The Lineup: Jeffrey Toobin, Scott Turow Among Authors at MJCCA Book Festival

• Brad Meltzer, “History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time.” The born storyteller counts down the world’s most intriguing unsolved mysteries. Adapted from “Decoded,” Meltzer’s hit show on the HISTORY network, “History Decoded” explores fascinating, unexplained questions:  Is Fort Knox empty? ∙ Why was Hitler so intent on capturing the Roman “Spear of Destiny?” What’s the government hiding in Area 51?  Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 24. Members: $13 / Community: $18.

• Scott Turow, “Identical: A Novel.”  The story is based loosely on the myth of Castor and Pollux, is the story of the complex relationships between a family and their former neighbors. The complex web of murder, sex, and betrayal—as only Scott Turow could weave-dramatically unfolds, and the chilling truth is revealed. Scott Turow is the author of nine best-selling works of fiction including “Innocent,” “Presumed Innocent,” and “The Burden of Proof.” 8:15 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2. Members: $18 / Community: $24.

• Naomi Ragen, “The Sisters Weiss.” Naomi Ragen has lived in Jerusalem for the past 40 years and was voted one of the three most popular authors in Israel. In this, her eighth novel, she tells the story of sisters growing up in a loving but strict ultra-Orthodox family in 1950s Brooklyn. The Sisters Weiss is an unforgettable examination of loyalty and betrayal; the differences that can tear a family apart and the invisible bonds that tie them together. 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3. Members: $9 / Community: $14.

• Larry Tye, “Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero.” It wasn’t just his creators and publishers who were Jewish. Superman was, too. The evidence is everywhere—from his Kryptonian name, Kal-El, which in Hebrew means vessel of God, to an origin story straight out of Exodus of parents who save their first-born by floating him off to a safe place, where he is adopted by gentiles who slowly realize how extraordinary he is. Superman turned 75 this past summer. What better way to round out your festival than with an emphatically upbeat story that grandparents can enjoy with their kids and grandkids? 4:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3. Member: $9 / Community: $14 / Ages 18 and under are free.

• Rebecca Rosen, “Awaken the Spirit Within: 10 Steps to Ignite Your Life and Fulfill Your Divine Purpose.” In “Awaken the Spirit Within,” acclaimed author and spiritual medium Rebecca Rosen offers an inspired and invigorating prescriptive program to give life clarity and deeper meaning. Rebecca’s broad appeal and healing message have led to national media appearances on Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, and Nightline. 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3. Members: $13 / Community: $18.

• Allison Amend, “A Nearly Perfect Copy.”  Richly drawn and sharply observed, A Nearly Perfect Copy is a smart and affecting novel of family and forgery set amidst the rarefied international art world. As narratives converge, with disastrous consequences, “A Nearly Perfect Copy”  boldly challenges our presumptions about the perilous pursuit of perfection.  

• Jeffrey Stepakoff, “The Melody of Secrets.” Maria was barely eighteen when WWII was coming to its explosive end. Robert Cooper wasn’t much older. A roguish fighter pilot stationed in London, he was shot down in a daring night raid and seeks shelter in Maria’s cottage. Fifteen years later, in Huntsville, Alabama, Maria’s life in the south is at peace, purposefully distanced from her past. Everything is as it should be—until Robert Cooper walks back into it. 

• Kristallnacht ceremony. An event at the MJCCA’s Besser Holocaust Memorial Garden commemorating one of the most horrific nights in history. 7 p.m. Free.

• Harry Rosenfeld, "From Kristallnacht to Watergate: Memoirs of a Newspaperman." In his evocative memoir Harry Rosenfeld tells of growing up in Hitler’s Berlin, where as a nine-year-old boy he saw his father taken away by the Gestapo in the middle of the night and witnessed the burning of his synagogue on Kristallnacht, the prelude to the Holocaust. His family found refuge in America and Rosenfeld, grew up to become a hard-driving editor at The Washington Post. As The Post’s Metropolitan Editor, he was in charge of the paper’s Watergate exposé and the boss of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. This unsparing memoir offers an insider’s perspective on the unlikely Bernstein and Woodward partnership. This program will be “In Conversation” with Samuel Norich, Publisher of The Forward. 7:30 p.m. Members: $13 / Community: $18 

• Scott Berg, "Wilson." From the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author A. Scott Berg comes "Wilson"—the result of over a decade of research and writing, it is the definitive and revelatory biography of one of the greatest and most influential American figures of the 20th century. 

• Gregory J. Wallance, "America’s Soul in the Balance: The Holocaust, FDR’s State Department, and the Moral Disgrace of an American Aristocracy." At the height of World War II, four lawyers in the U.S. Treasury Department discovered that the highly-educated, patrician diplomats in the State Department had covered up reports of the Nazi scheme to exterminate European Jewry—and then blocked the rescue of 70,000 Romanian Jews forcibly marched into Transnistria in the Nazi-conquered Ukraine and left to die of starvation, disease, and sheer exhaustion. The Treasury lawyers charged the diplomats with being “accomplices of Hitler.”

• Thomas Harding, "Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of the German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz. Part history, part biography, part true crime, "Hanns and Rudolf" chronicles the untold story of British Lieutenant Hanns Alexander, one of the lead Jewish investigators for the first British War Crimes Investigation Team (and the author’s uncle), who pursued and captured one of Nazi Germany’s most notorious war criminals, Rudolf Höss. 12:30 p.m., Wednesday., Nov. 6. Member:s $9 / Community: $14

• Allen Salkin, "From Scratch: Inside the Tumultuous Billion-Dollar World of the Food Network." Big personalities, high drama—the extraordinary behind-the-scenes story of the Food Network, the business, media, and cultural juggernaut that changed the way America thinks about food. Based upon extensive inside access, documents, and interviews with hundreds of executives, stars, and employees all up and down the ladder, Allen Salkin’s book is an exhilarating rollercoaster ride from chaos to conquest. This program will be “In Conversation” with Local Restaurateur Kevin Rathbun. 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5. Members: $13 / Community: $18.

• Clark Howard, "Clark Howard's Living Large for the Long Haul: Consumer-Tested Ways to Overhaul Your Finances, Increase Your Savings, and Get Your Life Back on Track. Howard offers no-nonsense financial tips for achieving lifelong prosperity. The renowned broadcaster examines our new paradigm through the eyes of those whose financial portfolios have beaten the odds, and those whose economic situation has gone off course. Through these fascinating personal accounts, readers uncover amazing opportunities and smart decisions, finding advantages in bleak times for lasting payoffs in the long run. 8:15 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6. Members: $13 / Community: $18.

• Cliff Graubart, "The Curious Vision of Sammy Levitt and Other Stories." First-time novelist Cliff Graubart writes a humorous and touching tale of the 1950s Washington Heights Jewish life. An unexpected story of love in the “Yiddish Theater” presents the success and failure experienced by Jewish immigrants. Woven together by Cliff Graubart’s fresh, authentic voice, they document the American Jewish experience. 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 7. Free. 

• Lily Koppel, "The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story" Featuring Special Guest: Clare Whitfield, Apollo 9 Astro-Wife. From the New York Times bestselling author of "The Red Leather Diary" comes "The Astronaut Wives Club," the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history. Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. As their celebrity rose-and as divorce and tragic death began to touch their lives-they continued to rally together, and the Astronaut Wives Club have now been friends for more than fifty years. 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 7. Members: $9 / Community: $14.

• Jeffrey Toobin, "The Oath: The Obama White House and The Supreme Court." From the moment Chief Justice Roberts botched Barack Obama's oath of office, the relationship between the Court and the White House has been a fraught one. Grappling with issues as diverse as campaign finance, abortion, and the right to bear arms, the Roberts court has put itself squarely at the center of American political life. A New Yorker magazine staff writer, CNN Senior legal analyst, and a New York Times bestselling author, Toobin brilliantly portrays key personalities and cases. "The Oath" is an essential guide to understanding the Supreme Court of our interesting times. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 7. Members: $18 / Community: $24

• Letty Cottin Pogrebin, "How to be a Friend to a Friend Who’s Sick." Throughout her recent bout with breast cancer, Pogrebin became fascinated by her friends’ and family’s diverse reactions to her and her illness: how awkwardly some of them behaved; how some misspoke or misinterpreted her needs; and how wonderful it was when people read her right. She began talking to her fellow patients and dozens of other veterans of serious illness, seeking to discover what sick people wished their friends knew about how best to comfort, help, and even simply talk to them. "How to Be a Friend" is an invaluable guidebook for anyone hoping to rise to the challenges of this most important and demanding passage of friendship. Noon, Friday, Nov. 8. Members: $9 / Community: $14.

• Elin Hilderbrand, "Beautiful Day." Hilderbrand, whose following spans the globe, writes quintessential “beach reads” that are just as exciting in the off-season as they are during the summer. With "Beautiful Day," her 12th novel, she brings together two families, for a Nantucket wedding. While the couple-to-be are quite happy, their loved ones find their own lives crumbling. In the days leading up to the wedding, scandals will arise, and hearts will be broken and healed.

• Wendy Wax, "While We Were Watching Downton Abbey." The fervor surrounding the British television drama sets the stage for Wax’s funny, smart and heartwarming book about four unlikely friends with a shared passion for watching the wildly popular drama, "Downton Abbey." These four different people find themselves connecting with the show, and with each other. 

• Attending authors: Marilyn Gootman and Gail Karwoski, "Thank You, Trees;" Galia Sabbag, "Shabbat in The Playroom."

• Also featuring the following books: Rabbi Jamie Korngold, "Sadie’s Almost Marvelous Menorah;" Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, "Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook;" PJ Library® Presents "The Shema in the Mezuzah: Listening to Each Other."

• New this year! Everything in one location: The MJCCA’s Marcus/Mendel Gym.

• Cheer with the Atlanta Hawks Cheerleaders. Sing with Rabbi Brian Glusman and the Shabbat Dinosaur. Dance with Miss Erin. Flip with the MJCCA Gymnastics Team. 

• T.K. Thorne. "Last Chance for Justice: How Relentless Investigators Uncovered New Evidence Convicting the Birmingham Church Bombers. The inside story of one of the most infamous crimes of the civil rights era, told by the first Jewish officer in the Birmingham Police Department. Detailing the story of the reopening of the Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing of 1963, this insider’s account divulges the ins and outs of the investigation. This program will be “In Conversation” with former AJC managing editor Hank Klibanoff. 

• Jim T. Barfield, "Boxcars." In May, 1944, a Jewish teenager's career as a promising concert violinist has been derailed, and he is on the run from the Nazis. As two young adults of radically different backgrounds are cast together during war to experience their own distinct coming-of-age epiphany as they painfully explore their increasingly complicated and awkward relationship brewing beneath the canopy of dissonant cultures and beliefs.

• Lee N. Katz, "How Not to Hire A Guy Like Me: Lessons Learned from CEOs' Mistakes." This is the first book by turnaround veteran, Lee N. Katz, known as The Turnaround Authority (TM). Filled with poignant wisdom, hilarious stories, and sound business advice from a man who's seen it all, this book will teach you how to avoid the mistakes that so many CEOs make.

• Chris Matthews, "Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked." From the author of the New York Times bestseller "Jack Kennedy"—and Tip O’Neill’s former chief-of-staff—comes the firsthand, one-of-a-kind story of the friendship between President Reagan and the Speaker of the House. They were the political odd couple—the two most powerful men in the country, a pair who, in author Chris Matthews’s words, “couldn’t be more different or more the same.” Matthews brings this unlikely friendship to life in his unique voice, offering us a timely object lesson in how bipartisan cooperation can work. 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 10. Members: $18 / Community: $24

• Phyllis Chesler, "An American Bride in Kabul." In 1961, Phyllis Chesler arrived in Kabul with her Afghan bridegroom and authorities took away her American passport, making her the property of her husband’s family, with no rights of citizenship. Her husband, a wealthy, westernized foreign college student, reverted to traditional and tribal customs. Chesler found herself unexpectedly trapped in a posh polygamous family, with no chance of escape. She fought against her lack of freedom, her Afghan family’s attempts to convert her from Judaism to Islam, and her husband’s wish to permanently tie her to the country through childbirth. Chesler recounts her ordeal, the nature of gender apartheid, and her longing to explore this beautiful, ancient, and exotic country and culture. Noon, Monday, Nov. 11. Members: $9 / Community: $14.

• Sheri Fink, "Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital." Physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs five days at Memorial Medical Center after Katrina, and draws the reader into the lives of the doctors and nurses who struggled to preserve life amidst chaos. In an engrossing narrative that exposes the human drama that fuels medicine and the unchartered territory of end-of-life care, Fink brings the reader into a hospital fighting for its life and into a conversation about just how ill-prepared we are as Americans for the impact of large-scale disasters on the most vulnerable among us. This program will be “In Conversation” with Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent. 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 11. Members: $13 / Community: $18

• Jane Weitzman, Art & Sole A Spectacular Selection of More Than 150 Fantasy Art Shoes from the Stuart Weitzman Collection. The art shoes in the Stuart Weitzman collection are made from a vast array of materials—feathers, paper, ceramic, metal, resin, playing cards, corrugated cardboard, Swarovski crystals, even fresh flowers and frosting—and their intricate construction and imagination is remarkable. "Art & Sole" features Jane Weitzman’s selection of the best of this collection. Noon, Tuesday, Nov. 12. Members: $9 / Community: $14.

• Matthew Levitt, Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God. Hezbollah—Lebanon’s “Party of God”—is a multifaceted organization: It is a powerful political party in Lebanon, a Shia Islam religious and social movement, Lebanon’s largest militia, a close ally of Iran, and a terrorist organization. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Matthew Levitt examines Hezbollah’s beginnings, its first violent forays targeting Western interests in Lebanon, and then its terrorist activities and criminal enterprises abroad in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and finally in North America. This program will be “In Conversation” with Dr. Kenneth Stein, Professor, Emory University. (This Program is at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., N.E., Atlanta.) 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12. Members: $13 / Community: $18.

• Dara Horn, "A Guide for the Perplexed : A Novel." The winner of two National Jewish Book Awards, this thrilling new novel explores how memory shapes the soul. Software prodigy Josie Ashkenazi has invented a program that records everything its users do. When an Egyptian library invites her to visit as a consultant, her jealous sister persuades her to go. But in Egypt’s post-revolutionary chaos, Josie is kidnapped--leaving Judith free to usurp her sister’s life, including her husband and daughter. Interweaving stories from Genesis, medieval philosophy, and the digital frontier.

• Austin Ratner, "In the Land of the Living: A Novel. "A dazzling story of fathers, sons, and brothers who are bound by love, and divided by history. The Auberons are a lovably neurotic, infernally intelligent family who love and hate each other-and themselves--in equal measure. Part family saga, part coming-of-age story, the novel  is a kinetic, fresh, bawdy yet earnest shot to the heart of a novel about coping with death, and figuring out how and why to live.

• Ben Urwand, "The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact with Hitler." To continue doing business in Germany after Hitler's ascent to power, Hollywood studios agreed not to make films that attacked the Nazis or condemned Germany's persecution of Jews. Ben Urwand reveals this bargain for the first time – a "collaboration" that drew in a cast of characters ranging from notorious German political leaders to Hollywood icons. At the center of Urwand's story is Hitler himself, who was obsessed with movies and recognized their power to shape public opinion. "The Collaboration" raises the curtain on a hidden episode in Hollywood--and American--history. 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13. Members: $13 / Community: $18.

• Jeff Clemmons, "Rich’s: A Southern Institution." In 1867, less than three years after the Civil War left the city in ruins, Hungarian Jewish immigrant Morris Rich opened a small dry goods store on what is now Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta. Over time, his brothers Emanuel and Daniel joined the business; within a century, it became a retailing dynasty. Join historian Jeff Clemmons as he traces Rich's 137-year history. 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 14. Free. 

• Ronald Balson, "Once We Were Brothers." Elliot Rosenzweig, a respected civic leader and wealthy philanthropist, is attending a fundraiser when he is suddenly accosted and accused of being a former Nazi SS officer, Otto Piatek. Although the charges are denounced as preposterous, his accuser, Ben Solomon, is convinced he is right. Solomon persuades an attorney to take his case, revealing that the true Piatek was abandoned as a child and raised by Solomon’s family only to betray them during the Nazi Occupation. But has he accused the right man? 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14. Members: $9 / Community: $14

• Fred Stoller, "Maybe We’ll Have You Back: The Life of a Perennial TV Guest Star." Stoller has played the annoying schnook in just about every sitcom you’ve seen on TV—Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Scrubs, Hannah Montana, My Name Is Earl—and was even a staff writer for Seinfeld, but he’s never found a solid gig. When it comes to Hollywood, it’s a case of always the bridesmaid and never the bride. This hilarious and bittersweet rags-to-rags story of the hardest-working guy in showbiz follows Fred, as he shares stories of his great adventures pounding the Hollywood pavement – with candor.

• Marion Grodin, "Standing Up: A Memoir of a Funny (Not Always) Life." In the spirit of Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking and Chelsea Handler’sChelsea, Chelsea Bang, Bang, comes Charles Grodin’s daughter, Marion Grodin’s hilarious memoir of a Hollywood childhood, teenage years of drugs and sex, and sober adult life on the stand-up circuit. In this cleverly written memoir Marion integrates her diverse and challenging life experiences and unstoppable ability to make everything funny in a way that is both entertaining and helpful.

• Andrea Pomerantz Lustig, "How To Look Expensive: A Beauty Editor’s Secrets to Getting Gorgeous Without Breaking the Bank." Andrea Pomerantz Lustig is known around the offices of Glamour magazineas the “Beauty Sleuth,” thanks to the popular beauty column and articles she has written for the magazine for the last decade. In How to Look Expensive, she combines her own experience with coveted secrets she’s learned from the experts to help readers achieve red-carpet looks without putting them in the red. Noon, Friday, Nov. 15. Members: $9 / Community: $14

• Alan Dershowitz, "Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law." America's most prominent legal mind and the #1 bestselling author of "Chutzpah and The Best Defense," Alan Dershowitz, recounts his legal autobiography, describing how he came to the law, as well as the cases that have changed American jurisprudence over the past 50 years, most of which he has personally been involved in. 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16. Members: $18 / Community: $24.

One Program, Two Authors - 2 p.m., Sunday Nov . 16. Members: $9 / Community: $14 This program will be “In Conversation” with Melissa Long, Anchor, WXIA-TV

• Lynn Povich, "Good Girls Revolt! How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace." Lynn Povich, the first female senior editor in the history of Newsweek, tells the unknown story of a landmark sex discrimination suit brought by 46 young women at Newsweek against the magazine in 1970. Through the lives of young female journalists at Newsweek today, Povich shows what has – and hasn’t – changed in the workplace.

• Lori Rotskoff, "When We Were Free to Be Free to Be: Looking Back at a Children’s Classic and the Difference it Made." The book’s editors and contributors combine personal narrative, and historical analysis, to address how progressive children’s media still speaks to families today.

One Program, Three Authors - 4:30 p.m., Sunday Nov. 17. Member: $9 / Community: $14.

• Robert Weintraub, "The Victory Season: World War II, the Homecoming, and the Birth of Baseball’s Golden Age." In the spring of 1946, Americans were ready to heal. WWII was finally over, and hundreds of players, including stars like Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Joe DiMaggio returned home to get back to baseball. Robert Weintraub brings to life the on-field action, as well as the little-known tales of ballplayers at war.

• Larry Ruttman, "American Jews and America’s Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball."The Jewish presence in baseball extends beyond a few famous players such as Greenberg, Rosen, Koufax, Holtzman, Green, Youkilis, and Braun. The stories tell the history of the larger-than-life role of Jews in America’s pastime. American Jews talks about growing up Jewish and dealing with Jewish identity, intermarriage, religious observance, anti-Semitism, and Israel. Each tells about being in the midst of the colorful pantheon of players who, over the past 75 years or more, have made baseball what it is.

• John Rosengren, "Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes." Delving into the life and career of America’s first Jewish superstar, author John Rosengren brings us a definitive portrait of a man who overcame the prejudices of a world in turmoil to achieve baseball immortality and become a hero to a generation of Jewish-Americans. As an outsider who rose to the top of the nation’s quintessential game, no one represents the American experience quite like Greenberg.

Closing Night  - This program will be “In Conversation” with Theresa Weaver, Columnist, Atlanta Magazine.

• Pat Conroy, "The Death of Santini." In this powerful and intimate new memoir, The Death of Santini is a heart-wrenching account of personal and family struggle, and a poignant lesson in how ties of blood can both strangle and offer succor. It is an act of reckoning, an exorcism of demons, but one whose ultimate conclusion is that love can conquer even the meanest of men. 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 17. Member: 18 / Community: $24.