Books from our Author Visits

Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon

In August 1968, NASA made a bold decision: in just sixteen weeks, the United States would launch humankind’s first flight to the moon. Author Jeffrey Kluger talks about his new book with space historian Amy Shira Teitel. (May 24, 2017)

The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood

New York Times bestselling author Sam Wasson in conversation with Chinatown's first assistant director, Howard "Hawk" Koch, Jr. (former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 2012-2013).  In The Big Goodbye, Wasson turns his gaze on the making of Chinatown. Notorious for its twist ending and haunting closing line of dialogue, Chinatown is one of the great films of American cinema. Here for the first time is the incredible true story of its making. Wasson will tell you why it endures as a work of art and a state of mind.  (February 12, 2020)

The Contest: The 1968 Election and the War for America's Soul

"Michael Schumacher’s The Contest is a brilliant revisiting of the 1968 presidential election, which forever changed America and the world. Every page sparkles with historical wisdom, clear-headed analysis, and fresh facts. Out of all the books I’ve read on the 1968 election, this is the very best. Highly recommended!" — Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite 
(October 17, 2018)

Enough Said: What's Gone Wrong with the Language of Politics

There's a crisis of trust in politics across the western world. Public anger is rising and faith in conventional political leaders and parties is falling. Anti-politics, and the anti-politicians, have arrived. In Enough Said, President and CEO of The New York Times Company Mark Thompson argues that one of the most significant causes of the crisis is the way our public language has changed. (September 23, 2016)

Forget "Having It All": How America Messed Up Motherhood--and How to Fix It

A clear-eyed look at the history of American ideas about motherhood, how those ideas have impacted all women (whether they have kids or not), and how to fix the inequality that exists as a result. Award-winning journalist, Amy Westervelt, in conversation with Elise Hu of NPR West. (March 28, 2019)

Growing Up in Burbank: Boomer Memories from the Akron to Zodys 

Burbank historians, authors Mike McDaniel and Wesley Clark, guide you through their hometown remembering the fads, the hijinks, and the places that made Burbank the city it is today. (November 30, 2017)

HANK & JIM: The 50-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda & James Stewart 

New York Times bestselling author Scott Eyman tells the story of the remarkable friendship of two Hollywood legends. (November 8, 2017)

Huế 1968

With a tale that resonates today, author Mark Bowden presents not only the story of a battle, but of a pivotal moment in American history. Huế 1968 is one of the most heavily researched and reported accounts of combat in the Vietnam War. (September 27, 2017)

A Human's Guide to Machine Intelligence

Author Kartik Hosanagar explains in simple terms the uses and limitations of the algorithms that affect us most. (April 3, 2019)

The James Webb Space Telescope - Seeing the End of the Dark Age 

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is being developed in coordination with NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. Our guest speaker, Salem Emara, gives an update on the current status of JWST as the telescope is readied for its 2019 launch into space. (May 2, 2018)

The Library Book

The Burbank Public Library is pleased to host an evening with celebrated writer and journalist Susan Orlean. Her newest full-length work emerges from Orlean’s deep and profound love of libraries and the people who run them, stemming from her earliest days as a reader when her mother took her to the Shaker Heights Public Library. The meticulously researched and magnificently told The Library Book is born in part from this love. (November 1, 2018)

Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film

Author Alan K. Rode’s book is the first ever about the storied Academy Award winning director Michael Curtiz, who made, incredibly, over 180 films and worked twenty-seven years at Warner Bros directing some of the studios most memorable films, including Casablanca. (January 23, 2018)

Orion and the First Mission on Our Journey to Mars - An Illustrated Talk with Chris Nie 

Chris Nie, Systems and Integration Engineer, will tell you how Orion has been designed to meet the unique challenges posed in transporting humans to Mars, a goal that will be our first interplanetary journey in the solar system and a defining moment for our species.. (September 15, 2018)

The Queens of Animation: the Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History

From Nathalia Holt, the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold, "richly detailed" story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generations. (October 22, 2019)

Screening Reality: How Documentary Filmmakers Reimagined America

Author and filmmaker Jon Wilkman discusses the history of documentary filmmaking in America with Sanora Bartels, Chair of the Documentary Film Department of the New York Film Academy. (March 11, 2020)

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SPACE ODYSSEY: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece

In April of 1968, Stanley Kubrik’s 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered in the United States. Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of the film’s release, Michael Benson provides the definitive account of how the movie came to be made. (April 10, 2018)

SUFFRAGE: Women's Long Battle for the Vote

The ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 was the culminating act in a 75-year-long struggle to win the vote for women. Author Ellen DuBois presents an illustrated talk about the epic battle, and explore how a woman’s right to vote changed America and how it continues to have a growing impact on our nation’s political life. (March 12, 2020)

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True Tales from Burbank

Home to the likes of Disney and Warner Bros., Burbank has a fascinating history beyond the glitz and glamour of its entertainment industry. Wesley H. Clark and Michael B. McDaniel, authors of Lost Burbank and Growing Up in Burbank, take you on a surprising and whimsical tour of the people, places, and events of this historic city we call home. (October 16, 2018)

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Warner Bros: The Making of an American Movie Studio

Distinguished film critic and author David Thomson, tells the story of the Warner brothers, who together founded a studio that became the smartest, toughest, and most radical in all of Hollywood. (September 13, 2017)