 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR —Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny with David Pietrusza, a notable historian and bestselling author, who has written or edited over three dozen books. This illustrated lecture is the tale of spell-binding leaders versus bland businessmen and out-of-touch upper-class elites and of two nations inching to safety but lurching toward disaster. It is 1932's nightmare—with lessons for today.
	WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015 Walking Queens: 30 Tours for Discovering the Diverse Communities, Historic Places, and Natural Treasures of New York City's Largest Borough with Adrienne Onofri, a licensed NYC sightseeing guide and the author of Walking Brooklyn. This illustrated lecture explores the distinctive architecture, landmark buildings, popular eateries, ethnic enclaves, celebrity residences, art and performance spaces, and natural scenery, of Queens, heralded as the most multicultural place on Earth and home to more than 2.3 million people who speak at least 150 different languages.
	THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015 Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide with Eric Bogosian, an actor, playwright, and novelist of Armenian descent. 2015 marks the 100 years since the Armenian Genocide. This reading and discussion crafts a masterful account of the conspiracy of assassins that hunted down and killed the perpetrators of the genocide. The killings are set in the context of Ottoman and Armenian history, and show the era's history, rife with political fighting and massacres.
	TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World with David Jaher, who has been a screenwriter and a professional astrologer. This illustrated lecture features the enthralling story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, and the so-called Witch of Lime Street, whose lives collided in an era when science verged on embracing the paranormal.
	THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015 Madame Jumel Collects with Margaret A. Oppenheimer, the author of The Remarkable Rise of Eliza Jumel: A Story of Marriage and Money in the Early Republic. This illustrated lecture features the amazing Eliza Jumel, who was raised in a brothel, indentured as a servant, confined to a workhouse while her mother was in jail, yet rose to become one of the richest women in New York.
	MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2015 White House Crosswords with David J. Kahn, a longtime crossword constructor, who has appeared in all the major papers and writes customized crosswords for individuals, corporations and not-for- profits. One of the country’s top puzzle makers talks about his fascination with U.S. presidents and what makes them great material for crosswords.
	TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015 The Hirschfeld Century: Portrait of an Artist and His Age with David Leopold, Hirschfeld authority, who, as archivist to the artist, worked side by side with him and has spent more than twenty years documenting the artist’s extraordinary output. This illustrated lecture brings together the artist’s extraordinary eighty-two-year career, revealed in hundreds of his iconic black-and-white and color drawings, illustrations, and photographs—his influences, his techniques, his evolution from his earliest works to his last drawings.
	WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 No One Helped Kitty Genovese, New York City, and the Myth of Urban Apathy with Marcia M. Gallo, Associate Professor of History at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the author of Different Daughters. This illustrated lecture examines one of America's most infamous true-crime stories: the 1964 rape and murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese in a middle-class neighborhood of Queens, New York.
	MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South with Christopher Dickey, award-winning author and journalist and the foreign editor of The Daily Beast. This lecture follows the enigmatic career of Robert Bunch, a young British diplomat assigned to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1853, and de facto spy, who watched the Confederate South take shape in the years leading up to the Civil War.
	TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe in Conspiracy Theories with Rob Brotherton, an academic psychologist and science writer. This illustrated lecture explores the history and consequences of conspiracism, and delves into the research that offers insights into why so many of us are drawn to implausible, unproven and unprovable conspiracy theories.
	MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2015 The Dakota: A History of the World's Best-Known Apartment Building with Andrew Alpern, an architectural historian, architect, and attorney, who has published ten books, including five about apartment houses in New York City. This illustrated lecture spotlights, arguably the best-known residential address in the world, home to dozens of New York City's most famous artists, performers and successful executives.

The Author @ the Library posts include authors discussing their recent nonfiction works at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Don’t miss the many other interesting free classes, films, readings, and talks on our program calendar. Enjoy short story readings of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Secret Lives of Walter Mitty by James Thurber at Story Time for Grown-Ups - American Classics in November. If you enjoy talking about books, come share your favorite books with Thanksgiving themes with other readers at Open Book Night on Friday, November 13.

From our past posts:

Open Book Night reading lists and Author @ the Library blog posts

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!