Cokie Roberts is a proven source for getting right to the fascinating details of American power, and the journalist/author has once again mined history for a fascinating volume. “Capital Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington, 1848–1868” arrives with the sesquicentennial of one of the pivotal periods in the American saga. At the Main Library’s reading/signing event, Roberts will share how she sewed together an amazing quilt of events and personalities. The First Ladies of Union and Confederacy are just the starting point: unexpected spies and legislatively-savvy hostesses get their due, alongside notable before-their-time figures like Clara Barton. The event is free, but you must have a ticket from lfpl.org.