Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America - T.J. Stiles
Monday, November 9 | 6:30 p.m. | Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer T.J. Stiles fleshes out the life of Gen. George Armstrong Custer in a discussion of his new book.
Many, if not most, Americans' understanding of the famed U.S. cavalry officer begins and ends with his demise at Little Bighorn. But Custer took on national importance long before that, working as a politician, businessman, writer, and Army officer to lead the U.S. into a more modern age. He then struggled to cope with that change, as reflected by his many contradictions and complicated personal relationships.
Co-presented by Rainy Day Books.
Beyond the Gowns: Lady Bird Johnson - Betty Boyd Caroli
Tuesday, November 10 | 6:30 p.m. | Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
Lady Bird Johnson was no mere White House photo prop.
In a discussion of her new book, Lady Bird and Lyndon: The Hidden Story of a Marriage That Made a President, author Betty Boyd Caroli examines the exceptional life of the former Claudia Taylor. Husband Lyndon Johnson once described her as "the brains and money of this family." Her business acumen helped point him to the presidency, and she was a steadying influence on a man noted for his moodiness and volatility.
The presentation is part of the Beyond the Gowns series, co-presented by the Kansas City Public Library and the Truman Library Institute and made possible by grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Winter is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped - Garry Kasparov
Wednesday, November 11 | 6:30 p.m. | Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
World chess champion-turned-human rights activist Garry Kasparov sounded his first warning about Vladimir Putin in 2001. He now compares the Russian president with North Korea's Kim Jong-un and the Islamic State as an enemy of political liberty and the modern world order.
In a discussion of his book, Kasparov examines what he says is Putin's evolution from local to regional to global threat and advocates that the U.S. and its allies stand up to the bully rather than try to appease him. The world's No. 1-ranked chess player for 20 years, Kasparov has served since 2012 as chairman of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation.
Co-presented by the Show-Me Institute and made possible by a grant from the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation.
Programming is free at the Kansas City Public Library and free parking is available at all Library locations. Event attendees can RSVP at kclibrary.org or at 816.701.3407.