May 31, 2016 Center for the Book to Hold Three Author Events in June

This month, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will sponsor three events in its long-running series Books & Beyond. All events include an author discussion followed by a book-signing, and books will be available for sale. The events are free and open to the public; no tickets are required. All events are in the Library’s James Madison Building, located at 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, June 8, at noon in the Mary Pickford Theater, third floor
Marlene Trestman discusses her book "Fair Labor Lawyer: The Remarkable Life of New Deal Attorney and Supreme Court Advocate Bessie Margolin" (Louisiana State University Press, 2016). During her long life, Bessie Margolin shaped modern American labor policy as a Supreme Court advocate, while creating a place for female lawyers in the nation’s highest courts. Margolin overcame such obstacles as being raised in an orphanage and being a Southern Jewish woman in the legal profession to become a lawyer who argued many cases before the Supreme Court.

Marlene Trestman is a former special assistant to the Maryland attorney general, where she started her 30-year legal career in 1982. She has taught law at Loyola University of Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business & Management, where she earned her MBA. A former trustee of Goucher College, she currently serves on the board of Goucher’s Prison Education Partnership.

Tuesday, June 14, at noon in the Mary Pickford Theater, third floor
Michael Waldman discusses his new book, "The Fight to Vote" (Simon & Schuster, 2016). In the book, Waldman analyses a crucial American struggle: actions to define and defend government based on the consent of the governed. From the nation’s earliest days, as Americans sought the right to vote, others have fought to stop them. This is the first book to trace the full story from the founders’ debates to today’s challenges.

Michael Waldman is president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, a nonpartisan law and policy institute that focuses on improving the systems of democracy and justice. He was director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999. He comments widely in the media on law and policy.

Thursday, June 16, at noon in the Mumford Room, sixth floor
Stephen Hess discusses his book "America’s Political Dynasties: From Adams to Clinton" (Brookings Institution Press, 2015). Beginning with John Adams, America’s first vice president, Hess paints portraits of the men and women who have comprised America’s political elite. He includes the well-known dynasties of the Roosevelts and the Kennedys, as well as the little-known politicians.

Stephen Hess is senior fellow emeritus in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. His many books include "The Professor and the President: Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the Nixon White House."

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions.

The Library’s Center for the Book, established by Congress in 1977 to "stimulate public interest in books and reading," is a national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages through its affiliated state centers, collaborations with nonprofit reading-promotion partners and through the Young Readers Center and the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. For more information, visit read.gov.