MONDAY
You know, kids. If you are, for whatever reason, uncomfortable saying the Pledge of Allegiance in class, just cross your fingers or something, or say “the Sun God Ra” instead of “The United States of America.” Or just suck it up and deal, it’s not like the Pledge really has binding legal power. Or just take Joel Westheimer’s advice. He wrote a book about this stuff: Pledging Allegiance: The Politics of Patriotism in America’s Schools. Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street, NW, 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
The peripatetic Vollmann usually goes to great lengths and puts himself in harm’s way to get a story. Now, he trains his hard-hitting style on Poor People. That’s hard-hitting in the narrative sense. He doesn’t actually hit any poor people. That would be, well…kind of mean. At Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
If you missed Elizabeth Kostova, author of The Historian, when she came to town last October, you have another chance to invoice her for your back pain bills. Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW, 6:30 p.m. $25. For reservations call (202) 357-3030.
THURSDAY
Critics have lauded The Long Road Home, and its author, war correspondent Martha Raddatz, for capturing the April 4th battle over Sadr City in electrifying detail. Now you’ll get a chance to meet her as she discusses her book at Borders. 18th and L Streets, NW, 12:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Edward Brooke became the first African American elected to the Senate since Reconstruction in 1967, when this Massachusetts Republican defeated Endicott Peabody for the office. He served two terms, before ceding the office to the Awesome and Fearful Political Force Known As Paul Tsongas. He’ll be at Politics and Prose promoting his book, Bridging the Divide. 1 p.m.
SUNDAY
Pringles, Little House on the Prairie, Happy Meals—these are just a few of the fixations of a young Bich Minh Nguyen, who as an infant, came to the United States from Vietnam. In Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, she documents how she navigated between family tradition and the explosion of the ‘80s. Politics and Prose, 1 p.m.
