The 2012 National Book Awards have been announced and this year’s honorees include writers who explored real life in the slums of India, told tales of extraordinary goblin troupes, and more.
This year, judges were given the almost impossible task of choosing 4 winners—in fiction, nonfiction, young people’s literature, and poetry— from a stack of more than 1,300 books. The competition was fierce, with the award-winning authors taking home respect, recognition, oh, and a $10,000 prize!
And the winners were (drum roll please) …
Fiction: The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Young People’s Literature: Goblin Secrets by William Alexander
Poetry: Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations by David Ferry
Non-Fiction: Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
We couldn’t be happier with this year’s winner in Fiction. We’ve been rooting for The Round House ever since the finalists were announced in October. It’s a powerful audio book, narrated by Gary Farmer, who compassionately tells the story of a woman who’s attacked on a North Dakota reservation, and her 13-year-old son who sets out with his friends to get to the truth. This book is deeply moving, impossible to forget and you need to check it out.