Press/Journalists

National Archives Presents Four Noontime Book Talks in January
Press Release · Thursday, December 23, 2010

Washington, DC…The National Archives presents four noontime book talks in January. These events are free and open to the public and will be held in the Jefferson Room and Room 105 of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, which is located on the National Mall and is fully accessible. For programs in the Jefferson Room, please use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW.

BOOK TALK:  A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson
Wednesday, January 5, at noon, Jefferson Room
The 40-year love affair between Rachel and Andrew Jackson parallels a tumultuous period in American history. But like many great love stories, this one ended tragically when Rachel died only weeks after Andrew was elected President. Historian and author Patricia Brady discusses her book A Being So Gentle and the devoted partnership between the Jacksons. A book signing will follow the program; the book is available at a discount from the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) before and during the event.

BOOK TALK:  The Hellhound of Wall Street
Thursday, January 13, at noon, Jefferson Room
In The Hellhound of Wall Street:  How Ferdinand Pecora’s Investigation of the Great Crash Forever Changed American Finance, Michael Perino discusses the 1933 Senate hearings that put Wall Street on trial. This is the story of Ferdinand Pecora, the Senate committee’s chief counsel, who unmasked the financial wrongdoing that preceded the Crash of 1929. A book signing will follow the program; the book is available at a discount from the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) before and during the event.

BOOK TALK:  Civil Rights History: On American Soil
Thursday, January 20, at noon, Jefferson Room
Jack Hamann will discuss On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of WWII, an account of one of the most controversial events in American civil rights and military justice history. In the U.S. Army’s largest and longest court-martial of World War II, 43 African American soldiers were accused of rioting and charged with the murder of an Italian prisoner of war. After dozens of interviews and years of research, Hamann uncovered documents in the National Archives that shed new light on the case and led to justice for the African American soldiers. A book signing will follow the program; the book is available at a discount from the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) before and during the event.

BOOK TALK:  Libby Prison Breakout: The Daring Escape from the Notorious Civil War Prison
Wednesday, January 26, at noon, Room 105 (Please use the Pennsylvania Ave. entrance)
Joseph Wheelan recounts the largely unknown story of the escape of 109 Union officers from Richmond’s Libby Prison through a 55-foot tunnel and their flight through enemy territory. A book signing will follow the program; the book is available at a discount from the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) before and during the event.

Please note: The National Archives William G. McGowan Theater in Washington, DC, is temporarily closed to the public for needed improvements to the lighting, projection, and recording systems. The Theater will reopen in late February 2011, in time to host the Seventh Annual Showcase of Academy Award®-nominated Documentaries and Short Subjects (Feb. 23 -27), presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in partnership with The Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film and the Foundation for the National Archives.

To verify the date and times of the programs, the public should call the Public Programs Line at: (202) 357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events online. To request an accommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) for a public program, e-mail public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000 two weeks prior to the event.

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For Press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs Staff at (202) 357-5300.

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