BOOKISH: Frizzy hair and an uncertain gait

POSTED: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 3:00 PM

Filed Under: Arts Books

Each week, Francesca Crozier-Fitzgerald puts together a rundown of book-centric events that’ll keep you “lit” like wheels on fire all week long.

[ tonight ]

➤ Vroom For Two
Former editor of New York Times House and Home and a seasoned contributor to Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, Michael Cannell (pictured) chose a riveting story for his new book, The Limit. In the 1961 Grand Prix season for the Formula One World Championship, two friends and competitive rivals, Phil Hill and Wolfgang Von Trips, fought for the gold. While one man claimed this defying moment in racing history, the other perished on the track, face down. Cannell will speak of his research process and revelations tonight. 7:30 p.m., free, The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org.

[ wednesday ]

➤ Moby Pic
It’s time you accept that all humans fall into one of two camps: those who live to find the white whale and those who live in ignorance. As Herman Melville writes in his timeless novel, Moby Dick; or, the Whale, “Ignorance is the parent of fear.” For those of you who live to find the white whale in your life, you have probably already read and re-read the epic novel. For those living in ignorance, for fear of missing the deep-sea message, you might have one more chance to set sail. Matt Kish has taken the long, conversational paragraphs of all 552 pages of the Signet Classics version and condensed them into colorful illustrations. Not so hasty, though, they still require research and explanation. Learn the method of the Pequod with its visual interpreter. 8 p.m., free, Brickbat Books, 709 S. Fourth St., brickbatbooks.blogspot.com.

[ thursday ]

➤ AIDS Awareness Month
On this day in 1981, knowledge and understanding of the AIDS epidemic was still frighteningly warped. When the first cases broke out, it was referred to as “GRID” (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency), creating longstanding cultural rifts and prejudices. Raising awareness of the actual disease (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), its causes and modes of prevention started on this date and mark a very important step in the fight against AIDS. Take a closer, intimate look into the life of an AIDS victim and the ways it affected every moment, relationship and decision in author Paul Monette’s life. His memoir, Borrowed Time, has been recognized by the New York Times Book Review as one of the more poignant accounts of this highly sensitive, earth-shattering life obstacle. $10, your living room.

[ friday ]

➤ Kid Bro Nabokov
Lord knows what the Nabokov parents sprinkled into their boys Wheaties, but they wound up with two very unique specimens. In Paul Russell’s (pictured) new book, The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov, we get a dark tour through the life of the estranged, homosexual, younger brother of the literary genius, Vladimir Nabokov. Russell has made an interesting editorial decision to write this memoir as a projected autobiography and as a result, the reader gets to walk the pavements of Sergey’s troubled world, hearing the subject himself in his own voice. Meet the author and inquire about his writing process and challenges. 5:30 p.m., free, Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St., giovannisroom.com.

[ saturday ]

➤ Why Kids go to Spells
As the remainder of print publications make the switch to digital, young journalists and storytellers alike are experimenting with the most effective ways to use film, still shots, audio and narration to tell people’s stories. It is an exciting way to gain information and an overall rewarding process for the producer. Spells Writing Lab in West Philadelphia is ahead of the grade when it comes to broadening the horizons of their students in creative writing and digital storytelling. Volunteer your time to help the kids channel their young energy in constructive ways. Rewards are received on both ends of this education process. Free, 2526 N. Alder St., phillyspells.org.

[ sunday ]

➤ Girl from the North Country
On Dec. 4, 1962, an uneasy young man with dark eyes, unruly, frizzy hair and an uncertain gait, walked into Greenwich Village's folkie territory. Stationed outside The Gaslight or an equally popular music venue in the Village, the boy unlocked his guitar case, adjusted his harmonica neckpiece and began the melodic intro to one of his early classics. This was the first of many Greenwich Village appearances for the young Bob Dylan, who had arrived in New York only a year prior. His girlfriend during these bohemian years, Suze Rotolo, recorded a nostalgic memoir, A Freewheelin’ Time, about folk music, Dylan’s poetic rifts and the thirst for artistic expression, which defined culture during this movement. All day, free, with Pandora set to the Dylan station.

[ monday ]

➤ Rin Tin Tin
Susan Orlean is a big fan of acting completely clueless. She likes to pick a subject that she knows nothing about, hammer her subjects with questions and ultimately enter their worlds for the full experience. This was her method for past successes like Saturday Night, in which she chronicled two dozen U.S. communities and their wild weekend routines, and The Orchid Thief, about violently protective orchid fanatics. Her new book, Rin Tin Tin required Orlean to explore the life of a German shepherd that belonged to Corporal Lee Duncan in 1919. Listen to Orlean talk about the challenges this project proposed, for free! 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org.

Have a lit event you'd like to see in an upcoming Bookish? Email Francesca at francesca@citypaper.net.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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