Four upcoming events: Allegra Goodman for Sam (virtual), Nicole Kronzer for The Roof Over Our Heads (at Boswell), Tom Haig at North Shore Public Library for Global Nomad, and Jonathan Gillard Daly for Rough Magic (at Boswell)

Allegra Goodman, author of Sam
in conversation with Julie Barer and Daniel Goldin for a virtual event
Thursday, January 5, 7 pm - click here to register. 

Boswell hosts a virtual event featuring Allegra Goodman, author of Sam, an unforgettable portrait of coming-of-age offers a powerful reflection on class, addiction, parenthood, longing, and ambition. Goodman will be joined for a conversation by her agent, Julie Barer, and Daniel Goldin of Boswell.

Allegra Goodman’s beautiful and wise novel is deceptively simple: it is about a girl who becomes a woman. But underneath its straightforward chronology and spare sentences lie layers of extraordinary depth, sensitivity, and tenderness. This ode to girlhood asks, What happens to a child's sense of joy and belonging, her belief in herself, as she grows up? The answer will break your heart but will also leave you full of hope.

From Lily King, author of Writers and Lovers: "I’ve been an Allegra Goodman fan for years, but Sam is hands down my new favorite. I loved this powerful and endearing portrait of a girl who must summon deep within herself the grit and wisdom to grow up." And here’s Daniel Goldin’s take: "Even if you’ve read Allegra Goodman before, you’ve never read a novel like Sam. It’s told completely from her perspective, keeping just the amount of distance you might expect from an adolescent who values her privacy. With any number of childhood setbacks, Sam’s seminal years leave her insecure at best and entering adulthood with any number of missteps. It’s rock climbing that gives her a sense of purpose, and while it doesn’t take her where she wants to go, it does lead to unseen paths - she just needs to find the right footholds. Quiet but powerful."

Allegra Goodman is the author of five novels, two short story collections, and a novel for young readers. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and elsewhere, and has been anthologized in The O Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories.

Nicole Kronzer, author of The Roof Over Our Heads
at Boswell
Friday, January 6, 6:30 pm - click here to register. 

Boswell Book Company presents an evening with Nicole Kronzer, author of The Roof Over Our Heads.

Finn lives in a family of theater lovers. His older brothers are both actors, and one of his moms is an actor and the other one is a director. They even live in an enormous historic mansion owned by the Beauregard, Minnesota's largest regional theater. Finn is desperate to be an actor, too, despite the fact that he can never seem to remember his lines. When a new artistic director threatens to sell the Jorgensen house and kick his family out of the only home he's ever known, his family puts on a show - an immersive 1890s experience unlike anything else out there. But will it be too much for his mom Lula, who is recovering from cancer? Will Finn connect with his crush and deal with his long-time rival, Jade? Will saving the house save Finn's acting career? Funny, warm, and full of Victorian hijinks, this is a novel for anyone looking for a place to belong.

Nicole Kronzer is a former professional actor and improvisor who now teaches English and creative writing, and she is the author of Unscripted. She loves to knit and run (usually not at the same time) and has named all the plants in her classroom.

Tom Haig, author of Global Nomad: My Travels Through Diving, Tragedy, and Rebirth
at North Shore Public Library, 6800 N Port Washington Rd
Sunday, January 8, 2:30 pm 

North Shore Library and Boswell Book Company present an afternoon event featuring Glendale native Tom Haig, who will chat about his new book, Global Nomad, a memoir of his astonishing journey, from state diving champion at Nicolet High School to traveling the globe as a professional high diver and finally, to rolling the streets of Katmandu and Dakar in a wheelchair.

No registration required, but please RSVP via Facebook. Click here to visit the Facebook event page. 

In Global Nomad, Haig shares his early free-wheeling life of traveling to more than 50 countries as a professional diver, tells the story of the life-changing accident that resulted in being wheelchair-bound, and relates his extraordinary return to adventure: racing in marathons, traveling solo in some of the poorest countries in the world, meeting the Dalai Lama, jamming with jazz great Oscar Klein, holding disability seminars, and starting the International Rehabilitation Forum with his physician brother, Andy. In the process, he bares the unvarnished aftermath and heartbreaking vulnerabilities that follow permanent paralysis and inspires us all to take risks and live remarkable, generous, lives.

From John Naber, author and Olympic swimming champion: "Haig has led an amazing life, and he is still living it. This global nomad meets interesting people as he overcomes challenges that might frighten an Olympian. Tom and his life are an inspiration!"

Tom Haig speaks and writes on disability issues, and will be inducted into the Nicolet High School Athletic Hall of Fame in January. Global Nomad is his first book.

Jonathan Gillard Daly, author of Rough Magic: Scenes from an Actor's Life
at Boswell
Monday, January 9, 6:30 pm - click here to register.

Boswell hosts an evening with Milwaukee actor and playwright John Gillard Daly, who appears with his memoir Rough Magic, in which he offers a glimpse backstage and gives an intimate account of the challenges, sacrifices, and triumphs of a creative life.

Rough Magic takes readers on a journey through the life of a creative, introverted young boy who, much to his own surprise, grows up to become a professional stage actor. And Jonathan Gillard Daly set out on a journey of self-discovery as he drew from the personal journals that he kept throughout his life, and wrote an account of how he discovered his inner talent and passion for acting.

Rough Magic abounds with anecdotes of a life in the theatre, the kind of backstage drama, onstage disasters, and sublime moments of true artistry that theatre fans love to hear about. But this memoir also steps away from the footlights, changes into street clothes and exits the stage door into the world of a satisfying, demanding, uncertain and meaningful life. It's a look at the offstage life of an actor, told with openness and candor.

Rough Magic is dedicated to Daly’s sister, the late Anne McMahon, a bookseller for close to 40 years, at Waldenbooks, the Book Nook, Harry W Schwartz Bookshops, and Boswell Book Company.

Jonathan Gillard Daly has acted in hundreds of productions and has taught professional acting as well. He has written five plays, three of which have enjoyed professional productions, and was a resident actor at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre for twenty seasons.

Photo credits
Allegra Goodman by Nina Subin