The Letter from Barbara and Carla

2009 Man Booker Prize

We are delighted to announce that Hilary Mantel has won the 2009 Man Booker Prize, especially since we had already selected WOLF HALL as one of the Politics & Prose best books of the year for our upcoming holiday newsletter. Wolf Hall is an evocation of the reign of Henry VIII told through his lawyer, Thomas Cromwell. Imagine a cool book in which sex is only suggested with snide asides in conversation; and the intrigue lies in the skillful political jockeying.

Howard Norman says Mantel selected a brilliant narrative strategy; you have to read closely to figure out who is telling you what. What we have always admired about her is that she combines horror (as in beheadings -- not vampires) and humor so cleverly. She found a topic that fully engages her skill. Henry VIII would not brook opposition, and his punishments were gruesome. Mantel's style is understated and droll so even the squeamish can read on.

In awarding the prize, the jury quoted the words of Mantel's Thomas Cromwell, whose story this is, "The fate of peoples is made like this, two men in small rooms. Forget the coronations, the conclaves of cardinals, the pomp and processions. This is how the world changes."

The leading contender with Mantel was A.S. Byatt for THE CHILDREN'S BOOK, also an historical novel, and one about a period closer to ours, fin de siècle Britain leading up to WWI. Byatt reimagined a large group of aesthetes: writers, potters, puppet masters and more, all based on a group around E. Nesbit, the children's author. Those of us who have read Byatt's book also liked it a great deal.

Wolf Hall does not publish until next week, but you can reserve your copy NOW. The Children's Book arrived in the store on Tuesday.

Upcoming Programs

MICHAEL CHABON  - Friday, October 9 at Lisner Auditorium
Politics and Prose invites you to hear the writer Michael Chabon speak about his book of essays, Manhood for Amateurs, in which he presents his autobiography – who he is and how it informs his writing and himself.

Our floor manager Conor Moran wants those of you who love Michael Chabon's fiction to know, "Chabon’s second foray into non-fiction has all of the grace and wit of his best novels.  Manhood for Amateurs chronicles not only what it means to recognize yourself as a man, but, perhaps more importantly, how it feels to look back on the journey to adulthood.  Writing in short, easily digestible essays, Chabon brings healthy doses of humor, nostalgia, and frankness to his exploration of adulthood.  These pieces read like carefully plotted stories that illuminate our own lives and make us look at where we’re headed." Don't miss this opportunity to hear from this favorite author. Tickets are still available ($7, or get 2 free with purchase of the book).

A NEW EVENT -- Friday, October 23, 1 p.m.
TINA WASSERMAN - ENTRÉE TO JUDAISM COOKBOOK
Come meet Wasserman, food columnist for Reform Judaism magazine, who will be in the store signing copies of her cookbook and discussing ways food informs the histories and traditions of the great Jewish Diaspora communities.  Tina will provide complimentary sweet treats to accompany coffee. To reserve a book, call or email the store.

Dinner with The Author  –  Next Up: TOM GJELTEN
The new Dinner-with-the-Author program continues on Thursday,October 29 with Tom Gjelten, National Public Radio journalist and his book Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba. Tom’s book is a balanced, thoughtful history of Cuba. Focusing on one of its liberal and influential families he weaves together the personal with the historical. Click here for more information about the book.

The first dinner with Ron Suskind was a complete success: a chance to learn more about his book The Way of the World and our tragic entrance into Iraq, to meet and talk to a passionate reporter, and to meet other P&P members over a very good dinner.  The third dinner on Tuesday, November 17 features Rick Atkinson and a twentieth anniversary edition of The Long Gray Line, about the West Point class of 1966 that became the officer corps in the Vietnam War.  Each three-course dinner is at Rock Creek Restaurant (in Mazza Gallerie) and costs $65 per person or $115 for a couple and includes a paperback book. Please let Bonnie Kogod know if you would like to come: bkogod@politics-prose.com.

UPDATED WEBSITE and ONLINE SALE
On October 12, we will formally launch the updated www.politics-prose.com with more choices (including e-books) and easier ordering. As you know, P&P members always receive 20% off purchases of event books, bestsellers, and other promoted items, even when shopping online. To encourage you to test the new website, we are offering a special sale to ALL CUSTOMERS of 20% off any purchases completed online throughout the 24-hour period from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on October 12. Remember to TRY US FIRST! Our website is always open!!!

(The small print for the sale: Orders may be picked up in-store, but must be paid for online. Discounts will not apply to academic titles, textbooks, memberships, gift certificates, and other similar items at the discretion of P&P. Books listed as "Subject to Availability" or "Between Printings" may not be available.)

Politics & Prose Mexico Trip 2010
Every year Carla Cohen organizes a trip to Mexico at a point when winter never seems to end. This year we will leave wet and cold Washington on February 22, for ten days in brilliant sun, returning March 4. We learn about our important (and remarkably beautiful) neighbor to the south and read books, see great art, and enjoy one another’s company. Click here for more about Mexico and the P&P trip. Write to Carla@politics-prose.com for a full itinerary.

When we arrive in the airport in Mexico, the air is balmy, the jacarandas are in bloom, and the sun shines brightly almost every day. Mexico is easy to get to, very cosmopolitan, and, at the same time, gives us glimpses of history going back centuries. This year we will travel by bus from Mexico City to study pre-Columbian archeological sites, explore gracious colonial towns, and view crafts in small villages. We will spend four nights in the capital, then travel to a small city called Tlaxcala for two days, and finally finish with four nights at a resort hotel outside of Cuernavaca. We have a superb and informed guide who has been with us each year; he meets us at the airport and helps us navigate through Mexico.

The Week that Was - SIGNED BOOKS
This past week was one of the most exciting weeks in an exciting season. We can only present a small sample of the extraordinary events.

Certainly a highlight was Peter Yarrow’s presentation on Friday night. Although we had been told by the publisher that he would sing only “a couple” of songs, he regaled the audience of over 400 with a concert that lasted well over an hour. He invited the children to participate. He sang old favorites. He reminisced about his late musical partner Mary Travers. He spoke about the causes he has championed. Signed copies of DAY IS DONE and many of his other books are still available. Click here for a list.

Sunday, Neil Sheehan presented A FIERY PEACE IN A COLD WAR, his much praised new history of the Cold War and the missile race. The focus is on the admirable General Bernard Schriever who stood toe to toe with the crazed Curtis LeMay to champion an anti-ballistic missile system as a way of preventing war. 

Monday, Congressman BARNEY FRANK, Chair of the Financial Services Committee, spoke in conversation with his biographer Stuart Weisman and David Cohen, a long time public interest lobbyist (and Carla’s husband) at 6th and I Historic Synagogue. There was much laughter at Barney’s wit and much applause at his good, liberal sense.

Finally, last week journalist Peter Maass spoke for his book A CRUDE WORLD on all of the reasons why the U.S. should reduce the amount of oil that it uses. Click here to read what Carla wrote about it in her comments.

Tuesday, October 27, 7 p.m.
P&P READS: THE KNOWN WORLD with EDWARD P. JONES
We are sponsoring a reading group for the whole bookstore. Everyone is invited to participate in a discussion after reading the same book. If you enjoy it, we can continue twice a year or so to read or reread a book that we have loved. The Known World is a novel imagining the corrosive effects of slavery. Set in Virginia in the 1850s, the novel looks at the unusual, but not unheard-of, situation of a free black man who buys a slave to oversee his farm. Jones, who grew up in Washington, D.C., won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for this book. We are honored that he will join us to discuss his novel.

VOTE FOR US
Politics & Prose has been nominated in Express Night Out Reader's Poll for three categories. Best Indie Bookstore, Best Spot for Readings, and Best Place to Get Work Done. Also, please write-in the Modern Times Coffeehouse for Best Indie Coffeeshop. http://www.expressnightout.com/bestof/