Tonight's Literary Feast: Gates or Eggers

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr., will read from Finding Oprah’s Roots: Finding Your Own, at Harvard Book Store at 6:30 pm. Dave Eggers, Valentino Achak Deng, and Samantha Power, Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy, will discuss What Is the What at Memorial Church in Harvard Yard at 6:30 pm.

It's a big night tonight when it comes to intellectual gatherings. We simply couldn't decide which event to attend - Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr., or Dave Eggers. Both are bright lights in the intellectual firmament. Both have made tremendous contributions to society in general. Both are nerdy but still somehow cool.

After much deliberation, we decided to spotlight our local hero, "Skip," for several reasons: 1. He's probably the only cool person who calls himself "Skip" that we can think of, and 2. He has a burger named after him at Bartley's Burger Cottage, and they describe the teriyaki-and-pineapple burger as a "sharply dressed burger for a sharp-dressed man."

Gates' latest book is part of his project to help African Americans discover their origins, despite slavery's attempt to steal their history from them. His latest book offers advice on how to navigate your family tree and provides his work on Oprah's roots as an example. And you never know what you might find when you look at your roots - just ask Al Sharpton, who was mighty surprised to discover that his ancestors were the slaves of Strom Thurmond's ancestors.

Not to sniff at Eggers - the discussion of What is the What will be huge, and the subject matter - the horrors experienced by a refugee from the Sudan and his struggle to put his life back together - is of the utmost importance. Eggers' real-life inspiration, Valentino Achak Deng, will also be present at the talk.

Last of all, this unexpected collision of Gates and Eggers also makes us wonder what would go on a Dave Eggers Burger. Anyway, consider tonight's events a literary feast. Whichever event you choose, be sure to go early.

Image of Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr., from Harvard. Image of What Is the What cover from McSweeneys.net.