The Great Believers, Heavy Receive 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

The American Library Association selected The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, published by Viking, as the winner of the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and Heavy: An American Memoir, by Kiese Laymon, published by Scribner, as the winner of the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The selections were announced January 27 at the Reference and User Services Association’s Book and Media Awards (BMAs) sponsored by NoveList, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits.

The awards, established in 2012, serve as a guide to help adults select quality reading material. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by the American Library Association and reflect the expert judgment and insight of library professionals and booksellers who work closely with adult readers. Both winners receive a $5,000 prize.

Makkai’s ambitious novel explores the complexities of friendship, family, art, fear, and love in meticulously realized settings – WWIera and present-day Paris, and 1980s Chicago – while insightfully and empathically illuminating the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

In his artfully crafted and boldly revealing memoir, writing professor Laymon recalls the traumas of his Mississippi youth; the depthless hunger that elevated his weight; his obsessive, corrective regime of diet and exercise; his gambling, teaching, activism, and trust in the power of writing.

“It was an incredible year of reading and discussing the best books of 2018 alongside the dedicated and insightful readers on the committee. Everything came into focus when we selected these two very powerful Andrew Carnegie Medal winners,” said selection committee chair Annie Bostrom, who is Booklist’s associate editor for adult books. “We think that readers across the country will find the winning titles as affecting and unforgettable as we did.”

The 2019 nonfiction finalists include Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, by Beth Macy, published by Little, Brown and Company; Heavy: An American Memoir, by Kiese Laymon, published by Scribner; and The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border, by Francisco Cantú, published by Riverhead.

The 2019 fiction finalists include The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai, published by Viking; There There, by Tommy Orange, published by Alfred A. Knopf; and Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan, also published by Knopf.

Both Makkai and Laymon will attend the Carnegie celebration at ALA’s Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., in June, where they will speak about their books.

The medals are made possible, in part, by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in recognition of Andrew Carnegie’s deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world and are co-sponsored by ALA’s Booklist and the Reference and User Services Association.

“We think that readers across the country will find the winning titles as affecting and unforgettable as we did.”

Annotations and more information on the awards can be found at www.ala.org/carnegieadult.

Annual Conference attendees can join both winners on Saturday, June 22 to celebrate and watch them receive their medals.

Isha Sesay Shares the Story of the Chibok Schoolgirls

By Terra Dankowski, American Libraries

Isha Sesay wants to tell the stories of women and girls who are often overlooked – including the account of 276 schoolgirls who were kidnapped by jihadist militant organization Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria, in 2014.

“They’re not just a bloc of black girls who went missing where nobody cares to know their names,” said Sesay. “One of my biggest wishes with this book is that people see them as individuals.”

Sesay, the former CNN anchor who broke the news of the kidnappings and won a Peabody Award for her coverage, has written Beneath the Tamarind Tree, the first definitive account of this event. The debut author joined Booklist editor Donna Seaman on stage at the Closing Session of the American Library Association’s 2019 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle on January 28 to discuss her book.

“What got lost in the coverage was just how frightened they were,” said Sesay, who described a scene of 300 men descending upon the school in the middle of the night. “[The girls] could smell the smoke, they could hear the screaming, there were so many men… some were destroying the town.”

Of the girls taken, many have escaped or have been returned in negotiations, but 112 of the abducted are still missing. The book includes first-person accounts from survivors and, said Sesay, “gently” handles their trauma.

“I’m hoping this book will restart an effort to find them,” said Sesay. “To the best of our knowledge, [the Nigerian government isn’t] doing anything. I could be wrong, but if they don’t share that information, how are we to know?”

Sesay also said that the search for the girls would have been different if they had wellknown surnames or came from wealthy families. “These girls came from such poor homes” in a place where attending a boarding school without power, water, or windows in order to get an education is a necessity,” she said.

Another hope for Sesay is that her readers understand how events like this – and their implications for trade, terrorism, and destabilized governments – affect us all.

“The very existence [of Boko Haram] and the fact that they were able to do this should frighten us,” she said. “We need to care about what’s happening. It’s all connected, it’s all one big circle.”

Still, Sesay was quick to dispel the notion that Africa is continent of people “waiting to be saved” by the U.S.

“These girls saved themselves,” she said. “I hope people will understand the important role that America stands to play in the world, but also the resilience in other parts of the world.”

Sesay capped her talk by: discussing her nonprofit, W.E. (Women Everywhere) Can Lead, an organization that focuses on women’s and girls’ empowerment and leadership in her native Sierra Leone; her thoughts on literacy (“If we read more, we’ll have a fuller understanding of the world, and not every garbage tweet will resonate”); and her love for author Toni Morrison.

In parting she said, “You’re either a bystander or an upstander, and you have to choose where you are right now. By not taking a side, you’re taking a side.”

Two Newbery Honor Books also were named: The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, Penguin Young Readers Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, and The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr, and published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children: Sophie Blackall for Hello Lighthouse, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Four Caldecott Honor Books also were named: Alma and How She Got Her Name, illustrated and written by Juana Martinez-Neal, published by Candlewick Press; A Big Mooncake for Little Star, illustrated and written by Grace Lin, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; The Rough Patch, illustrated and written by Brian Lies, published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; and Thank You, Omu!, illustrated and written by Oge Mora, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

AJL Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes titles for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience: All-of-a-Kind-Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by O. Paul Zelinsky, published by Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers category. Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Older Readers category; What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Teen Readers category.

American Indian Youth Literature Awards identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians and Alaska Natives: Best Picture Book – Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy, published by Sealaska Heritage Institute, illustrated by Tlingit artist Michaela Goade and edited by Tlingit speakers Johnny Marks, Hans Chester, David Katzeek, Nora Dauenhauer and Tlingit linguist Richard Dauenhauer; Best Middle School Book – Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers: Volume One (2016), published by Native Realities, edited by Arigon Starr and featuring the work of Theo Tso, Jonathan Nelson, Kristina Bad Hand, Roy Boney Jr., Lee Francis IV, Johnnie Diacon, Weshoyot Alvitre, Renee Nejo, and Michael Sheyahshe; Best Young Adult Book – #Not Your Princess: Voices of Native American Women, published by Annick Press, edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale.

Five AILA Picture Book Honor titles were announced: All Around Us by Xelena González and illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, Cinco Puntos Press; Black Bear Red Fox by Julie Flett, Native Northwest; Fall in Line, Holden! by Daniel W. Vandever, Salina Bookshelf, Inc; I’m Dreaming Of…Animals of the Native Northwest by Melaney Gleeson-Lyall and illustrated by First Nations Artists, Native Northwest; and Mission to Space by John Herrington, White Dog Press.

The Middle Grade Honor Book is The Wool of Jonesy Part 1 by Jonathan Nelson, Native Realities.

Three 2018 Young Adult Honor Books were announced: Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology, edited by Hope Nicholson, Bedside Press; Marrow Thieves, by Cherie Dimaline, DCB (submitted by Orca Books); and Fire Starters by Jen Storm, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, and color artist Donovan Yaciuk, High Water Press.

Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, which promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and are awarded based on literary and artistic merit: Picture Book winner is Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat, and published by Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group; Children’s Literature Winner is Front Desk by Kelly Yang and published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; Young Adult Literature winner is Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards, recognizing African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults: A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is the King Author Award winner.

Three King Author Honor Books also were named: Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome, published by Holiday House; The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson, published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; and The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

The Stuff of Stars, written by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Ekua Holmes and published by Candlewick Press, is King Illustrator Award winner.

Three King Illustrator Honor Books also were named: Hidden Figures, illustrated by Laura Freeman, written by Margot Lee Shetterly, and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; Let the Children March, illustrated by Frank Morrison, written by Monica Clark-Robinson, and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company; and Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Alice Faye Duncan, and published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Highlights.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award to affirm new talent: Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the Steptoe Author Award winner.

Thank You, Omu!, Illustrated by Oge Mora, published by Little, Brown Young Readers is the Steptoe Illustrator Award winner.

Three Author Honor Books were named: Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome, published by Holiday House; The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson, published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; and The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Pauletta Brown Bracy is the recipient of the 2019 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the 2019 Printz Award winner.

Three Printz Honor Books also were named: Damsel by Elana K. Arnold, published by Balzer+Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti, published by Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing; I, Claudia by Mary McCoy, published by Carolrhoda Lab^®, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books^®, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience: Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship written by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, illustrated by Scott Magoon, published by Candlewick Press, wins the award for young children (ages 0 to 8).

The Truth as Told By Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor, published by Katherine Tegen Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the winner for middle grades (ages 9-13).

Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro, published by Tor Teen Books, Tom Doherty Associates, is the winner for teens (ages 14-18).

This year marks the introduction of Schneider Family Award Honor titles: Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros, illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division is the Schneider Family Book Award young children honor title; The Collectors by Jacqueline West, published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers is the Schneider Family Book Award best middle grades honor title; and (Don’t) Call Me Crazy 33: Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health, edited by Kelly Jensen, published by Algonquin Young Readers, an imprint of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing is the teen honor title.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences: The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark, published by Tor. com, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan; The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir, published by Knopf, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House; Circe by Madeline Miller, published by Little, Brown, and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group; Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover, published by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House; The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After, by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil, published by Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House; Green: A Novel by Sam Graham-Felsen, published by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House; Home After Dark: A Novel by David Small, illustrated by the author, published by Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company; How Long ’Til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin, published by Orbit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group; Lawn Boy, by Jonathan Evison, published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing; and Spinning Silver: A Novel by Naomi Novik, published by Del Rey, a division of Penguin Random House.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults: The 2019 winner is M.T. Anderson.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award, recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children›s literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site. Neil Gaiman will deliver the 2020 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States: Thames & Hudson, Inc. is the winner of the 2019 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for The Fox on the Swing.

Four Batchelder Honor Books also were selected: Run for Your Life, published by Yonder, an imprint of Restless Books, Inc.; My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder, published by Graphic Universe, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.; Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure, published by NorthSouth Books, Inc.; and Jerome By Heart, published by Enchanted Lion Books.

Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States: Macmillan Audio, producer of the audiobook, Sadie has won the 2019 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production.

Pura Belpré Awards, honoring Latino writers and illustrators whose children’s books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience: Yuyi Morales, illustrator of Dreamers, and Elizabeth Acevedo, author of The Poet X, are the 2019 winners of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award and Author Award.

Two Belpré Illustrator Honor Books also were named: Islandborn, illustrated by Leo Espinosa, written by Junot Díaz, and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, Penguin Young Readers Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, and When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, illustrated by Jose Ramirez, written by Michael Mahin, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

The Belpré Committee selected one Honor Book for narration: They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems, by David Bowles and published by Cinco Puntos Press.

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:

Joyce Sidman, author of The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science, was named the winner of the 2019 Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children published in 2018.

The committee selected five Honor Books: Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild by Catherine Thimmesh, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow, published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Highlights; The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac, published by Charlesbridge; and When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin, illustrated by Jose Ramirez and, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

Stonewall Book Award, given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience: Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love and published by Candlewick Press, and Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers: Fox the Tiger by Corey R. Tabor, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Four Geisel Honor Books were named: The Adventures of Otto: See Pip Flap by David Milgrim, published by Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division; Fox & Chick: The Party and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier, published by Chronicle Books LLC; King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth by Dori Hillestad Butler, illustrated by Nancy Meyers, published by Peachtree Publishers; and Tiger vs. Nightmare by Emily Tetri, published by First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership.

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens: Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults: The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The 2019 YALSA Nonfiction Award finalists include: The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor by Sonia Sotomayor, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House; Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge and published by Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House; The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix and published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS; Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka and published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic.