Co-presented with the WASHINGTON CENTER FOR THE BOOK AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. A young writer whose work has been selected for both the Best American Essays and the Best American Mysteries series, and has written a praised book of stories (Teach the Free Man), Peter Nathaniel Malae visits with a powerful debut novel, What We Are (Grove Press). "The voice is gold ... A high energy rant by a half-Samoan/half-white drifter trying to survive in a world bent on marginalizing seekers of truth and integrity ... [What We Are] bears a message that in the face of the madness of the modern world, the most important thing is to know yourself and to hold onto that at whatever cost." - Publishers Weekly. "Malae possesses a prodigious command of the masculine American idiom and its ironies. Paul—the unforgettable protagonist of What We Are—is that rarest of literary creatures these days: a hard-living, oft-brawling, culture-straddling, foul-mouthed juggernaut, one who's as liable to throw a punch as he is to break your heart." - Rattawut Lapcharoensap, joined in early praise by Sherman Alexie and Russell Banks. Free admission is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Rainier Beach Branch of the Seattle Public Library is at 9125 Rainier Avenue S. For more information on this evening, please call (206) 386-1906 or Elliott Bay at (206) 624-6600.