America’s Book Club
David M. Rubenstein and Geraldine Brooks
Presented by C-SPAN, Live at the Folger Shakespeare Library
Booking and details
Dates Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 7pm
Venue Reading Room
Tickets Available to Folger Members; advance registration required
Member event
C-SPAN’s America’s Book Club returns to the Folger Shakespeare Library on June 29. In collaboration with C-SPAN, the Folger will host David M. Rubenstein in conversation with award-winning author Geraldine Brooks.
In America’s Book Club, Rubenstein leads thought-provoking conversations exploring the ideas that shaped America’s past, challenge the nation’s present, and inspire our future, as the United States approaches its 250th birthday.
For this conversation at the Folger, Brooks and Rubenstein will discuss the people, events, and stories that shape our understanding of history, illuminating the connections between the past and the present through the power of narrative.
An Australian-American journalist and novelist, Brooks has written multiple bestselling works of fiction and nonfiction. Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her 2005 novel March, inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Her other novels include Horse, People of the Book, and Year of Wonders, which is set in 17th-century England and was a Folger Book Club pick in 2024.
Members of the Folger may register to attend this live event in the Reading Room. (Please email membership@folger.edu with any questions.) The conversation will be taped and aired on C-SPAN at a future date.
About the speakers
David M. Rubenstein
David M. Rubenstein is an investor, philanthropist, interviewer, author, and historian. He is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Established in 1987, Carlyle now manages $465 billion from 27 offices around the world.
Geraldine Brooks
Geraldine Brooks is the author of six novels, including Horse, People of the Book, Year of Wonders, and the Pulitzer Prize–winning March. She has also written acclaimed works of nonfiction, including Memorial Days, Nine Parts of Desire, and Foreign Correspondence. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies around the world. Born and raised in Australia, Brooks divides her time between Sydney and Martha’s Vineyard.
Photo: © Randi Baird
Folger Membership
Member of the Folger receive invitations to exclusive events like this one, among other benefits. Become a member today to get on the invitation list for future events.
About America’s Book Club
America’s Book Club is a featured part of C-SPAN’s America 250 programming to honor, explore, and celebrate the 250th birthday of the nation at iconic libraries and cultural landmarks, including the Library of Congress and the National Archives. Other guests in the America’s Book Club series include Justice Amy Coney Barrett, John Grisham, Henry Louis Gates, Arthur Brooks, Walter Isaacson, Stacey Schiff, and José Andrés. Watch the series trailer below and learn more on the America’s Book Club website.
About C-SPAN
C-SPAN, the private nonprofit public affairs media organization providing Americans with unfiltered access to government proceedings, was created in 1979 as a public service by the cable television industry and is primarily funded through fees paid by cable and satellite television companies that provide the C-SPAN Networks to subscribers. C-SPAN connects with millions of Americans through its three commercial-free TV networks, C-SPAN Radio, C-SPAN podcasts, the C-SPAN Now app, a new connected-TV streaming app C-SPAN Select, C-SPAN.org and various social media platforms. The C-SPAN Networks’ video-rich website contains over 300,000 hours of searchable and shareable content. Engage with C-SPAN on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and YouTube, and stay connected through weekly and daily newsletters.