Authors / Common Read (U)

<p>Garrison Keillor captivates with his signature blend of humor, charisma and wisdom as he shares his journey to becoming one of America’s greatest storytellers. </p>

<p>Garrison regaled audiences for more than 40 years as the host of <i>A Prairie Home Companion</i>, and brought stories to life on public radio’s <i>The Writers Almanac</i>.</p>

<p>A leader in criminal justice reform, Susan Burton shares her courageous odyssey in overcoming tragedy, addiction, and incarceration to help others like her find a new way of life.</p>

<p>For two decades, Susan has been a leading figure in the criminal justice reform movement. Her award-winning civil and human rights work has been instrumental in raising the visibility of the struggles and barriers faced by formerly incarcerated people, and in changing the narrative of mass incarcerated women.</p>

<p>Kevin Hines, who survived a suicide attempt by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, inspires and educates others about living mentally healthy in the hopes of preventing more suicides.</p>

<p>Named one of the 150 most powerful African Americans by <i>Ebony</i> magazine, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, an American Book Award recipient and two-time NAACP Image Award winner, “is reshaping what it means to be a public intellectual by becoming the most visible black academic of his time.” </p><p>Dr.

<p>Linda Greenlaw illustrates her approach to effective leadership amid volatility and the critical importance of preparation and extreme risk-taking in any setting.</p>

<p>Linda’s incomparable skill as a fishing-boat captain was first documented in Sebastian Junger’s <i>The Perfect Storm</i>, the best-selling book-turned-blockbuster movie that exposed the hazards faced by deep-sea commercial fishers.</p>

<p>David Baldacci enthralls as he brings stories from the page to the stage, with insight into his celebrated career as a best-selling novelist and his passion and advocacy for literacy. </p><p>David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide.

<p>Dr. Joan Morgan is an award-winning journalist and author, and a provocative cultural critic. Morgan's passion and commitment to the accurate documentation of hip-hop culture combined with adept cultural criticism placed her at the forefront of music journalism.</p><p>She was one of the original staff writers at <i>Vibe</i> magazine and a contributing editor and columnist for<i> Spin</i>.

<p>Brad Meltzer is the former host of the History Channel TV show, <i>Brad Meltzer's Decoded</i>, and is the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Escape Artist</i>, <i>The Inner Circle</i>, <i>The Book of Fate</i>, and many other best-selling thrillers.</p><p>In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the best-seller list for Non-Fiction (<i>History Decoded</i>), Advice (<i>Heroes for My Son</i> and <i>Heroes for My Daughter

<p>Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Inge Auerbacher spent three years as a child imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, where out of 15,000 children, barely 1 percent survived. Following her emigration to the United States in 1946, she received a BS in chemistry from Queens College. Since then, she has worked for over 38 years as a chemist with many renowned medical scientists and researchers.</p><p>Auerbacher is also an accomplished writer.

<p>Susannah Cahalan is an award-winning #1 <em>New York Times</em> best-selling author, journalist, and public speaker.</p><p>Her 2012 memoir <em>Brain on Fire</em>, which has sold over a million copies and was made into a Netflix original movie, one of its most-watched movies of 2016, chronicled her medical misdiagnosis and brief interface with the broken mental health system in America.