"Surprisingly little" ink has been spilled when it comes to "the personal friends presidents may rely on for savvy, unselfish counsel that can impact policy, the nation, and the world," David Alpern, a former Newsweek senior editor, wrote in his review of Gary Ginsberg's "First Friends" for The Star. Mr. Ginsberg successfully rectified that in his 2021 book, which details relationships ranging from Bill Clinton and Vernon Jordan to Franklin Pierce and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Now Mr. Ginsberg, who lives part time in East Hampton, will talk it all over with Sally Susman, an executive with Pfizer and a past contributor of essays and reviews to The Star, on Saturday at 4 p.m. at The Church in Sag Harbor. Admission is $15.
Kati Marton Leads Off Fridays
Angela Merkel, the recently retired chancellor of Germany, was "renowned for her ego-free approach to politics and leadership — calmly calculated, often poll-driven, ready to compromise if at times a bit too restrained." So wrote, yes, our man in politics and letters, Mr. Alpern, in December in this paper.
He was reviewing the journalist Kati Marton's "The Chancellor," and tomorrow, Ms. Marton, who lives in Sag Harbor, will read from it as the first author in this summer's Fridays at Five series at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton. Tickets are $25; a packet of five can be had for $100.
The series will continue through Aug. 19. A rundown can be found at myhamptonlibrary.org.