AUTHOR EVENTS FRIDAY-THURSDAY

Jesmyn Ward, “Let Us Descend.” From the award-winning author of “Salvage the Bones” comes a haunting masterpiece about an enslaved girl whose harrowing journey takes her from the rice fields of the Carolinas into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. 7 p.m. Friday. Conversation. Free, or $29.25 with presigned book. First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairmont Ave., Decatur, 404-3731653. georgiacenterforthebook.org

John Stamos, “If You Would Have Told Me.” In his candid memoir, the beloved star of “Full House” offers a rollicking insider look at Hollywood, fame, fortune and failure, as well as a tender treatise on love, friendship and fatherhood. 8 p.m. Saturday. Talk, Q&A, photo line. $40-$75 includes book. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, 678-812-4000. www.atlantajcc.org

Stacey Abrams, “Rogue Justice.” Former Georgia state legislator Abrams (“While Justice Sleeps”) returns with a gripping thriller in which a blackmailed federal judge, a secret court and a brazen murder may lead to an unprecedented national crisis. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Talk, Q&A. $20$25. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, 678-812-4000. atlantajcc.org

Tony Barnhart, “The 19 of Greene.” Longtime sportswriter Barnhart shares his experience with integration in small-town Georgia as a member of Greene County’s first integrated football team, detailing the Tigers’ surprisingly successful 1970 season, the enduring relationships he formed with his teammates and the difficulties of school sports integration. 7 p.m. Wednesday. Conversation. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur, 404-370-3070, ext. 2225. georgiacenterforthebook.org/events

Alice Mcdermott, “Absolution.” Mcdermott (“Charming Billy”) writes about women’s lives on the margins of the Vietnam War in a riveting novel about folly and grace, obligation, sacrifice and the quest for absolution in a broken world. 7 p.m. Thursday. Conversation. Free, or $28 includes book. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, 441 John Lewis Freedom Parkway NE, Atlanta, 404865-7100. acappellabooks.com