Bookmarks Presents Erik Larson

Join Bookmarks for a conversation with Erik Larson featuring his new book, The Demon of Unrest, on Tuesday, May 14 at 7:00 pm at Calvary Moravian Church.

This will be a conversation event with a book signing to follow. Tickets are $40 (plus taxes & fees) and include a copy of the book and access to the event. Additional copies of Erik Larson's books will be available for purchase at the event.

Presented with support from Kilpatrick Townsend.

About the Author

Erik Larson is the author of six national bestsellers: The Splendid and the Vile, Dead Wake, In the Garden of Beasts, Thunderstruck, The Devil in the White City, and Isaac’s Storm, which have collectively sold more than ten million copies. His books have been published in nearly twenty countries.

About the Book

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War—a slow-burning crisis that finally tore a deeply divided nation in two.

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.

Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”

At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between both. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous Secretary of State, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.

Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.

About Kilpatrick Townsend

Known as the City of Arts and Innovation, Winston-Salem is home to the corporate headquarters of some of the largest household names in the country and the finest institutions of higher education. Historically recognized for its furniture, textile, and tobacco industries, the city is located in the heart of the Piedmont Triad. Our rich history is as deep as Winston-Salem itself, and our predecessor firm, Petree Stockton, can trace its roots back to 1918.

To best serve their community, attorneys in the Winston-Salem office bring a wide breadth of experience and services in corporate, intellectual property, employment, environmental, investment and securities, litigation, and real estate law. The strength of our office positions the firm as a leader in the rapidly-growing biotechnology, aviation, aerospace, distribution, and logistics industries, allowing us to stay at the forefront of innovation and ever-changing laws and regulations. We also offer a dedicated e-discovery practice that provides end-to-end e-discovery solutions, using the most sophisticated technology in-house.

The Winston-Salem office aims to make a positive impact on its community, with nearly 90 percent of our attorneys serving on a board or advisory council. For over a decade, we have supported Cook Elementary with the goal of reinforcing the importance of staying in school, working and studying hard, and making good decisions through a variety of projects, including our inspirational, monthly "Stories of Excellence" luncheon series for Cook's fifth grade students. The office also engages with nonprofit organizations, such as the Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Children's Law Center of Central North Carolina, RiverRun International Film Festival, Reynolda House Museum & Gardens, the local United Way, and many others.

To ask questions about accessibility or request accommodations, please contact Bookmarks at info@bookmarksnc.org or (336) 747-1471 x1001. At least two weeks' notice will allow us to provide the best experience possible for you and your guests.

Please Note: Bookmarks cannot be held responsible for changes to an author's schedule and cannot guarantee that books will be signed by the author, either before or after an event.

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