Kansas City-based independent writer and producer Jack Cashill marks the one-year anniversary of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with a skeptical analysis that looks past the headlines and delves into the pages of history on Thursday, April 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The talk is based on Cashill’s new book Popes and Bankers: A Cultural History of Credit and Debt from Aristotle to AIG, an engaging and amusing historical review of the endlessly fascinating topic of credit and debt. The book features a dizzying cast of characters, including church officials, loan sharks, the founding fathers, Martin Luther, Charles Ponzi, Karl Marx, FDR, J.P. Morgan, Michael Milken, Barney Frank, and even the Knights Templar.

Copies of Popes and Bankers: A Cultural History of Credit and Debt from Aristotle to AIG will be available for sale, and Cashill will sign copies purchased during the event.