The American Library Association announced the winners of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. The medal winners each receive $5,000; all finalists will be honored in June during the ALA's annual conference. The winners are:
Fiction: The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin (Little, Brown). Judges commented: "In Utah, in 1869, Ming Tsu reckons he has killed some 200 men and is now on his way to killing the five who had beaten him half to death, stolen his wife, and had him sentenced to 10 years of forced labor building the Central Pacific Railroad. Two years later, Ming has escaped and is ready for retribution. Joining him en route to revenge are the Prophet, who guides Ming both physically and spiritually, and three players in a traveling miracle show. Infused with magic realism, Lin's beautifully imagined first novel is a transcendent epic."
Nonfiction: A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib (Random House). Judges commented: "Blending pop-culture essays, memoir and poetry, Abdurraqib delves into the many iterations of Black artistic expression through an often deeply personal lens. Whether pondering the dynamic life and contributions of Josephine Baker (to whom the book is dedicated) or meditating on his own various performances, the author's ruminations are an invitation to think deeply about Black performance on both cultural and individual levels. Startling, layered and timely, this is an essential, illuminating collection."
---
The Jewish Book Council has just announced the winners for the 2021 National Jewish Book Awards. See the full list of winners and finalists here. Selected winners include:
To Repair a Broken World: The Life of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Dvora Hacohen (Harvard University Press): the Jewish Book of the Year Award, Everett Family Foundation Award, and Biography Award in Memory of Sara Berenson Stone
The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family by Joshua Cohen (New York Review Books): the J.J. Greenberg Memorial Award in Fiction
A Play for the End of the World by Jai Chakrabarti (Knopf): Debut Fiction Goldberg Prize
Bene Appetit: The Cuisine of Indian Jews by Esther David (HarperCollins India): Food Writing & Cookbooks Jane and Stuart Weitzman Family Award
The Book of Anna by Joy Ladin (EOAGH Books): Berru Award for Poetry in Memory of Ruth and Bernie Weinflash
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn (Norton): Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice Myra H. Kraft Memorial Award