Reader, Meet Author
MONDAY
The perniciousness of apartheid, as well as its utter inanity, is well distilled in the person of Sandra Laing. While born to white parents, her darker complexion caused authorities to classify her as black at age nine, then white again at age eleven. For people too casually comfortable with discrimination, Judith Stone’s account of Laing’s life, When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race [in South Africa], is a powerful reminder that anyone can end up on the wrong side of the fence. Olsson’s, 1307 19th St. NW., 7 p.m.
TUESDAY
Clint Bolick heads to the always decadent environs of the Cato Institute to discuss his book, David's Hammer: The Case for an Activist Judiciary. Maybe he’ll point out that those who are quickest to decry an activist judiciary are also the ones most bent on ensuring we get saddled with one. 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, at noon. For reservations call (202) 789-5229.
WEDNESDAY
Fresh off his appearance on The Colbert Report, author Jabari Asim comes to town to discuss his latest effort, The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, and Why. We recommend that anyone who still thinks “niggardly” is a racial slur attend. Vertigo Books, 7346 Baltimore Ave., College Park., 7 p.m.
THURSDAY
If you are ready to reject the rules of gender and conformity, head to—where else?—Busboys and Poets to attend a discussion with Matt Sycamore Bernstein and Rocko Bulldagger, who’ll be on hand to sign Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity. DCist: now searchable using the terms “rocko” and “bulldagger.” 2021 14th St. NW., 6 p.m.
Also, Thank You For Smoking author Christopher Buckley will be at Politics and Prose with another one of his immodest proposals in Boomsday, whose heroine champions an interesting policy--killing off Baby Boomers at age 75 in order to reduce the national debt. Sadly, this is only fiction. 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY
Picking up where his previous history, Grand Expectations, leaves off, James Patterson chronicles the end of the twentieth century in America with Restless Giant, and once again demonstrates his deftness at navigating the historical record by blending pop-culture, political events, and economic trends in one seamless snapshot of American society. Politics and Prose, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
Spurred by his son—whose mental illness contributed to his running afoul of the law—author and journalist Pete Earley has done an exhaustive study of the country’s mental health system. While his book, Crazy, is not without its share on controversy, its “in-the-trenches” look at a system in disrepair is worth the time, especially if you have a mentally ill family member in your life. Barnes and Noble, 12193 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive, Fairfax, 2 p.m.