THIS WEEK’S LITERARY EVENTS

Jon Meacham,“The Soul of America.”

Pulitzer Prize winner Meacham (“American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House”) helps us understand the present moment in American politics by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. In conversation with Gail Evans, former executive vice president of CNN. 8 p.m. Nov. 17. Talk, signing. $33-$38 includes copy of book. Marcus Jewish Community Center, Zaban Park, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, 678-8124000, www.atlantajcc.org

Peter Sagal, “The Incomplete Book of Running.”

Sagal, beloved host of NPR’s“Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!”and a popular columnist for Runner’s World, shares lessons, stories, advice and warnings gleaned from over a decade of running. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18. Talk, signing. $18-$25. Marcus Jewish Community Center, Zaban Park, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, 678-812-4000, www.atlantajcc.org

Tom Clavin,“Valley Forge.”

Clavin, co-author of“The Heart of Everything That Is,” returns with one of the most inspiring — and underappreciated — chapters in American history: the story of the Continental Army’s six-month transformation in Valley Forge. 7:15 p.m. Nov. 20. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur, 404370-3070, Ext. 2285, www. georgiacenterforthebook. org/

Collin Kelley,“Midnight in a Perfect World,”

with Katie Farris. A recipient of the Georgia Author of the Year Award and finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, Kelley is the author of several poetry collections and a trilogy of novels that includes “Conquering Venus” and“Leaving Paris.”Farris, a visiting associate professor at Georgia Tech, is the author of the novel“Boysgirls,”and a poetry collection,“Thirteen Intimacies.”7:30 p.m. Nov. 20. Joint reading. Free. Charis Books & More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, 404-524-0304, www.charisbooksandmore. com/