This week there was major controversy in regards to the the books that are finalists for the National Book Award. ("The National Book Awards continues to recognize the best of American literature, raising the cultural appreciation of great writing in the country while advancing the careers of both established and emerging writers.")
Young Adult author, Lauren Myracle was a finalist for her book, Shine, that came out last May from Amulet Books.
Synopsis: When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.
Then something very embarrassing on part of the NBA committee occurred. They dropped the ball big time.
From the New York Times Art section:
"Shortly afterward the National Book Foundation corrected itself, saying that Ms. Myracle’s book was not meant to be a finalist but that it would stay on the five-book shortlist anyway. The foundation then added a sixth book, “Chime,” by Franny Billingsley, originally intended to be a finalist."
From Lauren: "I was over the moon last week after receiving the call telling me that Shine was a finalist for the award," Myracle said in a statement. "I was later informed that Shine had been included in error, but would remain on the list based on its merits. However, on Friday I was asked to withdraw by the National Book Foundation to preserve the integrity of the award and the judges' work, and I have agreed to do so."
From Vanity Fair:
"Lauren is the first author to be nominated for the prestigious National Book Award before having that nomination revoked."
Also this week, the Young Adult Library Services Association announced the "Teens' Top Ten, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country."
The list:
1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Simon & Schuster)
2. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
3. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (Simon & Schuster)
4. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (HarperCollins)
5. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Harlequin)
6. Matched by Ally Condie (Penguin)
7. Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson (Little, Brown & Company)
8. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (HarperCollins)
9. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (HarperCollins)
10. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (Penguin)
Riddle me this...
Lauren Myracle's Shine, that has been praised, well reviewed and received, isn't up for a prestigious award like the National Books Awards because of some internal goof. But Cassandra Clare, who is the number one pick for the YALSA's is a well-known plagiarist of fan fiction (she plagiarized her own Harry Potter fan fiction before she became published). Pittacus Lore, who is an author duo, one of which is, James Frey, is a well known liar and fraud. (The way I Am Number Four was published is also full of WTCkery). And yet, both Clare and Lore/Frey have been honored. Keep in mind both authors make their publishers a lot of money and are New York Times Best-Sellers.
Does something seem wrong here? A plagiarist and a liar are honored, but another author, who is none of the above, and because of some sloppy internal error on the part of the NBA committee (they won't disclose the real reason to the public) is pushed to the side. Why would the YALSA even have Clare and Lore/Frey nominated knowing their shady pasts in regards to the way they were published and how they write?
Some would argue you look at the work, not the person writing it, regardless of the questionable moralistic actions of the authors. Should those rule apply when books are up for prestigious awards?
Full disclosure on my part but I haven't read Shine, Clockwork Angel or I am Number Four. For those who have read any of these books, do you feel they should be given awards?
What happened to Lauren is sheer WTFckery. As for Clare and Lore/Fray, is that one as well? This could be a case of comparing apples to oranges but it brought forth the KB ponder...
7 comments:
I'm totally in the minority here, but I have my reasons:
1. The YALSA list is the "Teen Nominated" category, so you're going to see the majority of teen voters voting for well known, teen-popular stuff. Those books are popular by teen standards even though not all of them are well-written or even fair. Plus the NB award has nothing to do with YALSA, and very rarely do they end up coinciding.
2. I think that it would have been best to leave SHINE on the NB list, but at the same time I understand where they are coming from. For whatever reason, SHINE was not what they were looking for. If it would not have been appropriate or really in the running this year, would it have been fair to give the author false hope in the first place?
Also, I think it's fair to say that Myracle doesn't need the award the way other writers may in order to sell her book and get it noticed by other awards organizations. She's very popular on her own merit (and truthfully NB leans more towards books written in a literary style), and right now I'm conflicted. I love her as an author and person, but I feel like this is taking away attention from equally deserving books in the NB award list like CHIME.
It's not her intention, but this is exactly why they didn't want her on the list. So many people would go with the popular well-known author that it would undermine the help the award gives to new and established but very mid-list authors.
That's just my two cents. :)
To be fair, teen readers put Clare and Lore in that list. The librarians have nothing to do with those nominations and winners in that category.
I Am Number Four is a horrible book which won my own private "A Total Failure" award. Any other award in the case of this book in my very humble opinion simply doesn't make sense.
So freaking uncool!
The key term is teens nominate and choose. You'll notice that that Top 10 list is basically a bestsellers list. This is what teens are buying and enjoying. It's a popularity contest.
John: I think the NBA should have allowed Shine to stay on. So what if there's 6 books this year instead of 5? At least the positive thing that has come out of this is people buying her book and the NBA donating to the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Awards doesn't are wonderful to receive but it doesn't make one author, actor, singer, etc, necessarily better then the other. Alfred Hitchcock never won a directing Oscar and he's considered to be the greatest director of all time.
Love your 2 cents ;)
Tatiana: True. Again, many of the teen readers may not know the behind the scenes information about these authors. That's why I asked does it matter what an author is like or the ways they got published. Do we just judge the work?
Anachronish: I refuse to read anything by Frey because of what he did to get ahead and how he made Oprah look like a fool. Some may mind, but I refuse to support someone with no morals.
Blodeuedd: There are many people out there who get so much when they don't deserve it. This is a one of many.
Tez: Was Shine a best seller? If Shine was and say, Chime wasn't, would Shine be a finalist and Chime not? Good thing there wasn't another book up for consideration called Mime of Pine. Then it would be really sticky!
@KT Exactly. I feel like Myracle getting them to donate was better than her staying on for the award. Not that it would have hurt her to be on, but I do think that people are taking the mistake of the organization to a greater level - partially because of her popularity. I can't be sure, though, so that's all speculation.
And that is very true! She's a great author who has connected with a crap ton of readers despite never getting the NB award, so that works perfectly. :)
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