The National Book Awards do not dictate the way I read. Even so, I always look forward to the lists...what books in the last year might I have missed that made these lists? I do not think that if a book isn't on the list that it's a failure or wasn't good enough, after all the the judges change every year, everyone has different tastes, having served on awards committees myself I know that difficult decisions must be made and also no awards system is perfect.
This year, though, there was a huge blunder made that has made the awards...well embarrassing. A source of hurt.
Basically the National Book Foundation made a huge error in announcing that Shine was nominated. Apparently it was not, Chime by Franny Billingsley was. They said the nomination would stand, then later apparently asked Myracle to withdraw, which she agreed to do. Everyone is enraged and rightly so. I can't even pretend to know what it would be like to go through something like this, but Lauren Myracle has no reason to feel humiliated she's been a class act through the whole thing.
I just started seeing people put down the other nominees, in particular Chime since that's the book that got confused with Shine. And I'm sad that book is now being called less worthy and not as important of a book. Books can be important in different ways to different people. So the NBA's error is now also negatively impacting their own nominees as people rush to judgement in a flurry of emotion.
Everyone loses in this situation. The nominees are now being overlooked because of this blunder. Lauren Myracle's book is no longer in consideration. The National Book Awards are further weakened which probably doesn't help book awards overall. I'm just really sorry to see it.
There's a movement on Twitter on to support Shine, #IsupportShine. Support the book itself, what it meant to you, or why you're excited to read it without putting down the other authors and nominees please! After all this isn't their fault either and in a lesser way they are also suffering because of the error. Review Shine, encourage people to buy it, talk about the issues, I support all of that one hundred percent, I just think it can all be accomplished without tearing down the other nominees.
Monday, October 17, 2011
National Book Awards: This Year Everyone Loses
Logging you in...
I totally agree.
Well said, Amy. I confess it made me cringe to see Chime be dismissed as frivolous on twitter and etc. Yes, the book is fantasy, but it's also a brilliant look at gender and identity and small communities dealing with change and how female creativity is so often dismissed. It's one of my favourite books of the year, and I really hope people realise that the book is not at all to blame for what happened. I can't compare it to Shine, which I haven't read, and anyway that's *really* besides the point. What happened was wrong, wrong, wrong. I hope we can all focus on the real reasons why.
Me too! I hope to read them both and was pleased to see the likes of Sharon Creech etc suggest that's the real solution.
What a crazy error. IDEG how something like that could happen.
Yeah it's really crazy. And embarrassing.
Wowza... this is one of the moments I feel as though I live under a rock.... I had not even heard of this but am saddened to read how it has been handled.
It's impossible to keep up on all of the news at all times! But yeah the handling of it has been a mess.
I just read an excellent post (like yours) about this on Libba Bray's blog. Horrors!
Yeah it's truly sad. I read her post as well--being friends with Lauren makes it that much more difficult for her as well, I'm sure.
Wow, first I've heard of this mix-up ... and it is so unfortunate for the authors who are just being victimized by the hype and emotion. A very well worded post, Amy. I hope that people will consider reading BOTH books.
Exactly, me too! I hope to read them both.
I hadn't heard about this. Thanks for the update. Why didn't they just keep Shine on the list, since it was their boo-boo? This is really bush-league of the NAtional Book Award committee.
I have no idea, that's what they should have done they've made a huge mess and the whole situation much worse than it needed to be.
Wow, that is a pretty huge blunder, and it sounds like it was handled really badly. I am off to check out Shine and see what I can do to help. Thanks for letting me know about this!
I hadn't heard about this mix-up, but mistakes happen. I agree that emotions should be kept out of the discussion. Nobody should worry about Lauren Myracle anyway - this has probably been the best publicity she could get!
Huge blunder and because of it, the National people should have just owned up and let all 6 be kept. Their policies and procedures better be tightened up after this and they owe big apologies as well.
just checked out both books and both sound interesting and worth reading.
just checked out both books and both sound interesting and worth reading.
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