Rick Bragg, "My Southern Journey: True Stories From the Heart of the South." 7 p.m. Oct. 5. Talk, signing. Free. Atlanta Marriott at Peachtree Corners, 475 Technology Parkway, Peachtree Corners. 770-978-5154, gwinnettpl.org/event/rick-bragg-talk-signing. Bragg's essays explore enduring Southern truths about home, place, spirit, table and geography.
Kaitlin Roig-Debellis, "Choosing Hope." 7 p.m. Oct. 6. Talk, signing. Free. First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairmont Ave., Decatur. 404-373-1653, georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=822. The teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who saved her entire first-grade class on Dec. 14, 2012, has written a testament to the power of good over evil.
David Beasley, "A Life in Red: A Story of Forbidden Love, the Great Depression, and the Communist Fight For a Black Nation in the Deep South." 7 p.m. Oct. 6. Signing. Free. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta. 404-865-7100, jimmycarterlibrary.gov/events. Former Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor-reporter Beasley ("Without Mercy") tells the story of the movement for a sovereign black nation on American soil.
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, "Dr. Mütter's Marvels." 7 p.m. Oct 6. Reading, talk, signing. $10 or free with purchase of the book. Reservations required. Margaret Mitchell House, 979 Crescent Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-249-7015, atlantahistorycenter.com/mmh. Thomas Dent Mütter began his trailblazing career as a plastic surgeon in Philadelphia during the 19th century, and amassed a vast collection of medical oddities that would later form the basis of the Mütter Museum.
Michael Oren, "Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide." 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7. Talk, signing. $25.25. Atlanta Jewish Academy, 5200 Northland Drive N.E., Atlanta. 678-812-4000, atlantajcc.org/pldb-live/michael-oren-i-ally-i-29921. A memoir by Israel's former ambassador to the U.S.
Paul Theroux, "Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads." 7 p.m. Oct 8. Talk, signing. $10. Reservations required. Margaret Mitchell House, 979 Crescent Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-249-7015, atlantahistorycenter.com/mmh. In his 10th travel book, Theroux ("Riding the Iron Rooster") explores America's Deep South. He'll appear in conversation with Chuck Reece of the Bitter Southerner.
Onyeka Nubia, "Blackamoores: Africans in Tudor England, Their Presence, Status and Origins." 7 p.m. Oct. 8. Talk, signing. Free. Hammonds House Museum, 503 Peeples St., Atlanta. 404-612-0500, hammondshouse.org. Also appearing: 3:30 p.m. Oct. 9. Talk, signing. Free. Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, MLK Jr. Branch, 409 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-730-1185, afpls.org/mlk-branch. 4 p.m. Oct. 10. Talk, signing. Free. Shrine of the Black Madonna, 946 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. S.W., Atlanta. 404-549-8676, cbpm.org/shrineofblackmadonna.html. Onyeka cites evidence that many Africans in Tudor England had important occupations and skills rather than being slaves or transient immigrants.
Bernard N. Lee Jr., "A Look Back in Time: Memoir of a Military Kid in the Fifties." 7 p.m. Oct. 8. Talk, signing. Free. Eagle Eye Book Shop, 2076 N. Decatur Road, Decatur. 404-486-0307, eagleeyebooks.com. Lee's memoir describes what it was like for a young man of color to grow up in America as a military brat during the '50s.
