Tuesday, December 2: President Barack Obama’s “sphinx-like nature” has puzzled fans and foes alike, but it only took Chuck Todd 528 pages to crack it in his new book The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House (Little, Brown and Company, $29). Todd explores Obama’s mysterious “outsider” quality that both won him the presidency and has made it so difficult. Todd will be at Politics and Prose at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 2 to discuss the book.
“The change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington,” the then-future president said when accepting the Democratic nomination in 2008. But as Todd points out, the only change apparent to the Washington establishment was Obama himself. Given the nature of establishments, Obama may have been left at a disadvantage. His unique upbringing makes him “wired differently,” writes Todd, with a cool temperament that rubs some the wrong way. The President is also described as prioritizing policy over style in a political era that’s often about appearances.
Todd’s vantage point is a meaningful one. In ten years, he went from National Journal editor to NBC News White House correspondent to Meet The Press host. For The Stranger, he enlists his “unprecedented inner-circle sources” to break down Obama’s tenure from beginning to future, and the processes ultimately used to get things done.
The event is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, December 3: Who would have thought that a million people would want to mail their deepest secret to a random guy in Maryland? That is the story of PostSecret, which started in 2005 as an art project on Blogger and has so far led to an app, a live album, a CSI episode, and six books. The sixth book is The World of PostSecret (William Morrow, $30), which founder Frank Warren will be presenting at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue at 7 p.m. on December, 3.
Like the previous PostSecret books, The World of PostSecret is a new compilation of secrets that are bound to touch, disturb, and amuse you. It includes “inside stories about the most controversial secrets Warren has received; moving text from the new PostSecret play, foreign secrets, ‘puzzle’ secrets, and much more.”
At this multimedia event, Warren will display some of the secrets that were banned from the PostSecret books and “others that have transformed lives.” He will reveal his own secret and invite the audience to share theirs and feel liberated. As someone who attended one of Warren’s book events in college, it’s quite an experience — expect the unexpected when a bunch of strangers get vulnerable with each other.
One ticket comes with a book for $30, or two tickets and a book is $45. Purchase them here. Warren will sign books after the talk. Seating is first-come, first-served, and doors open at 6 p.m.
