The National Book Award Winners were announced last week. Actress Cynthia Nixon, who was the emcee for the Awards Ceremony, commented that great writing can be a window into others' lives, especially in this polarized and divisive political moment. She added that it can also be a "welcome escape into another world. Books matter." Take a look at this year's winners:
Fiction: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Poetry: Half-Light: Collected Poems 1965 - 2016 by Frank Bidart
Nonfiction: The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia by Masha Gessen
Young Adult Literature: Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
Here's a more complete list of all the finalists with a link to the complete ceremony. Of special interest: many are calling Annie Proulx's speech one of the best in National Book Awards history.
~ cpi