The National Book Awards were announced last week by the National Book Foundation. The mission of the award is to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture. Books must be nominated by publishers and published in the U.S. during the previous 12 months.
The Fiction winner is “Blackouts” by Justin Torres. It is a story about one young man tending to another as he dies. They trade stories that include moments of joy and oblivion and they resurrect lost loves, lives, mothers, fathers and minor heroes. Other finalists include “Cahin-Gang All-Stars” by NanKwame Adjei-brenyah, “Temple Fold” by Aaliyah Bilal, “This Other Eden” by Paul Harding, and “The End of Drum-Time” by Hanna Pylvainen.
The Nonfiction winner is “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History” by Ned Blackhawk. Blackhawk interweaves five centuries of Native and non-Native histories, from Spanish colonial exploration to the rise of Native American self-determination in the late 20th century. His synthesis shows that Native nations helped shape England’s crisis of empire, the first shots of the American Revolution were prompted by Indian affairs in the interior, California Indians targeted by federally funded militias were among the first casualties of the Civil War, and more. Other finalists are “Liliana’s Invincible Summer” by Cristina Rivera Garza, “Ordinary Notes” by Christina Sharpe, “We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir” by Raja Shehadey, and “Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World” by John Vaillant.
The winner in Poetry is “from unincorporated territory (amot)” by Craig Santos Perez. This is the fifth collection in Perez’s unincorporated territory series about the history of his homeland on the island of Guam and the culture of his indigenous Chamoru people. Amot is the Chamoru word for medicine and commonly refers to medicinal plants. It is the tradition of the healers to gather amot in the jungle and recite chants and invocations in the healing process. Perez explores how storytelling can become a symbolic form of amot. Other finalists are “How to Communicate” by John Lee Clare, “Suddenly We” by Evie Shckley, “Tripas” by Barndon Som, and “From From” by Monica Youn.
The winner of Translated Literature is “The Words that Remain” by Stenio Gardel and translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato. Translated from Portuguese, this story explores the universal power of the written word and language and how they affect our relationships. When one young man who was raised in poverty and hence is unable to read, receives a letter from his true love, his father finds out about the affair and brutally beats his son. As the man grows, attains an education, and succeeds in making a life for himself, he is haunted by the secret letter. Other finalists are “Cursed Bunny” by Bora Chung, “Beyond the Door of No Return” by Daid Diop, “Abyss” by Pilar Quintana, and “On a Woman’s Madness” by Astrid Roemer.
The winner of the Young People’s Literature Award is “A First Time for Everything” by Dan Santat. It’s the story of a kid, a good kid, who gets bullied at school. When his class takes a trip to Europe, he’s stuck in a group with the same kids who like to make fun of him. But as he travels through several countries, a series of first experiences begin to change him. He tastes his first Fanta, his first fondue, and even experiences a first by stealing a bike from German punk rockers. But the biggest first was his first love. This book celebrates a time that is universally challenging for many of us, but is also life-changing as well. Other finalists are “Gather” by Kenneth M. Cadow, “Huda F Cares?” by Huda Fahmy, “Big” by Vashti Harrison, and “The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine” by Katherine Marsh.
Library Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.