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- Michaela McNichol Doris Kearns Goodwin Doris Kearns Goodwin captivates the audience with stories that she unearthed about the 16th president during 10 years of research for "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln." She said Lincoln won the hearts of most of his rivals through his compassion, kindness, courage and humor.	- Jane Sargus John Hope Franklin John Hope Franklin's autobiography "Mirror to America" reflects the history of race relations in America during his lifetime. Citing the events following Hurricane Katrina as an example, he said, "We are still struggling to become a nation of peoples, and we have not yet gotten there."	- Jane Sargus Robert Remini Robert Remini says his history of the House of Representatives is, at its heart, a story about people. He discusses the challenges he faced in deciding what to include in a scant, one-volume history of this "unique institution," founded more than 200 years ago.
- Jane Sargus Douglas Brinkley Douglas Brinkley tells the crowd that a major national initiative to rebuild the levees and restore the wetlands is needed now to save New Orleans. He discusses the subject passionately in his book "The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast."	- Michaela McNichol Judith Viorst Judith Viorst says she wanted to be a writer since she was 7 and in the second grade. She told the children in the audience that books can help with feelings, take you to far-off places and let you live all different kinds of lives.	- Gail Fineberg Sharon Robinson Sharon Robinson tells a story about her famous father, Jackie Robinson, who integrated major league baseball when Branch Rickey signed him to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. She is the author of several books for young readers, including "Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America."
- Gail Fineberg Betsy Lewin Illustrator Betsy Lewin tells an audience of budding authors and artists that it is important to read and write. "Once you can read and write, you can communicate with everybody all over the world; you can go anywhere you want when you've got words to work with."	- Gail Fineberg Andrew Clements Andrew Clements, author of popular teen favorites such as "Frindle," tells his young fans that "a book is a string of words." He demonstrates how the words add up by stretching out the book jackets of the 50 books he has written over the past 21 years.	- Michaela McNichol Donald Hall Poet Laureate Donald Hall divides his hour in the Poetry Pavilion between reading an array of poems from his latest book "White Apples and the Taste of Stone" and answering questions from interviewer Jeffrey Brown of PBS. Hall told Brown that he is optimistic about the future of poetry.
- Michaela McNichol Yevgeny Yevtushenko Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko reads from his poems at the National Book Festival at the invitation of the Librarian of Congress. The Librarian told reporters that Yevtushenko could "move stadiums full of people" with his words and say things that journalists could not say.	- Michaela McNichol Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini tells the audience that the story of Amir in his book "The Kite Runner" mirrors his own childhood, growing up in a middle-class home in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the early 1970s. According to Hosseini, the story was "in my bones, part of my life."	- Keisha Manderson Geraldine Brooks Geraldine Brooks' Pulitzer Prize-winning book "March" is her invention of what happens to John March, the fictional, absent father of the March girls in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," during the years he is away from them. She drew from journals of the period and other historical documents.
- Keisha Manderson Scott Turow Scott Turow explains that the inspiration for his latest book, "Ordinary Heroes," was his father's experience as a doctor during World War II. Aided by his letters, photos and maps, Turow developed a storyline that follows the route his father took across Europe during the war.	- Keisha Manderson Marie Arana Marie Arana, editor of The Washington Post's Book World, discusses her novels "American Chica" and "Cellophane." "I am usually on the other side of the introductions," said the book reviewer, whose novels draw on her family history and Latino culture. "Talking about my novel is not easy for me."	- Keisha Manderson Christopher Buckley Christopher Buckley, best-selling author of "Thank You for Smoking," discusses the art of picking the perfect title for a book. "It's a tricky business coming up with a good title," the humorist told that audience, which he kept entertained with biting one-liners.
- Keisha Manderson George Pelecanos George Pelecanos tells the audience in the Mysteries and Thrillers pavilion that his most recent novel, "The Night Gardener," was inspired by the unsolved Freeway Phantom Murders in Washington, D.C., during the early 1970s. Pelecanos said he wrote about the detectives' lingering obsession with solving the murders.	- Erin Allen Sally Squires "Eat smart and move more," advises Washington Post health writer Sally Squires, who founded the popular Lean Plate Club. For the past five years Squires has encouraged online readers to stay active and not get overwhelmed by the volume of food choices that are available.	- Erin Allen John Grogan Peppering his remarks with playful but poignant anecdotes on life with his Labrador retriever, John Grogan discusses his book "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog." He tells the story of a dog who taught him and his family patience, commitment, optimism and joy.
- Erin Allen Marcus Samuelsson Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson discusses his book "The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa." Raised in Sweden, Samuelsson went back to his Ethiopian roots to research this cookbook devoted to the cuisine of the African continent.	- Francine Liem Alexandra Stoddard Interior designer Alexandra Stoddard dispenses sage advice on contemporary living in her book "Time Alive: Celebrate Your Life Every Day." On the subject of home decorating, she says, "Create a sanctuary of your home. No one may like your taste, but do it for yourself."

Children

Sponsored by AT&T

• Bryan Collier
• Tony DiTerlizzi
• Betsy Lewin
• John McCutcheon
• Shelia P. Moses
• Kadir Nelson
• Mark Teague
• Judith Viorst
• Mo Willems
• NBA/WNBA

Teens & Children

Sponsored by Target

• Andrew Clements
• Judith Ortiz Cofer
• Sharon Draper
• Stephenie Meyer
• Richard Peck
• Sharon Robinson
• Louis Sachar
• Terry Trueman
• Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
• Letters About Literature (national winners)

Fiction & Fantasy

Sponsored by The James Madison Council

• Marie Arana
• Geraldine Brooks
• Christopher Buckley
• Julia Glass
• Khaled Hosseini
• Elmer Kelton & Lucia St. Clair Robson
• Sharyn McCrumb
• Alice McDermott
• Spider Robinson & Jeanne Robinson

Mysteries & Thrillers

Sponsored by The Amend Group

• Harlan Coben
• Michael Connelly
• Vince Flynn
• Brad Meltzer
• George Pelecanos
• Kathy Reichs
• Lisa Scottoline
• Daniel Silva
• Alexander McCall Smith
• Scott Turow

History & Biography

Sponsored by AARP

• Kai Bird & Martin Sherwin
• Taylor Branch
• Douglas Brinkley
• Andrew Carroll
• Bruce Feiler
• John Hope Franklin
• Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Kay Bailey Hutchison
• Nathaniel Philbrick
• Robert Remini
• Bob Woodward

Home & Family

Sponsored by Target

• Willliam Alexander
• Kevin Clash
• Jim Cramer
• G. Garvin
• John Grogan
• James Reston, Jr.
• Marcus Samuelsson
• Sally Squires
• Alexandra Stoddard
• Rosalind Wiseman

Poetry

Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts

• Cyrus Cassells
• Judith Ortiz Cofer
• Dick Davis
• Dana Gioia
• Donald Hall (Poet Laureate)
• Daniel Hoffman
• Mary Karr
• Elise Paschen
• Amy Uyematsu
• Yevgeny Yevtushenko
• David Yezzi
• Poetry Out Loud (state winners)

Sponsors of the 2006 National Book Festival

Distinguished Benefactor
Target

Charter Sponsors
AT&T
The Amend Group
The Washington Post

Patrons
AARP
The James Madison Council
National Endowment for the Arts

Contributors
Barnes & Noble
Marshall and Dee Ann Payne
NBA/WNBA
PBS
Penguin Group (USA)
Scholastic Inc.

Friends
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Endowment for the Humanities

Special Thanks
The Junior League of Washington once again provided hundreds of volunteers to support the National Book Festival and the promotion of reading and literacy.

Back to December 2006 - Vol 65, No. 12