Wednesday: Brookings Institution vice president Bruce Katz and fellow Jennifer Bradley will be joined by former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and PBS NewsHour correspondent Gwen Ifill at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue at 7 p.m. to launch and discuss their new book, The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros are Fixing our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy (Brookings Institution Press, $30).
Katz and Bradley will present the idea behind The Metropolitan Revolution: that power and problem solving seem to be moving away from Washington (i.e., Congress) and state governments, and are beginning to take a stronger hold in major U.S. cities. There, the book says, resources, researchers, and regional loyalty are abundant, and residents are energized to take initiative while policymakers stall. The book’s case studies include Portland, Ore., where local sustainability solutions are now being sold worldwide; Houston, where “a modern settlement house helps immigrants start climbing the employment ladder”; as well as stories out of New York City, Boston, Detroit, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Another part of this, according to the authors, is because more young adults are willing to move out of their parents’ homes and hometowns for expanding job opportunities in different cities and states., D.C. tops their list of annual migration to a metro area, with an average of 10,337 25- to 34-year-olds who moved to the city between 2009 and 2011.
Ifill will moderate the talk with Katz, Bradley, and Williams about how this “revolution” may help fix the American economy and political system. The book has been praised by Mayors Cory Booker and Rahm Emanuel, and Governor Jon Huntsman. Tickets are $12 each or two free with a book purchase, and they are available online or by calling TicketFly.
Thursday: Daniel Bergner of The New York Times Magazine will be at Politics and Prose at 7 p.m. to speak about his provocative new book, What Do Women Want?: Adventures in the Science of Female Desire (Ecco, $26).
The book, based on the author’s 2009 article of the same title, addresses fact and fiction when it comes to women and lust. The article explored new studies that found intriguing connections, or lack thereof, between women’s brains and bodies when exposed to explicit material and other stimulation. Some data seemed to clarify certain notions about female sexual orientation (more “fluid” by comparison to males) and what characteristics a woman looks for in a mate (a “caring caveman”).
Minds left inquiring after the similarly titled Mel Gibson movie might also want to know: Are women truly the more monogamous gender, primarily seeking intimacy and an emotional connection? Are they actually more sexually aggressive than men? Bergner answers these and other questions in What Do Women Want?. He touches on the future role pharmaceuticals may play as well — is a female version of Viagra in the works, and how would it affect society’s comfort level with a female sexual awakening?
What Do Women Want is Bergner’s fourth book. He will sign copies following the talk and question-and-answer session. This event is free and open to the public.
