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Page 10 • Cognotes 2012 Midwinter Meeting HIGHLIGHTS—Dallas

Rainbow Books 2012 Top Ten GLBTQ Books for Youth

In 2008 a major study showed that gay, lesbian, transgender and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) students experience daily harassment and, often, physical abuse at school. Since then, a flood of news reports about teen suicide and bullying forced the plight of GLBTQ youth to the forefront of American awareness. Publishers and writers responded with scores of books on the issues. However, youth also need hope and light in a world that seems unwilling to accept someone based on their sexuality or gender. Young people need to know that there are those who understand their problems and have been where they are now: they must have hope.

The 2012 Rainbow List explores books ranging from classic fantasy works and love stories to hilarious parodies of the world of beauty pageant contestants and on to the pitfalls and joys of finding a dream job. The Rainbow Project committee celebrates the authors and publishers who these books.

A joint project of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans-gendered Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association, the Rainbow Project presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic GLBTQ content, which are recommended for people from birth through 18 years of age. We proudly present our top 10 titles from the newly minted 2012 list. For more information, and our complete 2012 list, please visit the Rainbow Project blog at http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks.

Beam, Cris. I Am J (Little Brown, 2011).
Bray, Libba. Beauty Queens (Scholastic, 2011).
Brezenoff, Steve. Brooklyn Burning (Carolrhoda Lab, 2011).
Goode, Laura. Sister Mischief (Candlewick, 2011).
Lo, Malinda. Huntress (Little Brown, and Young, 2011).
Myracle, Lauren. Shine (Abrams, 2011).
Newman, Leslea. Donovan's Big Day (Tricycle Press, 2011).
Peters, Julie Ann. She Loves You, She Loves You Not (Little Brown for Young Readers, 2011).
Ryan, Patrick. Gemini Bites (Scholastic, 2011).
Wright, Bil. Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy (Simon & Schus-ter, 2011).

Youth Media Awards

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William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

Where Things Come Back, written by John Corey Whaley is the 2012 Morris Award winner. The book is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Four other books were finalists for the award: Girl of Fire and Thorns, written by Rae Carson, published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; Paper Covers Rock, written by Jenny Hubbard, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books; Under the Mesquite, written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, published by Lee and Low Books; and Between Shades of Gray, written by Ruta Sepetys, published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group USA.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults, ages 12 -18, each year:

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery written by Steve Sheinkin, is the 2012 Excellence winner. The book is published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

Four other books were finalists for the award: Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science, written by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt;

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, written by Karen Blumenthal, published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group; Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way), written by Sue Macy, published by National Geographic Children's Books; and Music Was IT: Young Leonard Bernstein, written by Susan Goldman Rubin, published by Charlesbridge.

Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children's experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit the ALA Web site at www.ala.org.

BCALA Announces 2012 Literary Awards Winners

(BCALA) announced the winners of the 2012 BCALA Literary Awards, which recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African American authors published in 2011. The recipients will receive the awards during the 2012 Annual Conference of the American Library Associatfion in Anaheim, CA.

In the Fiction category BCALA recognized two Honor Books: Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (Algonquin) and The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate (Algonquin).

Silver Sparrow tells the complicated story of two sisters unwittingly united by bigamy. Narrated by both women through dramatic dialogue this gripping novel tells each daughter's story as they struggle with similar issues of self-acceptance and identity.

In The Taste of Salt, Martha South-gate fearlessly explores the often taboo subject of addiction. Through the candid voices of the story's main characters, she tells a hauntingly compelling saga that forces the reader to grapple with the effects of addiction on individual identities and family bonds.

The winner in the Nonfiction category is The Indignant Generation: A Narrative History of African American Writers and Critics, 1934-1960 by Lawrence P. Jackson (Princeton University Press). Honor Books include:

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable (Viking) and Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters by Donald Bogle (Harper).

The Indignant Generation is a fascinating exploration of the development of African American literature after the Harlem Renaissance to the modern day Civil Rights Movement. Lawrence P. Jackson offers readers rare insights into the lives of key players who contributed to the breadth of writing that flourished between 1934 and 1960. From Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes to James Bald-win and Lorraine Hansberry, Jackson highlights the unique challenges faced by the writers during the time of the Great Depression, Jim Crow, World War II and the Cold War. Dozens of illustrations and photographs enhance this stunning work that celebrates African American artistic and intellectual achievement in writing.

Published shortly after the author's death, and researched for over a decade, Manning Marable's Malcolm X paints a candid and insightful portrait of Malcolm X. The work builds on Malcolm X's own autobiography and, using Malcolm's personal correspondence as well as information gleaned from the files of the FBI and the New York Police Department, provides a more complete and detailed portrait of one of the most enigmatic and iconic figures ofthe twentieth century. The book explores his many "re-inventions" from hustler and convict to minister and prophet.

In this expansive, meticulously researched and riveting biography of Ethel Waters, Heat Wave by Donald Bogle unveils unknown truths about a mostly neglected trailblazing star. The twentieth century was a turbulent era for African Americans but somehow Waters personified a triumvirate of song, stage, and screen. Waters, with her bold audacity and unwavering talent, blazed the way for many stars including Lena Horne, Josephine Baker, and Dorothy Dandridge. Bogle's elegant and detailed writing reads like a novel transporting the reader to a glorious era and revealing a compelling story.

The BCALA Literary Awards Committee will present the Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation to Teenie Harris, Photographer: Image, Memory, History by Cheryl Finley, Laurence Glasco, and Joe W. Trotter (University of Pittsburgh Press).

Charles "Teenie" Harris was a photographer for The Pittsburgh Courier, one of the oldest and most prestigious Black newspapers in the United States. Before his forty year career with the Courier and well after, Har-ris captured more than 80,000 images that depict the intimate and progressive life of African Americans in the Pittsburgh community.

The inaugural winner for BCALA's new category Best Poetry Award is Mule & Pear by Rachel Eliza Griffiths (Western Michigan University Press). Honor Books for Poetry are: The Armageddon of Funk by Michael Warr (Tia Chucha Press) and The New Black by Evie Shockley (Wesleyan University Press).

Rachel Eliza Griffiths' Mule & Pear amasses literary characters found on the pages of the works of greats like Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and Edward P. Jones. In many ways Griffiths composes a moving tribute to the African American literary canon, particularly resurrecting beloved characters to give them a new poetic chapter.

In The Armageddon of Funk Michael Warr wages his own "funky" war using an arsenal of words, ideas, and personal experiences. From his soulful and historicized tribute to the legendary James Brown to his ode to the great Gwendolyn Brooks, this collection traverses the Black experience giving the reader a poetic soundtrack to Black life.

The New Black by Evie Shockley offers a unique remix of history while challenging constructions of identity in the process. Her use of unusual typography and poetic techniques create a fresh and necessary conversation that lends itself to exploration and understanding within and between generations.