At L.A. Public Library literary salon, a military historian offers hope: 'We have faced grimmer times'

For a historiographer who writes astir war, Rick Atkinson is amazingly optimistic. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and erstwhile writer — who precocious released the 2nd measurement successful a trilogy of books astir the American Revolution — believes that the bedrock of American ideology is coagulated capable to withstand immoderate assaults connected its founding principles.

As the impermanent of grant astatine a Sunday nighttime meal sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles arsenic portion of its biennial Literary Feasts fundraiser, Atkinson was the astir upbeat idiosyncratic astatine the event, which took spot conscionable earlier predetermination day. Speaking to astir 18 guests gathered astir 2 circular tables cautiously laid retired connected the backmost patio astatine the location of chap writers and hosts Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed, Atkinson buoyed the flagging spirits of those definite that the state was presently dangling connected the precipice of catastrophe astatine the hands of the Trump administration.

Book lovers attended a Literary Feast meal featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning historiographer Rick Atkinson astatine the location of writers Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened governmental practice handed down to america from that founding generation, and it includes strictures connected however to disagreement powerfulness and support it from concentrating successful the hands of authoritarians who deliberation chiefly of themselves,” Atkinson said with the cheery aplomb of a antheral who has spent the bulk of his clip burrowing heavy wrong archives filled with harrowing stories of the darkest days the satellite has ever seen. “We can’t fto that gaffe away. We can’t let it to beryllium taken away, and we can’t let ourselves to hide the hundreds of thousands who’ve fixed their lives to affirm and prolong it implicit the past 250 years.”

The questions and speech that followed Atkinson’s rousing code astir the past of the Revolution — including riveting details astir cardinal players similar George Washington who Atkinson noted had “remarkably dormant eyes” successful bid to not springiness distant a scintilla of his interior beingness to funny onlookers — was what the evening’s book-loving guests had travel for.

“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened governmental practice handed down to america from that founding generation,” said Rick Atkinson.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

A full of 40 authors are hosted astatine salon-style events astatine 40 houses with much than 750 guests implicit the people of a azygous evening, raising much than $2 cardinal for the Library Foundation, which is a abstracted entity from the nationalist library. Founded successful 1992 successful the aftermath of the devastating 1986 occurrence astatine downtown’s Central Library, which destroyed much than 400,000 books, the instauration seeks to proceed the community-driven ngo of the room erstwhile backing runs short, including supporting big education, aboriginal literacy programs for children, and services for immigrants and the unhoused.

“I often picture it arsenic the dream-fueling work, the life-changing work,” said Stacy Lieberman, the Library Foundation’s president and main executive. “Because it’s a batch of the one-on-one enactment that radical volition get.”

The Foundation typically raises astir $7 cardinal to $8 cardinal a year, with an operating fund of astir $11 million, truthful wealth raised done the Literary Feasts is simply a important portion of the backing pie. The feasts began successful 1997 and person continued apace each different twelvemonth since then, featuring a who’s who of literate accomplishment crossed each genre. Writers past and contiguous see Sue Grafton, Jane Fonda, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Abraham Verghese, Scott Turow and Michael Connelly.

Dinner hosts money the events themselves — nary tiny outlay considering the lavish offerings.

The Ahameds delighted guests with a tangy grapefruit and greens salad, followed by tender steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes; a dessert of blistery pome tart à la mode drizzled with caramel sauce; and plentifulness of crisp reddish and achromatic wine. Both hosts are literate luminaries successful their ain right: Liaquat, a erstwhile concern manager, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for past for his publication “Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World” and Meenakshi precocious published “Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians successful America.”

Guests were served steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The mates travels successful bookish circles and enjoys hosting salons astatine their home, including 1 earlier this twelvemonth successful enactment of New Yorker governmental columnist Susan Glasser and her husband, New York Times main White House analogous Peter Baker. As friends of Atkinson, the Ahameds did their portion to present him, and aboriginal tried their champion to entice him to halt taking questions and devour his dinner.

The impermanent of grant could not beryllium persuaded. There was excessively overmuch to say. “The Fate of the Day,” which explores the bloody mediate years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released successful April, and Atkinson has spent the past 8 months touring and speaking connected panels with documentarian Ken Burns to beforehand Burns’ six-part documentary bid “The American Revolution,” which premieres Nov. 16 connected PBS.

Atkinson is simply a featured talker successful the bid and has been progressive with it for astir 4 years.

The meal featuring Rick Atkinson was 1 of 40 taking spot crossed municipality that evening. The events raised $2 cardinal for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The week earlier the Literary Feast, Atkinson and Burns spoke to members of Congress successful Washington, D.C., and besides screened a 40-minute clip astatine Mount Vernon wherever Atkinson discussed Washington’s unsocial talents arsenic a general.

“I’ve seen the full happening respective times and it’s fantastic,” Atkinson said of the 12-hour film. “It’s arsenic you would expect: beautifully filmed, wonderfully told, large narrative.”

The state is present much than 4 months into its semiquincentennial, which Atkinson joked “sounds similar a aesculapian procedure,” but is really the 250th day of the founding of the United States. It’s good known that Trump is readying a splashy party, with festivities and commemorations intensifying implicit the adjacent 8 months, culminating successful a expansive solemnisation successful Washington, D.C., connected July 4, 2026.

Rick Atkinson’s book, “The Fate of the Day,” exploring the bloody mediate years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released successful April.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“My anticipation is that arsenic a country, we usage the accidental to bespeak connected those basal questions of who we are, wherever we came from, what our forebears believed and what they were consenting to dice for,” said Atkinson. “I’m optimistic due to the fact that I’m a historian, due to the fact that I cognize our history. No substance however grim things look successful 2025, we person faced grimmer times successful the past, existential threats of the archetypal order, starting with the Revolution.”

The politically deflated mightiness besides see World War II — the taxable of Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy — the 2nd measurement of which won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for history. The writer knows his stuff. Guests — and readers — instrumentality heart.