WCLS

The National Book Awards ceremony went on as scheduled the evening of November 14th, even though the National Book Foundation office has been closed as their building suffered extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  By all accounts, the awards ceremony last night was a great party, described by one attendee as being like "the Oscars for American authors."  After two previous nominations, I'm thrilled to see Louise Erdrich win the fiction award for her novel The Round House, which brings to light ongoing injustice on reservations, especially in the treatment of women.  Erdrich, who is of Ojibwe descent, dedicated her award to "the grace and endurance of native women."  The nonfiction award went to Katherine Boo for Behind the Beautiful Forevers, the story of life in a slum in Mumbai, India in the shadow of luxury hotels.  See my previous blog post on the National Book Awards for other winners and a catalog-linked list of all finalists.