The Kansas City Public Library hosts author William Graebner for a presentation based on his latest book, Patty’s Got a Gun: Patricia Hearst in 1970s America, on Wednesday, January 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

In 1974, a San Francisco robbery committed by the Symbionese Liberation Army included 19-year-old accomplice Patty Hearst, an heiress who had been kidnapped by the terrorist group. The robbery lead to a trial that depicted the “brainwashed” heiress as a symptom of 1960s liberalism gone wrong.

Graebner offers the first substantial reconsideration of the Patty Hearst story in decades, delivering a nuanced portrait of 1970s America, the repercussions of which can still be felt.

A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Admission is free. Click here or call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.