Talk of Kings

Delve into some of the most intriguing and captivating tales in history and culture. Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. • King Library Open to the public • No charge • Reservations required • Seating is limited Reservations are available for in-person attendance, for viewing the discussion live via Zoom, or for viewing a recording posted to www.fourarts.org one week following the presentation. Reserve via The Four Arts app • www.fourarts.org • kinglibrary@fourarts.org • (561) 655-2766

The Taking of K-129

How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History September 21, 2021 Author: Josh Dean • Facilitator: Dr. Richard D’Elia

The Taking of K-129 is a riveting, almost unbelievable true-life tale of military history, engineering genius, and high-stakes spy-craft set during the height of the Cold War, when nuclear annihilation was a constant fear, and the opportunity to gain even the slightest advantage over your enemy was worth massive risk.

The Seine

The River that Made Paris October 5, 2021 Author: Elaine Sciolino • Facilitator: Rita Vetterlein

Explore the Seine through its rich history and lively characters. Elaine Sciolino patrols with river police, rows with a restorer of antique boats, sips champagne at a vineyard along the river, and even dares to go for a swim. She finds the Seine in art, literature, music, and movies from Renoir and Les Misérables to Puccini and La La Land. Along the way, she reveals how the river that created Paris has touched her own life.

Bubble in the Sun

The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression November 2, 2021 Author: Christopher Knowlton • Facilitator: Ed Lamont

The 1920s in Florida was a time of incredible excess, immense wealth, and precipitous collapse. Bubble in the Sun brings to life the forces that made and wrecked Florida during the decade: the real estate moguls Carl Fisher, George Merrick, and Addison Mizner, and the hurricane whose aftermath triggered the stock market crash. This essential account is a revelatory — and riveting — history of an era that still affects our country today.

A Woman of No Importance

The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II December 7, 2021 Author: Sonia Purnell • Facilitator: Billy David

Sonia Purnell has uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall – an astounding story of spy craft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. Hall was a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill’s “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and helped spark the French Resistance.

Saturday, November 6, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Open to the public • No charge

Come browse hundreds of gently used fiction, non-fiction,and beautiful art books. Proceeds go towards expanding the King Library collection. For more information, please call (561) 655-2766.

CAPEHART

The Judgment of Paris

The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism January 4, 2022 Author: Ross King • Facilitator: Ed Lamont

The Judgment of Paris recalls a seminal period when Paris was the artistic center of the world and casts new light on the birth of Impressionism. While the Civil War raged in America, Impressionist artists were showing their first paintings amidst scorn and derision from the French artistic establishment. No movement has ever been quite so controversial. It would soon reorder both history and culture, and resonate around the world.

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need February 1, 2022 Author: Bill Gates • Facilitator: Dr. Diana Barrett

Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet’s slide to disaster. He sets out a wide-ranging, practical, and accessible plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe.

Hidden Valley Road

Inside the Mind of an American Family March 1, 2022 Author: Robert Kolker • Facilitator: Dr. Diana Barrett

Hidden Valley Road is the heartrending story of a mid-century American family with 12 children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease. Their story shadows the history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization and lobotomy to the search for genetic markers, always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself.

The Castle on Sunset

Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont April 5, 2022 Author: Shawn Levy • Facilitator: Billy David

For nearly 90 years, Hollywood’s brightest stars have favored the Chateau Marmont as a home away from home. An apartment house-turned-hotel, it has hosted generations of gossip and folklore. Vivid, salacious, and richly informed, this glittering tribute to Hollywood recounts the wild revelries and scandalous liaisons; the creative breakthroughs and marital breakdowns; and the births and deaths to which the Chateau has been a party.