Author events May 30-June 5

Steven Schwankert, “The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic’s Chinese Survivors.” When the Titanic sank in 1912, among the 700 survivors were six Chinese men who, initially met with suspicion and slander, were subsequently expelled from the country, and vanished. Schwankert’s meticulously researched book offers a moving exploration of the origins and fate of these little-known passengers and how they survived against all odds. 7 p.m. Monday. Conversation, signing. Free. Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-3070, Ext. 2225, georgiacenterforthebook.org/events.

Becky Aikman, “Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger during World War II.” The heart-pounding true story of the daring American women who piloted the most dangerous aircraft of World War II through the treacherous skies of Britain. Aikman follows the stories of nine of the women who served, drawing on unpublished diaries, letters and records — along with her own interviews — to bring these forgotten heroines fully to life. 7 p.m. Tuesday. Talk. Free-$12. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. 404-814-4000, atlantahistorycenter.com.

Martin Padgett, “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS.” Padgett (“A Night at the Sweet Gum Head”) tells the little-known story of the man who sparked a groundswell of gay activism after a wrongly decided Supreme Court decision, and who forced America to acknowledge its moral failures toward some of its most marginalized citizens. With Philip Rafshoon. 7 p.m. Tuesday. Conversation. Free. Saint Mark United Methodist Church, 781 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-873-2636, acappellabooks.com.