2024 Festival Videos | Videos | National Book Festival | Programs

Film, Video

James Patterson: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians James Patterson is known for his addictive thrillers, but his nonfiction book “The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians” profiles Americans who get good books into the hands of readers across the country. He and moderator David M. Rubenstein talked about their love of reading — and respect for booksellers and librarians — at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington,…

Contributor: Patterson, James - Rubenstein, David M.
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

James McBride: Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden presented author James McBride with the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. McBride spoke with NPR’s Michel Martin about his latest novel “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” and his writing career.

Contributor: Martin, Michel - Hayden, Carla D. - McBride, James
Date: 2024-08-24

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Doris Kearns Goodwin: An Unfinished Love Story “An Unfinished Love Story” by Doris Kearns Goodwin is about the author’s marriage to Dick Goodwin, who seemed to be everywhere of any political importance during the 1960s: working for John F. Kennedy, for Lyndon B. Johnson, and as a speechwriter for Robert Kennedy. Goodwin discussed her book with David M. Rubenstein at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Rubenstein, David M. - Goodwin, Doris Kearns
Date: 2024-08-24

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Max Greenfield: Good Night Thoughts What do we do when our thoughts are racing? And they’re made worse by knowing it’s bedtime and you have to get to sleep right away? Actor and author Max Greenfield has a few ideas, and he talks about his picture book “Good Night Thoughts” with Chasten Buttigieg at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Greenfield, Max - Buttigieg, Chasten
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

Sandra Cisneros: 40 Years of ‘The House on Mango Street’ Sandra Cisneros celebrates the 40th anniversary of her novel, “The House on Mango Street,” a modern classic taught in schools nationwide. She talked about the book and its legacy in a talk with NPR journalist Rachel Martin at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Martin, Rachel - Cisneros, Sandra
Date: 2024-08-24

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Abby Jimenez and Casey McQuiston: Modern Dating, We Love It, We Hate It Relationship status: it’s definitely complicated. In Abby Jimenez’s rom-com “Just for the Summer,” Justin and Emma agree to date to break their curses, and in Casey McQuiston’s “The Pairing,” Theo and Kit need to use their expiring vacation voucher, four years after their breakup. Megan Labrise moderates a discussion with the authors at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Labrise, Megan - Jimenez, Abby - McQuiston, Casey
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

Tamron Hall and Lish Steiling: A Confident Cook In “A Confident Cook,” journalist, novelist and talk show host Tamron Hall and her co-author Lish Steiling invited beginners and those who are curious about cooking into the kitchen. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden talked with the authors about the joys of baked French toast with sparkling berries, crispy fried chicken and chai-spiced pudding at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in…

Contributor: Hayden, Carla D. - Hall, Tamron - Steiling, Lish
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

James S.A. Corey: After ‘The Expanse’ and ‘The Mercy of the Gods’ When humanity is overrun by an invading alien species, what will be required to survive? ‘The Mercy of Gods’ launches a new science fiction series from the authors of “The Expanse.” Placed in competition with other captive species, humans must remember who the real enemy is. Cyndee Landrum moderates a discussion with the creators of the series (who write under the pen name of…

Contributor: Landrum, Cyndee - Corey, James S.A. - Abraham, Daniel - Franck, Ty
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

Rebecca Yarros: ‘Romantasy’ Novels If you thought the first year of training as a dragon rider at Basgiath War College was tough, get ready for the second year. In “Iron Flame,” Violet Sorrengail navigates classes, politics, romance and the lies that have shaped her society for centuries. Author Rebecca Yarros discusses the book with Emily Kwong at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Kwong, Emily - Yarros, Rebecca
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

David Baldacci: ‘A Calamity of Souls’ In “A Calamity of Souls,” David Baldacci tackles the racial politics of a 1968 murder case in southern Virginia in which two very different lawyers partner together to defend a wrongfully accused Black Vietnam veteran. He discussed his book with Colleen Shogan at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Baldacci, David - Shogan, Colleen
Date: 2024-08-24

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Joy Buolamwini and Kyle Chayka: Investigating the Algorithm Algorithms aren’t just the code that suggests your next impulse buy. Joy Buolamwini (“Unmasking AI”) and Kyle Chayka (“Filterworld”) unearth a more troubling world where computer code flattens our culture into fragmented worlds where discrimination is rampant, anxiety predominates and profit is king. But can the algorithm contribute to a better world? The authors discuss their work with Regina G. Barber at the 2024…

Contributor: Barber, Regina G. - Buolamwini, Joy - Chayka, Kyle
Date: 2024-08-24

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Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: ‘Angel of Vengeance’ Step through a dimensional portal into 1880 New York City with Special Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene as they confront a dangerous serial killer in Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s 22nd Pendergast novel, “Angel of Vengeance,” discussed with the authors and Mimi Montgomery at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Preston, Douglas - Montgomery, Mimi - Child, Lincoln
Date: 2024-08-24

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Hayley Dennings and Marie Lu: Love Is a Battlefield The novels of Hayley Dennings (“This Ravenous Fate”) and Marie Lu (“Icon and Inferno”) sizzle with romance and adrenaline: assassination attempts, old flames, new relationships, reaper vampires, and more. The authors discuss their work with Ashley Dickerson at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Dickerson, Ashley - Dennings, Hayley - Lu, Marie
Date: 2024-08-24

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Christopher Paolini: ‘Murtagh’ Return to Alagaësia in Christopher Paolini’s “Murtagh,” which begins a year after the events of his earlier book, “Inheritance.” Eragon’s half-brother Murtagh and his dragon Thorn must investigate sinister signs of a threat to the world, while navigating a society that condemns them as traitors. Paolini discusses the book and other stories of Alagaësia at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in…

Contributor: Paolini, Christopher
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

Tomi Adeyemi and Vanessa Le: My Heritage Is My Weapon Zélie in Tomi Adeyemi’s “Children of Anguish and Anarchy” and Nhika in Vanessa Le’s “The Last Bloodcarver” want nothing more than freedom from their oppressors and colonizers, but are they willing to lose everything in return? Adeyemi and Le discuss their impactful fantasy novels with strong ties to heritage with Christine Bollow at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Bollow, Christine - Le, Vanessa - Adeyemi, Tomi
Date: 2024-08-24

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K.A. Cobell and Andrew Joseph White: Presumed Guilty What can an outsider teen do against systemic oppression? Miles is carrying his family’s cycle of cruelty, and his attempts to break out are met with brutality in Andrew Joseph White’s “Compound Fracture.” In K.A. Cobell’s “Looking for Smoke,” Mara just moved to the Blackfeet Reservation, and now is suspected of a murder. How will they fight these injustices? The authors discuss their work…

Contributor: White, Andrew Joseph - Cobell, K.A. - Ferraro, Austin
Date: 2024-08-24

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Peter Brown: Wild Robot Animal life and artificial life create a found family in Peter Brown’s “Wild Robot” series. In the third book, “Wild Robot Protects,” Roz the robot prepares to protect her animal friends and family from an approaching environmental disaster. Brown spoke with Kit Ballenger about how we can all be gentle with nature using the skills we already have at the 2024 Library of Congress…

Contributor: Ballenger, Kit - Brown, Peter
Date: 2024-08-24

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Barbara Dee, Susan Haas and Lexi Haas: Unleashing the Words Within Communication is everything, but what about when words don’t flow freely? Mother-daughter duo Susan and Lexi Haas (“The Year of the Buttered Cat”), discussed Lexi’s journey in learning how to leap over the limits of her disability. Barbara Dee discussed her novel “Unstuck” which follows a girl who struggles to unleash the stories inside her head. The authors spoke with Monica Valentine at the…

Contributor: Dee, Barbara - Valentine, Monica - Haas, Lexi - Haas, Susan
Date: 2024-08-24

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Terry Benton-Walker, Desiree Evans and Saraciea Fennell: Who Dies First? Terry J. Benton-Walker (“The White Guy Dies First”) and Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell (“The Black Girl Survives in This One”) discuss their anthologies that slash and dice through horror tropes with B.A. Parker at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Fennell, Saraciea J. - Evans, Desiree S. - Benton-Walker, Terry J. - Parker, B.A.
Date: 2024-08-24

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Arash Azizi and Celeste Marcus: Who Needs Cultural Critics Anyway? What do young cultural critics think about their role in the world, where people have been encouraged to think that critics aren’t necessary? Arash Azizi, author of “What Iranians Want” and Celeste Marcus, the managing editor of Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics, discuss the pleasures and difficulties of being writers who explain and criticize the world with Robin Givhan at the 2024 Library…

Contributor: Azizi, Arash - Givhan, Robin - Marcus, Celeste
Date: 2024-08-24

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Stuart Eizenstat: Diplomacy or Talking When We Don’t Agree Former diplomat and negotiator Stuart E. Eizenstat spoke with historian Douglas Brinkley about his account of the greatest diplomatic negotiations of the past 50 years in his book, “The Art of Diplomacy.” The discussion at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. covered every major contemporary international agreement from the treaty to end the Vietnam War to the Kyoto Protocols…

Contributor: Eizenstat, Stuart - Brinkley, Douglas
Date: 2024-08-24

Film, Video

Tess Taylor, Forrest Gander and Ruben Quesada: Poems of the Earth “Leaning Toward Light” is an anthology featuring today’s most notable nature poets. Anthology editor Tess Taylor and poets Forrest Gander and Ruben Quesada discuss poetry that takes stock of the natural world and contributes to it with Rob Casper at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Contributor: Taylor, Tess - Gander, Forrest - Quesada, Ruben - Casper, Robert
Date: 2024-08-24

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Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston: A Whirlwind of Words A dictionary is full of words, but can she tell a story? She gives it a shot, but when an alligator escapes and starts waking up ghosts and donuts and zebras, everything turns into a word tornado. What is a simple dictionary to do? Experience the dynamic picture book “The Dictionary Story” by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston at the 2024 Library of Congress…

Contributor: Winston, Sam - Jeffers, Oliver
Date: 2024-08-24

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Steve Asbell and Stephanie Seales: Where Can We Find Kindness? How do we learn how to be kind to ourselves and to people around us? Steve Asbell demonstrated the way stimming can help every kid with their emotions in “Flap Your Hands,” and Stephanie Seales showed how a father can be a role model in a community through the eyes of his daughter in “My Daddy Is a Cowboy,” during a discussion with Alli…

Contributor: Seales, Stephanie - Asbell, Steve - Hartley-Kong, Alli
Date: 2024-08-24

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Adam Rubin and Liniers: The Truth About the Couch Did you know that couches grow on couch farms? Or that some couches are aliens? Let us tell you the whole tru — oh no! Get away! The furniture police are after us! But if you want to meet at our secret place, we’ll tell you everything you need to know at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Signed,…

Contributor: Liniers - Rubin, Adam - Dowdy, Sasha
Date: 2024-08-24

Program National Book Festival