Black Oak Books discussion

All events are at our Berkeley location. Visit [http://events.blackoakbooks.com] for more info.

Monday September 10 7 pm
In a thrilling and ambitious take on this innovative field of study, Big History begins when the universe is no more than a single point of unimaginable density and ends with a planet inhabited by 6.1 billion people. Local historian Cynthia Stokes Brown creates a stunning synthesis of historical knowledge and cutting-edge science that puts mankind in the context of its ecological impact on the planet.

Tuesday September 11 7 pm
Examining U.S. foreign policy’s influence on cover-ups of past domestic criminal acts, perhaps including 9/11, Berkeley scholar Peter Dale Scott probes how America’s expansion into the world has catered to agendas of private wealth at the expense of the public. The Road to 9 11 shows how other societies have recovered after a similar cycle of imperial overreach and internal decay and how a reinvigorated American public could restore a more open society.

Monday September 17 7 pm
Author, activist, and columnist Norman Solomon traces five decades of disturbing trends in American public life: warfare abroad and acquiescence at home. Made Love Got War is a kaleidoscope of personal adventures and political insights that backdrop his critique of our country’s increasingly militaristic attitudes and of the media’s failure to question them.

Tuesday September 18 7 pm
A gritty collection of stories set in the sunburnt edges of Nevada and Arizona, Desert Gothic introduces a darkly inventive new voice. With prose as sneaky as the landscape it depicts, Don Waters lends empathy and an edgy wit to these harsh and beautiful places, with an uncompromising eye toward the grim yet fascinating journeys of characters who have decided they have had enough of second chances.

Wednesday September 19 7 pm
What happens when public image overtakes the living of a life? In her fourth novel, local author Lucy Jane Bledsoe sinks her teeth into nostalgia, obsession and what can inspire a life or derail it. With its sophisticated humor and a cast of strong, unusual women, Biting the Apple is a deft, engrossing take on the search for authenticity.

Monday September 24 7 pm
Six new West Coast poets remind us that verse is alive and well in Yuba Flows. Kirsten Casey, Gary Cooke, Cheryl Dumesnil, Judy Halebsky, Iven Lourie and Scott Young share voices that are distinct and fresh, true to themselves and to the vitality of the American language in their varied and engaging debut.

Wednesday September 26 7 pm
60 on Up is everything most books about aging are not. With refreshing candor and characteristic wit, best-selling author Lillian Rubin explores the issues of our graying nation, the triumph of our new longevity, as well as the pain, both emotional and physical, that coexists alongside such advances — offering a much-needed road map for the uncharted territory that lies ahead.