Jon Meacham, "The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels." Pulitzer Prize–winning author Meacham believes our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and he shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the "better angels of our nature" have repeatedly won the day. In conversation with fellow Pulitzer-Prize winning author Doug Blackmon. 7 p.m. May 21. Lecture, signing. $33-38. Ticketed event. Carter Center Cecil B. Day Chapel, 453 Freedom Parkway NE., Atlanta, 404-420-5100, jimmycarterlibrary.gov
Jon Michael Varese, "The Spirit Photographer." Varese conjures the Reconstruction-era South, replete with fugitive hunters and voodoo healers, in an intense tale of death and betrayal. 7 p.m. May 21. Talk, signing. Free. A Cappella Books, 208 Haralson Ave. NE., Atlanta, 404-681-5128, acappellabooks.com
Anthony Grooms, "The Vain Conversation." In his second novel, inspired by true events, Grooms ("Bombingham") reflects on the 1946 lynching of two black couples in Georgia from the perspectives of three characters: one of the victims, a presumed perpetrator, and a 10-year-old witness to the murders. 7:15 p.m. May 21. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur, 404-370-3070, Ext. 2285, georgiacenterforthebook.org
Edward J. Larson, "To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration." Larson ("Empire of Ice") weaves together the stories of three expeditions into one thrilling adventure, drawing on his own voyages to the Himalaya, the arctic, and the Antarctic, where he reached the South Pole and lived in Shackleton's hut. 8 p.m. May 22. Talk, Signing. $10. Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW., Atlanta, 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com
Dorothea Benton Frank, "By Invitation Only." Frank ("The Last Original Wife") examines what happens when a privileged Chicagoan falls for the son of hard-working Southern peach farmers. Noon May 23. Luncheon, talk, signing. $60 includes lunch, signed copy of book. MadLife Stage & Studios, 8722 Main St., Woodstock, 770-516-9989, foxtalebookshoppe.com
Ashley D. Farmer, "Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era." Dr. Farmer examines black women's political, social and cultural engagement with Black Power ideals and organizations, demonstrating how female activists fought for more inclusive understandings of Black Power and social justice by developing new ideas about black womanhood. 7 p.m. May 24. Lecture, signing. Free. Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Ave. NE., Atlanta, 404-613-4001, afpls.org
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