The 27^th Annual Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities presented by Humanities Nebraska in partnership with the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues

Candice Millard’s talk will touch on her four New York Times best sellers: “The River of Doubt,” “Destiny of the Republic,” “Hero of the Empire,” and “River of the Gods.”

Millard’s first book, “The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey,” was also a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and a Book Sense Pick. It won the William Rockhill Nelson Award and was a finalist for the Quill Awards. Her second book about President James Garfield, “Destiny of the Republic: A Tail of Madness, Medicine and Murder of a President,” won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, the One Book One Lincoln Award, and the Kansas Notable Book Award. Millard’s “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill,” was named Amazon’s number one history book of 2016.

Her most recent book, “River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile” is already a top ten New York Times best seller. Focused on English explorers Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke, Millard tells a story of courage and adventure, set against the backdrop of the race to exploit Africa by the colonial powers. This book also profiles Sidi Mubarak Bombay, their formerly enslaved local guide. Without Bombay and men like him, who led, carried, and protected the expedition, neither Englishman would have come close to the headwaters of the Nile, or perhaps even survived.

Millard’s essays have also appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, the Guardian, National Geographic and TIME.