The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit’s 60^th Annual Jewish Book Fair, which runs November 2-13, 2011, will feature over 70 leading figures from the arts, entertainment, politics and business, including PBS anchor and presidential debate moderator Jim Lehrer, renowned virus hunter Nathan Wolfe,  psychic to the stars Rebecca Rosen and CNN’s consumer advocate Clark Howard.

Howard a nationally syndicated consumer advocate and expert on how to save more and spend less will open the Book Fair on November 2 at 7:30 pm, when he will discuss “Living Large in Lean Times,” at the JCC in West Bloomfield.

The Book Fair will hold a Patron Night with Jim Lehrer, author of Tension City, Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain, providing an insider’s look at the presidential debates. Lehrer will speak at 6:45 pm, November 5 at the JCC in West Bloomfield.

The country’s oldest and largest Jewish book fair, the event will include presentations at both JCC campuses, 6600 W. Maple Road in West Bloomfield and 15110 W. Ten Mile Road in Oak Park. In addition to the speakers, the Book Fair will include a Chaldean cooking demonstration, a local author reception, a store with more than 10,000 titles and a film, held in the West Bloomfield JCC’s new Berman Center for the Performing Arts. Most events are free and open to the public.

Additional Book Fair highlights include:

• Nathan Wolfe, author of The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age. Dubbed the “Indiana Jones of virus hunters” and named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2011 by Time magazine, Wolfe is director of the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, which studies new and emerging infectious diseases. In The Viral Storm, he discusses why another global pandemic may be just around the corner.
• Rebecca Rosen, author of Spirited: Connect to the Guides All Around You. The psychic to the stars, best-selling author and regular contributor to Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine tells readers how to contact deceased family and loved ones and find happiness.
• Mitchell Bard, author of The Arab Lobby: The Invisible Alliance That Undermines America’s Interests in the Middle East, a compelling look at the history and influence of this powerful group.
• Business Breakfast with Josh Linkner, author of Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity. The New York Times bestselling author is CEO of Detroit Venture Partners, helping rebuild urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship, and founder, chairman and former CEO of ePrize, the largest interactive promotion agency in the world.
• Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe, the true story of an unlikely entrepreneur who mobilized a community under the Taliban.
• Ned Zeman, author of The Rules of the Tunnel. Detroit native Ned Zeman is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and has written for Newsweek, Spy, GQ, Outside and Sports Illustrated. When he decided to pen Rules of the Tunnel, though, Zeman was about to enter new territory: his own experiences with depression.
• Marc Agronin, M.D., author of How We Age: A Doctor’s Journey Into the Heart of Growing Old, a new look at medical care of the elderly.
• Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst, a new examination of the perilous future of water.
• Francisco Goldman, author of Say Her Name: A Novel. This former University of Michigan student and now author/journalist recalls the death of his young wife.
• Gilad Sharon, author of The Life of A Leader, offers an extraordinary look at his father, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a complex, passionate man who has forever shaped the past, present and future State of Israel.
• Tom Fields-Meyer, author of Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism and Love from his Extraordinary Son.  Meyers shares the tender story of his autistic son Ezra and how rather than mourn the person Ezra would never become, he decided to embrace the boy Ezra is.
• Darin Straus, author of Half a Life: A Memoir. Half my life ago, I killed a girl.” So begins Darin Straus’ extraordinary memoir, which won the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award for best autobiography, was named a New York Times Editor’s Pick and a NPR Best Book of the Year.
• Joseph Braude, author of The Honored Dead: A Story of Friendship, Murder and the Search for Truth in the Arab World, the true story of a murder mystery in Iraq.
• Phillip Schultz, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the memoir, My Dyslexia.
• Mary-Lou Weisman, author of Al Jaffee’s Mad Life, the story of MAD magazine’s writer/illustrator.
• Al Abrams, author of Hype & Soul - Behind the Scenes at Motown. Motown's first employee, Al Abrams was Hitsville's director of publicity. In Hype & Soul, he provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of Detroit’s most famous businesses and its iconic founder.

For information and a complete Book Fair schedule, please visit jccdet.org or contact Book Fair Director Shari Lebo at (248) 432-5459.