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Welcome to Boswell! 
 
Our regular browsing hours are:
Monday through Friday: 10 am to 8 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10 am to 6 pm
Please note that parts of the store are closed to browsing during in-store programming.
 
We are taking second-hand appointments by email. Contact us at usedbooks@boswellbooks.com. More info at second-hand book-buying guidelines.
 

at Boswell
Monday, March 18, 6:30 pm

Boswell welcomes Dr Kareem R Muhammad, Carroll University’s Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for an evening focused on his new book, The Fight for Black Empowerment in the USA, in which Muhammad contends that concentrated Black power is the backbone of the Democratic Party and, as such, Black empowerment represents the last hope for the US.

Please click here to visit kareemmuhammadmke.eventbrite.com and register for this event. And be sure to order your copy of The Fight for Black Empowerment in the USA now as well.

Through analyses of secondary data, historical archives, and a variety of political and economic statistical indicators, Muhammad examines the relationship between Black empowerment and America's global stature across its history, exploring the socio-historical context in which obstacles to Black empowerment have occurred and the strategies that have been adopted across time for its realization.

Offering an examination of what Black political, legal, economic and cultural power looks like, Muhammad makes an urgent call for the up-lift and empowerment of the Black population, without which the nation faces irreversible political and economic dysfunction domestically and a loss of its status as a global superpower.

Kareem R Muhammad is the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Carroll University. He is an expert in the burgeoning field of hip-hop studies. His essay, "Blackout: The Tricky Negotiation of Race in Hip-Hop" appeared in the book In This Together: Hip-Hop, Blackness and Indigeneity.


at Boswell
Tuesday, March 19, 6:30 pm

Wisconsin author BJ Hollars appears with his new book, Wisconsin for Kennedy, in which he explores JFK’s innovative campaign strategy in the Dairy State and how Wisconsin became crucial to winning the presidency. Cohosted by Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

Please click here to visit bjhollarsmke.eventbrite.com and register for this event. And be sure to order your copy of Wisconsin for Kennedy now as well.

When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, he did something no candidate had done before: he leveraged the power of state primaries to win his party’s nomination. Kennedy’s first battleground state? Wisconsin - a state that would prove more arduous, more exhausting, and more crucial to winning the presidency than any other. Hollar’s new book peeks behind-the-scenes to tell the story of JFK’s 1960 Wisconsin primary campaign. It includes endearing stories of John, Jackie, Robert, and Ted, as well as memories from Wisconsinites who worked for the Kennedy's, campaigning in venues large and small in the Dairy State.

Hollars chronicle of JFK’s nail-biting Wisconsin win draws upon rarely cited oral histories from the eclectic team of people who worked together to make it happen: a cranberry farmer, a union leader, a mayor, an architect, and others. Wisconsin for Kennedy explores how Wisconsin helped propel JFK all the way to the White House in a riveting historical account that reads like a work of rollicking, page-turning fiction.

BJ Hollars is Professor of English at the UW–Eau Claire and Founder and Director of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. His books include Go West Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail, The Road South: Personal Stories of the Freedom Riders, and Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic. Hollars is the recipient of the Truman Capote Prize for Literary Nonfiction, the Anne B. and James B. McMillan Prize, and the Council of Wisconsin Writers' Blei/Derleth Nonfiction Book Award. His work has been featured in the Washington Post and on NPR.


at Boswell
Wednesday, March 20, 6:30 pm

Boswell welcomes journalist Daniel de Visé, author of The Blues Brothers, his new history in which he recounts the story of the epic friendship between John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, the golden era of improv, and the making of a comedic film classic that helped shape popular culture.

Please click here to visit danieldevisemke.eventbrite.com and register for this event. And be sure to order your copy of The Blues Brothers now, too.

Much delayed and vastly over budget, beset by mercurial and oft drugged-out stars, The Blues Brothers opened to outraged reviews. However, in the decades since, it has been acknowledged a classic. The saga behind the movie, as de Visé reveals, is epic, encompassing the colorful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd, the comedic revolution sparked by Harvard’s Lampoon and Chicago’s Second City, the early years of Saturday Night Live, and the behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made. Based on original research and dozens of interviews probing the memories of principals, from director John Landis and producer Bob Weiss to Aykroyd himself, de Visé’s book illuminates an American masterpiece while vividly portraying the creative geniuses behind modern comedy.

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of Seinfeldia, says: "This thorough account of the Blues Brothers’ origin story is as fun and riveting as the comedy classic itself." From Judy Belushi Pisano: "de Visé seems to have managed to embrace the humor, humanity, love and tragedy that makes the story of the Blues Brothers a worthwhile tale." And Boswellian Chris Lee adds: "It’s a wild, improbable, tragic, inspiring story of two friends who loved (and frustrated) each other, who pushed each other to create something bold and new from the old and forgotten, and in the process changed the landscape of pop culture. Comedy fans, music fans, anybody who was ‘there’ (or wishes they were) in the days when SNL was a weekly event, you’re going to love this book."

Daniel De Visé is author of King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King, The Comeback: Greg LeMond, The True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France, and Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show. He shared a 2001 Pulitzer Prize for his journalism and has worked at the Washington Post and Miami Herald, among other newspapers.


Cristina Henríquez, author of The Great Divide
in conversation with Liz Hein at Boswell
Thursday, March 21, 6:30 pm

Boswell welcomes Cristina Henríquez, author of titles such as the acclaimed novel The Book of Unknown Americans, for an event featuring her new book, The Great Divide, which is an epic novel about the construction of the Panama Canal that casts light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there. Great for fans of literary historical novels, such as books written by Isabel Allende and Min Jin Lee. In conversation with book influencer Liz Hein.

Please click here to visit and register for this event. And be sure to order your copy of The Great Divide now, too.

It’s said the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. Fisherman Francisco resents his son Omar’s decision to work as, but for Omar, the job offers a chance to finally find connection. Ada Bunting, sixteen and bold, is a stowaway from Barbados who’s determined to find a job to pay for her ailing sister’s surgery. When Omar collapses, she is the only one who rushes to his aid. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Searing and empathetic, The Great Divide explores the lives of activists, fishmongers, laborers, journalists, and soothsayers as they carve out the course of history. Pulitzer finalist Luis Alberto Urrea says: "Henriquez gives us cause to celebrate with this sweeping novel. It speeds us into a wild world of adventure and danger, epic visions of the creation of the Panama Canal. There isn’t another book like it. A welcome return by one of our finest voices."

Cristina Henríquez is author of The World in Half, Come Together, Fall Apart, and The Book of Unknown Americans, a New York Times Top Ten Book of the Year and a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and the New York Times Magazine. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.


Garrett Bucks, author of The Right Kind of White: A Memoir
at Boswell
Friday, March 22, 6:30 pm

Milwaukee-based writer Garrett Bucks appears at Boswell for his new memoir, The Right Kind of White, a revelatory book that earnestly reckons with Whiteness. Bucks is also creator of The White Pages newsletter.

Please click here to visit garrettbucksmke.eventbrite.com and register for this event. And be sure to order a copy of The Right Kind of White now, too.

A child of progressive parents, Garrett Bucks prided himself on the pursuit of being a “good white person.” The kind of white person who treats privilege as a responsibility, who people of color see as the peak example of racial allyship, and on whom other white people might model their own aspirations of being “better.” But his obsession with “goodness” prevents him from building meaningful relationships, particularly those who look like him. In his book, Garrett charts his intellectual and emotional odyssey in his pursuit of this ideal whiteness, the price of its admission, and the work he’s doing to bridge the divide from those he once sought distance from.

From Wendy S Walters, author of Multiply/Divide: "Things get tricky when someone wants to do good - and also be celebrated for it. Garrett Bucks offers a fascinating, immersive account of what it means to be white and progressive in a time of social and political reckoning. The Right Kind of White is unforgettable. It's an elegant testament to the pitfalls of ego and the desire for absolution."

Garrett Bucks is founder of The Barnraisers Project, which has trained nearly one thousand participants to organize majority-white communities for racial and social justice. He is also the author the popular newsletter The White Pages.


Erica Ruth Neubauer, author of Secrets of a Scottish Isle
in conversation with Sharon Nagel at Boswell
Tuesday, March 26, 6:30 pm

It’s another wonderful and worldly Thrillwaukee evening featuring Milwaukee’s own Erica Ruth Neubauer, who joins us for an event featuring her latest, Secrets of a Scottish Isle, the fifth book in her Jane Wunderly series of historical investigations. On an isolated isle off the western coast of Scotland, spirited American Jane Wunderly investigates a secret society where esoteric rituals blur the line between what’s real, what’s illusion, and what’s deadly. Neubauer will be in conversation with Sharon Nagel, Whitefish Bay Librarian, former Boswellian, and one half of the writing team behind the Juneau Black Shady Hollow mysteries.

Please click here to visit ericaruthneubauermke.eventbrite.com and register now for this event. And be sure to order your copy of Secrets of a Scottish Isle now, too.

Isle of Iona, 1927: Cast away on a remote locale, Jane’s latest assignment depends on concealing her identity and blending in at an occult gathering. Not even her fiancé, Redvers, can be too close as she uncovers the truth about Robert Nightingale, enigmatic leader of the Order of the Golden Dawn. When a woman tries to escape to the mainland only to be found murdered in the moors, the shocking scene reveals it’s easier to join the Golden Dawn than it is to leave.

Jane soon realizes she may be among the few still grasping reality. One high-ranking member searches for the killer by attempting to access otherworldly planes of existence. Others become immersed in a strange solstice ritual. Then there’s Nightingale and the rivals who discarded him to start a new temple. As a second death brings fresh clues into focus, Jane needs to navigate a frightening dilemma - playing along won’t help her crack the mystery, but revealing too much could be a fatal mistake.

Erica Ruth Neubauer is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Jane Wunderly Mysteries, as well as an Anthony Award and Lefty Award finalist. She has reviewed mysteries and crime fiction for Publishers Weekly and Mystery Scene Magazine, and she’s a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.


Jennifer and Karen Lemke, coauthors of Easy Walks and Paddles in Milwaukee
at Boswell
Wednesday, March 27, 6:30 pm

Boswell hosts Jennifer and Karen Lemke, coauthors of Easy Walks and Paddles in Milwaukee, a new guide to transit and wheel accessible walks and paddles throughout the Cream City.

Please click here to visit easywalksandpaddlesmke.eventbrite.com and register for this event. And be sure to order your copy of Easy Walks and Paddlesz in Milwaukee now, too.

Sisters Jennifer and Karen Lemke visited more than fifty parks and public spaces to field test the walks in their new guide, Easy Walks and Paddles in Milwaukee. For each destination walkers and paddlers will find handy notes on trail surfaces, resting spots, public restroom access, public transportation options, and more. The guide is also designed to assist elders, those with impaired mobility or vision, and parents with young children who want to get outdoors safely.

Jennifer and Karen Lemke live in walkable Enderis Park and Bay View neighborhoods. When she is not ‘recombobulating’ herself on urban trails, Karen supports climate solutions for a fair future and teaches music. Jennifer works in health care, maintains a robust urban vegetable garden and volunteers with local environmental cleanup efforts.


Sold Out Leigh Bardugo, author of The Familiar
at the UWM Student Union Wisconsin Room, 2200 E Kenwood Blvd
Friday, April 12 6 pm 

Alas, this event is sold out to the general public

An evening with Leigh Bardugo, creator of the Grishaverse, which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and more. Bardugo visits for an event featuring The Familiar, a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age. Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the creator of the Grishaverse, which is now a Netflix series. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Ninth House, a Goodreads Choice Winner for Best Fantasy. She is an Associate Fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.


All event times are Central Time. To see a full event listing, visit our Upcoming Events page here. Read posts from The Boswellians (our bookseller contributed blog) here and Boswell and Books (from Daniel Goldin) right here, and visit our blog post archive right here.