Wednesday, November 1st at 7:30 p.m.
Carly Fiorina
Tough Choices: A Memoir
(Portfolio)
By accepting the CEO job at Hewlett-Packard, Fiorina confirmed her status as the most powerful businesswoman in America, but she also made herself the subject of endless analysis, debate, and speculation. In Tough Choices, Fiorina writes with brutal honesty about her triumphs and failures, her deepest fears and most painful confrontations—including her sudden and very public firing. She also details her surprising rise as a business leader: a liberal arts major and law school dropout, she didn’t even consider a business career until her mid-twenties. Tough Choices shows what it’s really like to lead a major corporation in a time of great change while trying to stay true to your values. It’s one woman’s inspiring story, along with her unique perspective on leadership, technology, globalization, sexism, and many other issues.
Thursday, November 2nd at 7:30 p.m.
Malika Oufkir
Freedom: The Story of My Second Life
(Miramax)
In her internationally bestselling memoir Stolen Lives, Oufkir recounted her family’s drastic tumble from extreme privilege in the Moroccan royal house to two decades spent in a Moroccan jail after her father was executed for attempting to assassinate the king. After a remarkable escape, she returned to the world again, only to find it transformed. In Freedom, Malika writes candidly about adjusting to this new life that moved ahead while she was suspended in time—from navigating ATMs and the excesses of shopping malls to her soulful need to become a mother. Full of insight and piercing observations, Freedom is as masterful and thought-provoking as Oufkir’s astonishing debut.
Sunday, November 5th at 2:30 p.m. *
Joe Mathews
The People's Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy
(Public Affairs)
Just in time for Election Day 2006! The twin arts of direct democracy and blockbuster moviemaking grew up together, and with the state's recall election in 2003, direct democracy and blockbuster movies officially merged. The result: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Los Angeles Times political reporter Mathews traces the roots of both movie and political populism, how Schwarzenegger used these twin forces to win the election and, especially, how he has used them to govern. Hereports on whether this system of governing proves blessing, curse, or general mess, and on the remarkable man with the nerve to carry it out.
* Please Note Time
Thursday, November 9th at 7:30 p.m.
Melissa Fay Greene
There is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children
(Bloomsbury)
This is the astonishing story of Haregewoin Teferra, an Ethiopian woman of modest means whose home has become a refuge for hundreds of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. A story about the bond between children and parents as well as the devastating epidemic that every year leaves millions of children without family, this work focuses on one woman who turned a personal tragedy into a rich generosity that has changed the lives of many. Tefferra now runs a school, a daycare, and a shelter for sick mothers, and has placed orphaned children with families like that of journalist Melissa Fay Greene (Praying for Sheetrock, The Temple Bombing, Last Man Out) herself.
“Our contemporary Schindler’s List, one person’s heroic efforts to right a tilting world.” –Alex Kotlowitz.
Friday, November 10th at 7:30 p.m.
Janet Hirshenson & Jane Jenkins
A Star is Found: Our Adventures Casting Some of Hollywood's Biggest Movies
(Harcourt)
Would you have picked Tom Hanks for The Da Vinci Code guy? Want to know what to do if you finally get an audition call-back? Two of Hollywood’s top casting directors tell how they spot stars in the making and how decisions are made in their crucial craft in this lively memoir. Partners in The Casting Company for over twenty years, these two have rubbed elbows with directors like Coppola and Spielberg and helped begin the careers of actors Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, John Cusack, Benicio Del Toro, and the Harry Potter kids. This event is supported by the Santa Cruz Film Festival. Come join us for a star-filled night.
Sunday, November 12th at 2:30 p.m. *
Mireille Guiliano
French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasures
(Knopf)
In the voice that entranced more than a million honorary French women in the bestselling French Women Don’t Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano, the President and CEO of Clicquot, Inc., demonstrates that there is indeed an art to joyful living, and that being bien dans sa peau and true to one’s individual nature is the key to a long and healthy life. In this new collection of sumptuous recipes and tips for a healthy, sexy, fabulous life—à la française—she imparts irresistible advice on everything from decanting to detoxing, from yogurt to yoga, and how to savor all of life’s moments in moderation, in season, and, above all, with pleasure.
* Please Note Time
Tuesday, November 14th at 7:30 p.m.
Douglas Chadwick
The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales
(Sierra Club Books)
The largest creatures to inhabit the Earth, whales have long inspired awe. With advancement in technology, fresh facts are now coming to light about these magnificent mammals. Having followed and reported on all things whale for more than a decade, Chadwick now offers a fascinating insider's view of modern-day scientific whale observation--from data gathering to spirited scientific debate to expedition storytelling. In detailed portraits of five whale species, Chadwick (True Grizz, The Fate of the Elephant) moves deftly from natural history to more personal observations, clearly communicating his fondness and admiration for these mammoth masters of the sea, as well as the sheer joy of being among them.
Wednesday, November 15th at 6:30 p.m. *
Book Club
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
(Scribner)
This month’s selection is Brick Lane by Monica Ali. After an arranged marriage to Chanu, a man twenty years older, Nazneen is taken to London, leaving her home and heart in the Bangladeshi village where she was born. Her new world is full of mysteries. How can she cross the road without being hit by a car? What is a Hell's Angel? And how must she comfort the na‹ve and disillusioned Chanu?As a good Muslim girl, Nazneen struggles to not question why things happen. She submits, as she must, to Fate and devotes herself to her husband and daughters. Yet to her amazement, she begins an affair with a handsome young radical, and her erotic awakening throws her old certainties into chaos. Read it and join us!
* Please Note Time
Thursday, November 16th at 7:30 p.m.
Robert Scheer
Playing President: My Relationships with Nixon, Carter, Bush I, Reagan and Clinton—and How They Did Not Prepare Me for George W. Bush
(Akashic Books)
Robert Scheer's interviews with and profiles of US presidents have shaped journalism history. Scheer developed close journalistic relationships with Presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton. His reporting on them had a tangible impact on national debate, such as the eminent 1976 Playboy interview in which Jimmy Carter, as presidential candidate, admitted to having lusted in his heart; and the 1980 interview with the Los Angeles Times during which Bush I confessed to Scheer his dream of a "winnable nuclear war." This veteran journalist now offers an unparalleled insight into the presidential mind. He analyses each administration since Nixon, including George W. Bush, offering insights that will surprise the reader—particularly those with rigid preconceptions about the decision-making processes of our leaders. Scheer is the Editor-in-Chief of TruthDig.com, host of NPR’s Left, Right and Center, a contributor to The Nation and The New York Times, and the author of six books (including The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq).
Sunday, November 19th at 2:30 p.m. *
Frank McCourt
Teacher Man
(Scribner)
The irresistible storyteller who gave us the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis continues to demonstrate his astounding humor and compassion. Now in paperback, Teacher Man, by the entertaining and inspiring Frank McCourt, is the critically acclaimed and bestselling book about how his thirty-year teaching career shaped his second act as a writer. Teacher Man is also an urgent tribute to teachers everywhere. In bold and spirited prose featuring his irreverent wit and heartbreaking honesty, McCourt records the trials, triumphs and surprises of teaching in public high schools. It also chronicles the development of his unparalleled ability to tell a great story as, five days a week, five periods per day, he works to gain the attention and respect of unruly, hormonally charged or indifferent adolescents. For McCourt, storytelling itself is the source of salvation, and in Teacher Man the journey to redemption--and literary fame--is an exhilarating adventure.
* Please Note Time. This event was not included in Book Café’s published November 2006 Event Calendar.
Monday, November 20th at 7:30 p.m.
Bruce Rosenblum & Fred Kuttner
Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness
(Oxford University Press)
"This book is unique. I know of no other which so artfully tackles two of the greatest mysteries of modern science, quantum mechanics and consciousness. It has long been suspected that these mysteries are somehow related: the authors’ treatment of this thorny and controversial issue is honest, wide-ranging and immensely readable.”—George Greenstein, Professor of Astronomy, AmherstCollege.
The most successful theory in all of science—and the basis of one third of our economy—says the strangest things about the world and about us. Do you believe physical reality can be created by our observation of it? Trying to understand the atom, physicists built quantum mechanics and found, to their embarrassment, that their theory intimately connects consciousness with the physical world. Authors Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner, both UCSC professors of physics, explain all of this in non-technical terms with help from some fanciful stories and bits about the theory’s developers.
Sunday, November 26th at 7:30 p.m.
Ngugi wa'Thiong'o
Wizard and the Crow
(Random House)
From the exiled Kenyan novelist, playwright, poet, and literary critic comes a magisterial comic novel that is certain to take its place as a landmark of postcolonial African literature. In exile now for more than twenty years, Ngugi wa Thiong’o has become one of the most widely read African writers of our time. His books include Petals of Blood for which he was imprisoned by the Kenyan government in 1977. His aim in Wizard of the Crow is nothing less than “to sum up Africa of the twentieth century in the context of two thousand years of world history,” and he succeeds masterfully through traditional African storytelling.
Commencing in “our times” and set in the “Free Republic of Aburlria,” the novel dramatizes with corrosive humor and keenness of observation a battle for control of the souls of the people. Among the contenders: His High Mighty Excellency; the Wizard, an avatar of folklore and wisdom; the corrupt Christian Ministry; and the nefarious Global Bank. Fashioning the stories of the powerful and the ordinary into a dazzling mosaic, Wizard of the Crow reveals humanity in all its endlessly surprising complexity. This event was made possible by the generous efforts of The Provost of Merrill College and the UCSC Alumni Association.
Thursday, November 30th at 7:00 p.m.*
World Affairs Book Club
The Punishment of Virtues: Inside after the Taliban by Sarah Chayes
(Penguin Press)
Once a NPR reporter covering the last stand of the Taliban in their home base of Kandahar, Chayes left reporting to help turn the country's fortunes, accepting a job running a nonprofit founded by President Karzai's brother. With remarkable access to leading players in the postwar government, Chayes witnessed a tragic story unfold—the U.S. government and armed forces allowed corrupt militia commanders and even Taliban forces to return to power. Of her remarkable account, Ahmed Rashid says, Chayes’s book is “the most gripping, sensitive, funny, perceptive...beautifully written book you will ever read on Afghanistan, US policy and nation building." Email Jenn at Jenn_Ramage@yahoo.com or call 462-4415 for more information.
* Please Note Time
Thursday, November 30th at 7:30 p.m.
Leonard Pitt
Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of Historic Paris
(Shoemaker & Hoard)
When he discovered that the city he lived in for many years was actually entirely rebuilt during the mid-1800s, Pitt plunged into Paris's history and began photographing and lecturing on the demolition and reconstruction that changed the city forever. His work chronicles Paris's great periods of urban reconstruction through four walking tours, providing the history of each site along with the motives behind the urban redesign and the reactions of Parisians who witnessed it. Complete with a gorgeous collection of photographs and mementoes of the city that used to be, this work will transport you in time and place, until you can take the walks yourself. Pitt is a renowned actor who has performed around the world in the arts of mime, physical theater, Eco-Rap, and even Bali mask theater. The author of A Small Moment of Great Illumination as well, this man will give a show as rich and whimsical as Paris itself!
2006 HOLIDAY SALES ARE COMING…..
Monday, November 20 – Sunday, November 26
20% OFF All Cards, Wrap & Gift Items
Monday, November 27 – Sunday, December 3
20% OFF All Hardcover Children’s Books
Monday, December 4 – Sunday, December 10
20% OFF All Hardcover Nonfiction Books
Monday, December 11– Sunday, December 17
20% OFF All Hardcover Fiction and Poetry Books
Monday, December 18 – Saturday, December 31
20% OFF All 2007 Calendars
