Fall for the Book: Narrating the Edge of Disaster with Erik Larson

Friday, October 10, 2025 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EDT

Best-selling nonfiction author Erik Larson presents his latest blockbuster, The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War. In this masterfully written nonfiction, Larson zooms in on the five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the war–a time period full of betrayals, errors, and unchecked ambition. The Wall Street Journal calls the book “A feast of historical insight and narrative verve…This is Erik Larson at his best, enlivening even a thrice-told tale into an irresistible thriller.” Larson is also the author of wildly popular titles such as The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America and The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz, and Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. Ken Budd, award-winning author and editor, will moderate this conversation. Sponsored by the George Mason Friends.

Tickets are required for this event. Reserve your free ticket starting September 10 on Eventbrite here. EVENT CURRENTLY SOLD OUT.

Location: Harris Theatre, 4471 Aquia Creek Lane, Fairfax, VA