The Veins of the Ocean by Patricia Engel and What Have We Done by David Wood, "two books exploring how the warped morality of political conflict trickles down to impact individual lives," are winners of the 2017 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for fiction and nonfiction, respectively. The runners-up were Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (fiction) and City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence (nonfiction).
Sharon Rab, founder and co-chair of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, said, "War and political turmoil come about when leaders lose their sense of right and wrong, but they can, in turn, impair the moral compasses of the individuals who, willingly or not, get caught up in such clashes. Starting from two very different perspectives, Patricia Engel and David Wood remind us that to break the cycle of conflict on the global level, we must support and promote the healing process on a personal level."
This year's winners will be honored at a gala ceremony November 5 in Dayton, Ohio. Winners receive a $10,000 honorarium and runners-up $2,500.