Masha Gessen, author of The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia
University School of Milwaukee Global Scholars program presents Masha Gessen, New Yorker staff writer and winner of the 2017 National Book Award, who reveals how, in the space of a generation, Russia surrendered to a virulent new strain of autocracy. This event is free, but registration is required. RSVP at usmk12.org/gessen.
Masha Gessen’s understanding of the events and forces that have wracked Russia in recent times is unparalleled. Gessen follows the lives of four people born at what promised to be the dawn of democracy. Each came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children and grandchildren of the very architects of the new Russia, each with newfound aspirations of their own.
Gessen, who also teaches at Amherst College, charts their paths against the machinations of the regime that would crush them all, and against the war it waged on understanding itself, which ensured the unobstructed reemergence of the old Soviet order in the form of today’s terrifying and seemingly unstoppable mafia state. Powerful and urgent, The Future Is History is a cautionary tale for our time and for all time. Read Francis Fukuyama's of The Future is History in The New York Times.
This is a rare opportunity to see Gessen, who would be very unlikely to come to Milwaukee on a traditional book tour. We're so grateful to University School of Milwaukee for opening up Gessen's visit to the general public. Please note that online registration will likely close out after today.
Thursday, September 12, 7:00 pm, at UWM Student Union Fireside Lounge (note new location), 2200 E Kenwood Blvd:Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Letters and Science, Manfred Olson Planetarium, UWM Student Union, and Boswell Book Company present an evening with Sean Carroll, Theoretical Physicist at California Institute of Technology. Carroll will discuss his new book, Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime. General admission tickets for this talk are $30 and include the book and all taxes and fees, available at seancarrollmke.bpt.me. Specially priced tickets for UWM students, faculty, and staff are available at UWM Student Union Information Desk closer to the event date. The talk will be followed by a book signing.
In his latest book, Carroll takes on the holy grail of modern physics - reconciling quantum mechanics with Einstein's general relativity, his theory of curved spacetime. Carroll argues that the refusal to face up to the mysteries of quantum mechanics has blinded people, and that spacetime and gravity naturally emerge from a deeper reality called the wave function. Yes, people, we’re saying the multiverse (scientifically speaking, the Many-Worlds theory) is real!
Robert P Crease reviewed Carroll's latest in Nature: "Something Deeply Hidden is aimed at non-scientists, with a sidelong glance at physicists still quarrelling over the meaning of quantum mechanics. Carroll brings the reader up to speed on the development of quantum physics from Max Planck to the present, and explains why it is so difficult to interpret, before expounding the many-worlds theory. Dead centre in the book is a Socratic dialogue about the theory’s implications. This interlude, between a philosophically sensitive physicist and a scientifically alert philosopher, is designed to sweep away intuitive reservations that non-scientists might have."
Carroll is author of The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself and other books and is host of the Mindscape podcast. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of our top scientists bringing to life one of the most important theories of the day. Join us today for this special ticketed event - walk-up tickets are also available.
Also on Thursday, September 12, 7:00 pm, at BoswellChris Sickels, who works as Red Nose Studio, illustrator for Elvis Is King
AIGA Wisconsin presents a public presentation from Chris Sickels/Red Nose Studio, in conjunction with their private workshop. In Everything You Can Imagine Is Real, Sickels discusses how he uses texture, light, and a whole lotta elbow grease to create magic that we guarantee will ignite your creativity and leave you feeling like a kid again.
Here's Booklist writing about Elvis Is King: "If the artwork in this seems a little in-your-face, it may be wise to remember that we're talking about the King here—a figure known for large gestures, not for subtlety. Red Nose Studio, known for dramatic 3-D illustrations constructed from polymer clay figures and hand-built sets, teams up with award-winning author Winter to bring readers a portrait of Elvis, from his hard-scrabble beginnings in Tupelo, Mississippi, to his transformation into one of the first rock stars."
Please note that this event is ticketed. Register here. Admission is $15 for the general public, $10 for AIGA members, $5 for students with ID. Check in will be at Boswell.
AIGA Wisconsin works to connect designers to one another, to business and to the broader world while helping them to realize their talents and to advocate the value of design, stimulating thinking and promote design excellence. Their mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. More about Red Nose Studio here.
Friday, September 13, 6:30 pm, at Boswell:Mike Lupica, author of Strike Zone
Sports writer for Esquire and The New York Daily News and host of ESPN’s The Sports Reporters and ESPN2’s The Mike Lupica Show visits Boswell with Strike Zone, his timely, heartfelt follow-up to Heat, the bestselling novel about a young baseball prodigy and his immigrant family living in today’s America. This event is free but registration is requested at lupicamke.bpt.me. Folks who sign up will get 10% off their copy of Strike Zone.
Twelve-year-old star Little League pitcher Nick Garcia has a dream. Several in fact. He dreams he’ll win this season’s MVP and the chance to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. He dreams he’ll meet his hero, Yankee’s pitcher Michael Arroyo. He dreams they’ll find a cure for Lupus so his sister won’t have to suffer. But mostly, he dreams one day his family can stop living in fear of the government.
Strike Zone is best for kids ten and up, but many of Lupica's novels are for even younger reading levels. Lupica is also slotted to write new entries in Robert B Parker's Sunny Randall series. So we can enthusiastically state that Lupica's visit is for all ages. Listen to Mike Lupica's podcast here.
Saturday, September 14, 2 pm, at Boswell:Marika Meeks and Stella, author and subject of Incredibull Stella: How the Love of a Pit Bull Rescued a Family, with coauthor Elizabeth Ridley
Marika Meeks and Stella the pit bull visit Boswell with the story of how, while recovering from a serious illness, Marika Meeks adopted an abandoned pit bull puppy, named her Stella, and together, they healed each other. They’ll be joined for this event by Milwaukee author Elizabeth Ridley, coauthor of Incredibull Stella.
While recovering from Stage 3 breast cancer, Marika Meeks fell in love with the adorable, abandoned pit bull puppy with warm eyes and boundless affection that could melt anyone’s heart. Marika and her family were still reeling from her brush with mortality, but she couldn’t deny the pure joy of this sweet-natured dog’s unconditional love, and she knew in her heart what her family needed.
From AZ Family, Meeks talks about her journey: "I went from being totally shipwrecked in a post-cancer sea of fear, worry, anxiety, and guilt, to understanding that my journey is about so much more than my efforts to stay alive. It is all about how to live while you are still alive,” states Marika. “Now I'm cancer-free and living my best life with a renewed purpose and connection to my husband and daughters, having dedicated my life to educating people on the powerful force that pets can play in our lives while also encouraging people to rescue, foster, and adopt animals like Stella."
Marika Meeks was born in England and emigrated to the United States with her family at age six. A lifelong entrepreneur, she became the co-owner of a national software company. Elizabeth Ridley runs The Writer’s Midwife editing and publishing consulting company and is coauthor of several books, including Saving Sadie: How a Dog That No One Wanted Inspired the World and Searching for Celia.
Sunday, September 15, 5 pm, at the UWM Student Union Ballroom, 2200 E Kenwood Ave:Legacies of Mistrust: A Conversation with Harriet A Washington
Milwaukee Film Minority Health Film Festival, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and UWM's Sociocultural Programming present an evening with Harriet A Washington, author of Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present and most recently, A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind.
Harriet Washington deconstructs the politics around medical issues. Painting a compelling and disturbing portrait of medicine, race, sex, and the abuse of power by telling individual human stories, Washington’s work examines the historical effects of scientific racism on African American health issues, making a case for broader political consciousness of science and technology.
Boswell is selling books at this event. Tickets to the general public are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and $8 to UWM students. Doors open at 4 pm with a panel discussion at 5 pm and the conversation with Washington at 6 pm. For more information, contact info@mkefilm.org.
Monday, September 16, 7 pm reception, 7:30 pm talk, at Lynden Sculpture Garden, 2145 W Brown Deer Rd:Lynn Cullen, author of The Sisters of Summit Avenue
The Lynden Sculpture Garden’s Women’s Speaker Series produced by Milwaukee Reads and Boswell Book Company present Lynn Cullen, the author of Mrs. Poe and Twain’s End with her latest novel about two estranged sisters during the Great Depression. Tickets cost $31, $26 for Lynden members, and include admission, a signed copy of The Sisters of Summit Avenue, and light refreshments. Come early and stroll the garden grounds. Tickets available online, at lyndensculpturegarden.org/LynnCullen. Please note that the Lynden closes out online registrations the day before the event - after that, call them at (414) 446-8794
Who doesn't love a good feuding sister story? Ruth is raising four young daughters and running her family’s Indiana farm since her husband was infected by the infamous “sleeping sickness” devastating families across the country. Her older sister, June, is married to a wealthy doctor, living in a mansion in St. Paul, and has a coveted job as one of “the Bettys” who populate General Mills’ famous Betty Crocker test kitchens. But she has no children, and the man she loves belongs to Ruth. When the two reluctantly reunite, June’s bitterness sets into motion a confrontation that’s been years in the making. And their mother, Dorothy, who’s brought the two of them together, has her own dark secrets, which could dismantle the entire family.
An emotional journey of redemption, inner strength, and the ties that bind families together for better or worse, The Sisters of Summit Avenue is a heartfelt love letter to mothers, daughters, and sisters everywhere. Elisabeth Clark in Library Journal wrote that "Cullen's complex story of a family torn apart by jealousy, betrayal, and misunderstanding will resonate with all readers. Courageous and heart-wrenching, it is a tribute to mothers, daughters, and sisters that's not to be missed."
Monday, September 16, 7 pm, at UWM Student Union, 2200 E Kenwood Blvd:Scott Westerfeld, author of Shatter City – Impostors Book 2
#1 New York Times bestselling author of the Uglies series, translated into 35 languages, returns to Milwaukee for Shatter City, the follow up to Impostors, a new sci-fi adventure series set in the world of Uglies. This Geek Week preview event is cosponsored by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Involvement and Boswell Book Company. Westerfeld will appear at the UWM Student Union Fireside Lounge. Free registration is required at westerfeldmke.bpt.me, and space is limited. A purchase-with-registration option is also available for $20, including tax and fees.
Twin sisters Frey and Rafi are inseparable, two edges of the same knife. But Frey's very existence is a secret. Frey isn’t just Rafi’s twin sister – she’s her body double. When the world sees Frey, they think they see her twin sister Rafi. Now Frey's taken on the role of her sister without anyone else knowing. Her goal? To destroy the forces that created her. But with the world watching and a rebellion rising, Frey is forced into a detour. Suddenly she is stranded on her own in Paz, a city where many of the citizens attempt to regulate their emotions through an interface on their arms. As the city comes under a catastrophic attack, Frey must leave the shadows and enter the chaos of warfare - because there is no other way for her to find her missing sister and have her revenge against her murderous father.
Kirkus Reviews points out that “a nonbinary character has a larger presence in this book,” about which they rave, “page-turning action made even more engrossing by a rare emotional core.” And if you haven't read Impostors, Scholastic has a great deal to help you catch up. Paperback copies are available at the event for just $4.99 plus tax.
More on the Boswell Upcoming Events page.
Photo credits:
Masha Gessen - Tanya Sazansky
Lynn Cullen - Parker Clayton Smith
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