In his new book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear.  Meacham is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, Franklin and Winston, and Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, he is a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University, a contributing writer for The New York Times Book Review

Melinda Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls. As the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda sets the direction and priorities of the world’s largest philanthropy. She is also the founder of Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company working to drive social progress for women and families in the United States.  In “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World,” Melinda traces her awakening to the link between women’s empowerment and the health of societies. She shows some of the tremendous opportunities that exist right now to “turbo-charge” change. And she provides simple and effective ways each one of us can make a difference.

Moby is a singer-songwriter, musician, DJ and photographer. Marking the 20th anniversary of his landmark album Play, Moby’s new memoir Then It Fell Apart is a wild ride of celebrity, addiction, and reckoning. The first volume of his memoirs, Porcelain, was published in 2016. The second volume of Moby’s extraordinary life story is a journey into the dark heart of fame and the demons that lurk just beneath the bling and bluster of the celebrity lifestyle. It is a classic about the banality of fame. It is shocking, riotously entertaining, extreme, and unforgiving. 

The rise of populism in the West and the rise of China in the East have stirred a rethinking of how democratic systems work—and how they fail. The impact of globalism and digital capitalism is forcing worldwide attention to the starker divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” challenging how we think about the social contract. Renovating Democracy tears down our basic structures and challenges us to conceive of an alternative framework for governance. Nathan Gardels is Cofounder of the Berggruen Institute and Editor-in-Chief of The WorldPost, a partnership with the Washington Post.  Nicolas Berggruen is Founder and Chairman of the Berggruen Institute. He is coauthor (with Gardels) of Intelligent Governance for the 21st Century: A Middle Way between West and East and is copublisher of The WorldPost. He is also Chairman of Berggruen Holdings.

We welcome Dave Barry back to our stage. Faced with the obstacles and challenges of life after middle age, Dave Barry turns to his best dog, Lucy, to learn how to live his best life. Lucy teaches Dave how to live in the present, how to let go of daily grievances, and how to feel good in your own skin. The lessons are drawn from Dave’s routine humiliations and stream-of-consciousness accounts of the absurdities of daily life, which will leave you heaving with laughter and recognition.  Dave Barry is the author of many bestsellers including Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys, Dave Barry Turns 40 and Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up. A wildly popular syndicated columnist, Barry won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a six-part CNN Original Series that follows multiple award-winning journalist and neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta as he goes on an immersive journey around the world in search of the secrets to living better. His travels bring him to Japan, India, Bolivia, Norway, Italy and Turkey to explore the unusual traditions and modern practices that constitute a healthy and meaningful life.  A practicing neurosurgeon, Dr. Gupta plays an integral role in CNN’s reporting on health and medical news for all of CNN’s shows domestically and internationally and contributes to CNN.com. 

Meb Keflezighi, four-time Olympian and winner of the New York and Boston marathons shares lessons learned from each of the 26 marathons he’s run in his storied career. When Meb Keflezighi ran his final marathon in New York City on November 5, 2017, it marked the end of an extraordinary distance-running career. As the first person in history to win both the Boston and New York City marathons as well as an Olympic marathon medal, Meb’s legacy is forever cemented.  26 Marathons offers the wisdom Meb has gleaned about life, family, identity, and faith in addition to tips about running, training, and nutrition. 26 Marathons provides an inside look at the life and success of one of the greatest runners living today.

Gretchen Rubin writes on the linked subjects of habits, happiness, and human nature. She’s the author of the New York Times bestsellers “The Four Tendencies,” “Better Than Before,” and “The Happiness Project.” A member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, Rubin’s books have sold more than three million copies worldwide, in more than 35 languages, and on her  daily blog, she reports on her adventures in pursuit of habits and happiness. She also has a podcast, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin.” Her new book is, “Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness.” 

Isaac Mizrahi is sui generis: designer, cabaret performer, talk-show host, a TV celebrity. Yet ever since he shot to fame in the late 1980s, the private Isaac Mizrahi has remained under wraps. Until now. In I.M., Isaac Mizrahi offers a poignant, candid, and touching look back on his life so far. Growing up gay in a sheltered Syrian Jewish Orthodox family, Isaac had unique talents that ultimately drew him into fashion and later into celebrity circles that read like a who’s who of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: Richard Avedon, Audrey Hepburn, Anna Wintour, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey, to name only a few.