Elizabeth Musser, "The Long Highway Home." 7 p.m. Aug 30. Talk, signing. $10. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com/visit/event/1097?calendar=month. Musser's novel follows a terminally ill woman back to the refugee center she helped start in Austria.
25th MJCCA Book Festival (Nov. 5-20). Tickets go on sale Sept. 1. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. 678-812-4005, atlantajcc.org/bookfestival. The various events will include meet-and-greets, book signings, a community read, panel discussions and activities for children and teens.
Sonny Seals and George Hart, "Historic Rural Churches of Georgia." 8 p.m. Sept. 1. Launch, talk, signing. $10. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com/program/sonny-seals-and-george-hart-historic-rural-churches-georgia. Atlantans Seals and Hart have researched some of Georgia's most historic and architecturally significant rural churches. Dan Roper will moderate.
Highlights: AJC Decatur Book Festival:
Robert Olen Butler, "Perfume River." 10 a.m. Sept. 3. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Recreation Center Studio, 231 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-377-0494, decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/view/57606bbda939303b35e528c2. Butler takes up some of the same themes as his first book ("A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain") in this examination of family ties and the legacy of the Vietnam War.
Ron Rash, "The Risen." 11:15 p.m. Sept. 3. Talk, signing. Free. First Baptist Decatur Sanctuary, 308 Clairmont Ave., Decatur. 404-373-1653, decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/view/57606bbda939303b35e528a4. From the author of "Serena" comes a tale of two brothers whose lives are altered by the events of the summer of 1969 — and the secrets that surface decades later. In conversation with Teresa Weaver.
Carol Anderson, "White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide." 1:45 p.m. Sept. 3. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Presbyterian Sanctuary, 308 Clairmont Ave., Decatur. 404-373-1653, decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/view/57606bbca939303b35e5289c. Anderson looks at how social progress for African-Americans has been countered by deliberate and cleverly crafted opposition. In conversation with Brett Gadsden.
Frans de Waal, "Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?" 4:15 p.m. Sept. 3. Talk, signing. Free. First Baptist Decatur Sanctuary, 308 Clairmont Ave., Decatur. 404-373-1653, decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/view/57606bbda939303b35e528e2. Emory University primatologist and ethologist de Waal explores the scope and depth of animal intelligence.
