all of tonight's nominee. come on, let's really do it. [applause] >> for those of you who don't know me, i am andy borowitz. i write for "the new yorker." i under -- i write under the pen name noncompliant will. [laughter] >> thank you. one night a year we all gather together, writers, readers and agents to celebrate the book at its bastard cousin, the e-book. [laughter] >> now, when the national book foundation asked me to host last year's show, they said, if this was a big selling point for me, they said that hosting the national book award can lead to bigger things. [laughter] ..

as poking fun at the publishing business. for example, i said last year that publishing was a sinking ship. and i meant that in a positive way. [laughter] i did not say that publishing was a sunken ship. i said, and i believe, that publishing is still very much in the process of sinking.

you know, publishing is a carnival cruise ship. it's on fire, the toilets don't work, but we are surviving day to day on pop tarts and spam. [laughter] and i think we can all agree that is a pretty darn positive assessment of where publishing is right now. [applause] i'm glad there is some agreement. but just to be clear, if in the course of this evening i do poke fun of publishing, it's not out of disrespect. it's because i'm an ice hole. there's also agreement on that. that's what i'm paid to do or what it would be paid to do if i were being paid tonight. [laughter] tonight i am a pro bono asshole.

and i relish that task, i really do. if you want to switch things up a little bit to do something different. in this year i would like to devote my remarks to the good news about publishing. so i'll be very brief. [laughter] first piece of good news, barnes & noble is here to stay. that's right, yes. [cheers and applause] you know, throughout the years we heard a lot of talk about how these big bookstores were dinosaurs and the thing of the past, but don't you believe it because you know well? without your local barnes & noble, where you can go and see and feel and touch the book, how would you know what to order on amazon? [laughter] you wouldn't know. how is that asshole thing working out, pretty good? [laughter] second piece of good news, 2010,

in the book worldcom is going to go down in history as the year of the man. yes, if you look at the two top award categories tonight, best fiction and those nonfiction, three of the nominees are men, which shows that men are starting to make real inroads in this traditionally female dominated industry. [laughter] i know that i as a man, swell with pride when i saw that "time" magazine devoted a cover story to jonathan elmo, one of our greatest male novelists. and i saw that i thought to myself, that is awesome for jonathan. i sure hope there isn't a backlash. but fortunately, that didn't happen. and here's the third piece of big news that i think is so wonderful for publishing and i have to share with you.

and i'm so proud of the nasty share this with you. this year we do not read that the national book awards a new book awards category. and this is the best subtitle of a nonfiction book. now this is very exciting. you know, every nonfiction book now has to have a subtitle in addition to the title, which explains what the title means. now this isn't true or fiction. you know, you read a fiction book and you see the title that explains it all. like one of those steve larsen books, the girl who shot in the woods or whatever it is. you see that and you know what you're in for her. and that used to be the case of nonfiction as well. you would go to the bookstore and you would see the title of the nonfiction book and it would be like the silent spring. and he'd say, what the heck is that about? i guess i'll have to open the book and look inside. but now, with the nonfiction subtitle, you can actually judge

a book by its cover. it's an amazing thing. it's a wonderful thing. and the nonfiction book titles marked the book all by itself, which gives the marketing department more time to play farm bill. so it is fantastic and the fantastic system. are you ready for the three nominees for best nonfiction subtitles? here we go. the first nominee, american chalk: the untold story of how a white dusty substance became the star of the nations but boards, educated generations of children, changed the course of history and became obsolete. [laughter] first nominee. second nominee for best nonfiction subtitle, american cranberry: the untold story of how a tiny red berry overcame

its tartness to become an unforgettable breakfast beverage and how it can be good for you in ways you hadn't imagined but probably should. [laughter] and the winner has american mullets: the untold story of the business end front, party in the back haircuts that took the nation by storm and how after being cool it became incredibly uncool and why it may never have been cool in the first place in the seven warning signs that you may have one. that's it. thank you are a much ladies and gentlemen. are you ready for the national book awards? [applause] our first award is literally an award. is that even a word?

i guess the national book awards can make up their own words. that's like being sarah palin. it's a fantastic thing. presenting the letter rarely an award for outstanding service and the literary community is john scieszka named in 2009 and the offer of some of the best-known and funniest books for children. ladies and gentlemen, john scieszka. [applause] >> thank you, mr. sunshine. i don't think you're going to have to worry about hosting the third event in a row. [applause] or maybe you will. i don't know. well, i'm the perfect day to

present this next award because i was the first national ambassador of young people literature. i have diplomatic community. so anything that goes wrong from here on out, were all covered. because i would like to have the great honor and privilege of presenting the letter rarely an award for outstanding service to the literary community. >> mr. john? mr. john? the macos that? almo, what are you doing here? >> this is a book award thing. >> hi, everybody. >> hello, elmo, this is a little awkward. this is a book award thing. i'm here to give an award and i'm a little weirded out by you now. >> are you here to read a book to elmo? >> i love to read a book to you, elmo, but i have to present the

award. i'm not saying it couldn't win a latin grammy, but no. this is not for you, elmo. but this will be an award for something you know farewell. big bird? >> now, not big hurt either. you know what, i can give you a hint. >> okay. >> this award winner gave millions of kids a head start on becoming literate. >> it's the count. >> no, it's not the count. >> number two, this award winners always championed importance of reaching disadvantaged kids. >> snuffle las vegas. >> number three tremendous award winner but quality education to a diverse audience of all colors. >> how about this guy?

>> a large black man standing next to you? now. >> that's a shame. kevin clash? now. >> not you. >> sorry, elmo. >> this award winner was the visionary driving force the high and the most successful children of veterans. >> elmo knows, elmo knows. >> tell me. >> that's disgusting and that's exactly right, elmo. >> this year's award for the awkwardly titled literary award for outstanding the literary community is joan ganz cooney.

>> come on up here, john. [applause] >> don't pay attention to the country and what that man mr. borowitz has to say, we love you. >> come on, time is money. [laughter] >> thank you for that wonderful introduction. that wasn't in the script -- what you all said wasn't in the script that i read. [laughter] so, thank you so much for that wonderful introduction and for being here. and thanks also to what's his name, that little red monster

who has become the rock star of all rock stars for 3-year-olds across the nation. i know your name, elmo. >> thank you also much. it's a special thrill for those who are should try and save civilization. and of course the writers, editors, publishers and agents who keep books in their hands, whether on paper, candle or typepad and other forms yet to be invented. in many, many thanks to the national book foundation and herald outcome from for this wonderful for them and thanks to the cochairs for putting on what is clearly a very successful event. as soon as sesame street got on the air back in november of

1969, we begin thinking about getting books into the homes of the nations children. fortunately, i knew jason@the legendary editor at random house, but only slightly and had no idea if he'd be interested in helping to start a book division. but i made the call to him and thank heavens you looked at the opportunity, say i'll be a hero to my daughter. he helped me figure out how to set up such an entity can make it work and not of that collaboration i am happy to say he grew the friendship of a lifetime. he also rated random house and introduced me to one of the most talented people on the planet, christopher serve. chris came to the workshop and started are tree do business with projects, licenses with random house who manage to forgive me for stealing, chris

and western publishing and timely works. soon the street jumped up the screen onto the page and into the viewer's hands. i might add that chris also started writing and singing hilarious parodies for the show. and not long after there came to be a chris moffat, county and a piano such favorites as letter b. given a lawsuit in stewed. and of course declared that. he was not a violation of copyright laws. for many children worldwide, their first introduction to "sesame street" is actually about. books are one of the earliest toys. when a baby is six months old, as many of you know, he is happy to sit on my lap in .2 words and pictures. while we begin back then has

grown into a library of nearly 2500 titles, with 23 million "sesame street" books sold worldwide by cher. we have 60 publishing partners across the globe, producing a variety of "sesame street" titles from cloth books to pop-ups to e-books. of course, one of the greatest challenges that we who care about books face is making sure that books fit into and benefit from digital technologies. we have worked to make sure that they do not crowd out books for young children. so far so good. but parents and care providers have to be reminded that no game experience can replace being read to by a loving adult, nor have nearly the long-term effect on a child's life. i congratulate all of you for saying that books remains a

vital force they are today. and here is why i think you're saving civilization. books carry our history and culture. books tell a story and tell us who we are. books allow us to reflect. they bring us to the ideas and information on which we can reflect. they allow the mind, whether the mind of a 1-year-old for a 90-year-old to learn to imagine to ponder. they engage the whole being because bookstop bring you everything. you have to bring yourself to the book and imagine and think along with it on the page. books encourage in the jungle, jittery environment in which we live, books ask us to see the whole, ponder the good and recognize the real. books bring with them something no videogame can.

and that is, for the lackey, a memory of love, a mother, a father, a grandparents holding a child and saying let's go together and find out what the month at the end of this book is barlett slapped together by what download us next. yes, books civilized starting at the earliest age. so i'm particularly honored to receive this recognition from the national book foundation and from all literary hands, whatever that means. thank you so much. [applause] [inaudible]

[laughter] >> got it? go again. bye, everybody. >> let's have another round of applause for joan ganz cooney and elmo. [applause] >> now, to present the medal for distinguished contribution to american letters is one of my favorite people in publishing, tina brown. tina is the former editor of course of the tatler, "vanity fair," "the new yorker" and talk magazines. and she is founder and editor in chief of "the daily beast," which many of you have heard is merging with "newsweek" to form weak beast -- something, beast week. ladies and gentlemen, my friend, tina brown.

[applause] >> thank you, andy. well, tom wolfe. tom wolfe begin is a great cop shot of american journalism. he could see from what everyone thought was the lowest card from the table, teen pop, stock car racing, plastic and hand strippers and magically turn them into the kings and queens of our attention. no one has many more dazzling and to american journalism. and no one since has made that damage heart studies at the rules and gains in place as the eternal american search for the trophy of status. professors may make room for

writing, to build biters escape them and find true subjects for a time. the test is the reader's attention. the one thing that can be said for certain if no one is ever sat down but a pass i have obligation to read the new tom wolfe. we read in a sewage fireworks. with wonder and joy. when of course people said at the end of the 60s he didn't finish with a decade and having given the 70s decade -- it's in a new decade name and writing the epic to the american adventure in base, everybody said well, the 80s will defeat them. and after the vanities care that decade an image of itself, they said they keep on saying it -- they keep saying this about wolfe, they've mastered the small details of large qualities of american life will sometimes tire, but it never does. perhaps that's because we often miss the court said he values that lies at the heart of his

vision, his faith in the shack shakers in the world whose innate style and entirely american exuberance are done on the petty fashions and mannerisms of our more pious are liberated. not great under pressure so much of thio beyond the immediate demand is what he admires. and decide who goes to art magnet, his heart goes to those of you american magnet to make whirring rockets and wild hotel of and that one person can become a tangerine flake hot red. he showed us her imagine the fun house and it turns out to be the true picture of ourselves. with that said, it is the great privilege of transmitting this honor tonight on behalf of national book foundation that gives me the greatest of pleasure to present the award for outstanding contribution to american letters to tom wolfe. [applause]

[applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible] [laughter] >> thank you, i can't thank you enough. before you go, i want everybody to know that tina is now known the queen of all media. this is not to compare two hours turn, but after having blazed the way for blog news and "the

daily beast" -- [inaudible] the name is taken from vile bodies they think. anyway, tina has now gone from blog news into print, but i'm sure that she's going to turn that into a form of kendall. and after that she tells me she has a new venture, which was replace facebook and myspace. it's called my face. anyway, i do appreciate that very, very much. and i can't think the national book award enough for this which i consider to be a great, great honor. this is a lifetime achievement award i'm told in the greatest

achievements of my lifetime was choosing len nesbitt as my agent from the very beginning. [applause] actually, i didn't so much choose lynn as she chose me. she called me up one day and she said, you know, when are you going to publish her book? i said i don't have a book, i have a bunch of magazine articles. and in the tangerine flake baby have to do to come about. when at that time was one of the youngest agents in the entire business. she was 11. [laughter] but she was -- she has turned out to be great. and also, another lifetime achievement almost as pat

strawn. pat strawn and i -- she was my editor, worked together on the painted word, on the right stuff , from their house to our house and the bonfire of events. and then something stepped between us and we were separated for a long time, but neither one of us knew what to say to the other. but now were back together again. were back together again and she is editing a new book that i'm doing, which is called -- it is called back to blood. if anybody likes what blood they can think of it that way. it's actually bloodlines. i know i am standing between you and dinner, so i'm going to give you -- since this is a lifetime award, i'm going to give you my

life in six minutes, okay? what i said up to now doesn't count. it was all protocol. not you. anyway, when i first knew what my father did for -- that he did anything for a living, he was editing a magazine called the southern planter. and i would see them writing down below legal pad and not very good handwriting. and a week later would come this sparkling type is enchanting, it's magical. so i said i want to be a raider. it took me another five to six years to be less in fact was a noted the prominence and agricultural scientist and have been one of a handful of men who really did the great agrarian boom of the 1920 increase in

yields of wheat by tenfold by 50 fold. but it was too late now. i could go into that. so i stayed with frightening. and now my father let me now is very hard for a beginning writer jamaica living. so i decided i would go to graduate school. i would get a phd and teach so i would have a source of income while i did my, you know, my high-class stuff. i stayed in school a long time, five years. so after nine years of higher education of his canvas with concise and not a bunch of resumes to newspapers and i finally got a job on the springfield massachusetts union morning paper. now, the problem now was could i work up enough nerve to tell my

father this? you know, he thinks he is getting a great academic titles all of those. nine years of supporting me through the screen nine years of supporting me through the screen. it took me three days. i finally worked up the nerve and i said, dad, i have some news. i'm going to work for a newspaper called the springfield union. and he says what's it called? has said the springfield union. and he says what are you going to do their? i said right obituaries. and he said i see, you're going to work for a newspaper in town i've never heard of and right obituaries. and then suddenly he seemed to take it all with tremendous equanimity. he said well, i wish you all the best and i hope you enjoy it. it was 10 years before i realized his real move was thank god he finally off the family payroll. but anyway, there i was in there came a night when i was working in washington for the

"washington post." and i finally after five years point to get a job in new york on the "new york herald" tribune. and i'll never forget the last night there. my friend, anita font color who is with the france presse, if i've got that right, gave a going away party for me. and it was a great, great party. and finally i realized i had exactly 30 minutes to get the last bus out of washington that would issue to new york in time for my job at 11:00 a.m. the next day. so i just made it. and i can tell you the last bus from anywhere in the bus for all the misfits, all the people who just can't get it together. and that was the bus i was on with her a good reason. and so are going up about a four hour trip up to new york. and on the way, the turnout

there was a country singer in the back of the bus. and he had a guitar. and he started singing. and i remember one of the songs was -- was dropkick me jesus through the goalposts of life. last last night in other words, that ain't my truck in her driveway. what is the middle of night and you're with a bunch of misfits, anything that organizes your sensibilities like that is extremely welcome. before i got on the bus, and he do his thing i'm going to be wiped out tomorrow. my first big job, i'm going to be wiped out. she said take these pills. when you get up in the morning, take this pill. you won't feel a thing. you will be tired, you'll have no hangover. so as soon as i got up in the morning i took one of those pills. and it was true.

it was true. i took those pills for 30 days. i hardly had to sleep an hour. the whole time. it was just great. to this day i have no idea what was in it. and if anita is in the audience tonight, which he may well be, tell me what that is. anyway, i had my train of my coming to new york with eugene brisbane yet in territorial by balzac. there is a great scene in her which eugene comes to paris, raises his fist toward paris itself does all defeat you, paris. i'll defeat you yet. i said that's me. i'm going to defeat new york. so i have this totally bowled that frame of mind. and i got for my hotel. the hotel is 233 people with

single occupancy. and everybody can look at the overnight tenant, that was me who was there. and i went across the street naturally. i don't know how people are under the automatic, but all the food was yellow. of course the eggs were yellow, the coffee was yellow. the bread was yellow. the orange juice was yellow. everything was yellow. so i'm really feeling romantic. i'm going to take you one, new york. i'm all alone come you don't know who i am. you don't care who i am, but i'm going to get you. i'm walking down my street on fifth avenue and i'll be darned, here's an old girlfriend of my friend john domine. she says tom, we go on and on and she says would you like to

come to a party tonight? i said sure, i'm brand-new here. so this party turned out to be on central park west. it is a two-story high living room with the winding staircase that went up to another four. a blonde to robert lowell, the poet. now he was going to south america for the summer and he had treated his apartment with a guy named joe beam. and i go to this party. it's a fabulous party. everybody looks at dynamite. in the course of the evening, but i says hey, joe beam, play something for us. and so this guy takes out his guitar and says tall and tan and young and slender, that girls from the mud goes watching. she passes people and they say yes. it was a bossa nova.

the next monday it was really taking no for pop music. but i had good luck in my first newspaper assignment. it was a great phrase, by the way. it was to talk to the wife does the greenwich village mobster, tony bender. his real name is anthony stroh low. so he lived in fort lee. and night cannot tell you how it dinky the homes of gangsters are. i mean, just name one and goes to the house. you're in for a big surprise. so i rang the doorbell. here comes the sky, about 66. he looks very rough to me. and behind this middle-aged

woman and he says what do you want? i explained to us from the new york tribune and i'd like to interview ms. stroh low because she finally, after a month reported to police that her husband was missing. and mets against the mob code. you don't report to the police anything. but her husband was missing and she finally went to the police. and that's what it really kind of like to talk to about. he says s'mores to that effect. so now what do i do? and there's this guy, my first assignment, everything is on the line. here's mrs. stroh low behind me. finally her eyes open up like saucers. she is looking past me. she sees some thing. it turned out the nbc truck had

just pulled up, then, and gabe pressman, who is the most noted news reporter of that era -- tv was always irresistible to everybody. they live in your living room. you can't turn them away. in comes gabe pressman and i just followed in his wake, kind of the blessing of aura because i'm behind gabe pressman. he went in there and said, tommy, what is in your heart? this took about 90 seconds, but i was third in the house. he left. and i now have the chance to talk to mr. leblanc then she took me all over the house and says look at this, the woodworking shop. does that look like the woodworking shop of the gangster? she took me to his closet and says does that look like the clothes of the gangster? she took me in the streaming pull, which instantly took up the entire backyard. it was pretty small.

there is about eight inches around the pool. people over 50 didn't dare go out there. is that the swimming pool of the gangster? i thought to myself, i haven't any idea. [laughter] and so i came back and they thought it was a genius. i had all these details about the mysterious visitors strowlow and tony bender. then i ran into gabe pressman, but i didn't tell them about that. and i went out and see people, the building was pretty big stuff. and that's how i found myself living for the first three months and then often on for a year, with a group of hippies known as the merry pranksters. their leader was ken kesey, who is one of the great american stenographers in my opinion. and i always went with a jacket

and a tie because i considered myself a man from mars. and finally one night, a growing mound as darcy delay came up to me and said you've got on the greatest outfit around here. there's not a necktie within a hundred yards of any direction. i took it as quite a compliment. and out of that experience came a nonfiction book called the electric kool-aid acid test. now, a lot of the very good writers in the so-called hippie world -- and i would just say i'm going to have a bio of the american great novels. and then it dawned on me could write a novel about that. people fate can make up anything you want. that is a huge advantage that nonfiction has to this day. we're in an age in which you can make this stuff up.

i'll give you just one more example. one day i was at harper's magazine. and i was waiting for the art directors to finish work. she was a gorgeous woman. i mean, gorgeous. her name is sheila berger. she agreed -- she has agreed to come with me for drinks. and in those days, i was a serious, serious step forward. it was the custom coffee in them a have some drinks. this was years ago. you know, our eyes met, our lips met, our bodies met and then we were introduced. and in any case, while i was there, i started wondering around and i happened to wander into the office of david hall sam. and i was pretty nosy. he wasn't there. i miss us there was an

invitation for the party of the black panthers given by leonard bernstein, one of the most elegant and accomplished men in america. it had an address and everything in it had a phone number to call. so i took a chance. i called that number i said, my name is tom wolfe and i accept. see, i figured it was a committee, which it turned out to be. at one of those yellow pads, writing down the names of all those except. there is a security check when i got there, desks and everything. my name wasn't on it. so i went in and sure enough here is leonard bernstein and his wife, given the party for the black panther party of america. and that's big by called the field marshal of the black panthers with the dare. one of the twin grand pianos and bernstein department. india saying, the day is soon coming when you won't have a

situation in which one family lives in a place this big. and the rest leben hobbles. and linda bernstein is a turtleneck sweater on, resistance is right on. you can't make this stuff up. out of that came a book actually called radical chic. and i would say that today i wouldn't dare do a piece of fiction. i've done three novels, without treating it just like an assignment, a reporting assignment. and i brag with tremendous ego that my novels are highly journalistic. now not everybody brags about that. but i honestly think that is the future. and right now, the new riders to watch in this country, michael

lewis and mark beaubien, both nonfiction writers. first, go to firmest essay called how to write. and the first sentence was, first, sit down. now, that was great because the idea was most people dance around the project forever and forever and then sit down right. but i want to make an amendment to that. first, leave the building. and then, sit down and write. and above all, let's have dinner. thank you. [applause] [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, let's hear one more time for mr. tom wolfe. it's dinner time. it will be with the awards. [applause] >> good evening. on behalf of the yours at the national book foundation, it is my privilege to welcome you to the 61st national book awards. now, around this time of year, the question i am most often asked is of course, which of the finalists win. they're asking me during tales and i get no calls. i got asked last year. off to you the same thing i tell everyone else, which is i have no idea who's going to win. and that's because of the way the process works. the way the process works is that the judges are writers selected by harold brown and the staff of the national book foundation. new judges every year.

and the judges meet for the first time as a group today. so they actually generally don't know one another. they've never met face-to-face. they get together today for lunch and they select the winner today at lunch. the only instructions they have from the national book foundation if you are not to get up from the table at lunch today and tell you if it a winner. that's all we tell them. we don't tell them anything else. and they've always been able to accomplish this. now there is a rumor that some of last year's nonfiction judges worst though arguing during the cocktails before dinner, but they did get through it ultimately end up always been able to get it done. and when they pick a winner, they don't tell anyone. so they don't tell harold, don't tell me, don't tell anyone. we'll get to find out the answer to that question at the same time tonight. now before you go on with the

program, i know we're all eager to get to that. i have a lot of people to thank. i'm going ask you to hold your applause until i thanked everyone. first thing i'd like to do is i'd like to acknowledge some of the special guest in our audience tonight and thank them. from a national book award winners, victor novosti, annette gordon reid, philip levine, mark dougherty, mary ann hobart man, john dowler, of course tom wolfe, justin kaplan, alan brinkley, tim, those are all winners of the national book award. thank you for being here with us. [applause] i'd also like to acknowledge the presence tonight a pulitzer prize winner, rachel, national book critics circle winners. francine, plus the great, staff lawyer, robert pulido, penfold

or winners, joanna scott and sabina murray. hugo award winners, sina r. delany and paolo bochco lupi. two-time winner peter carey, orange prize winner, arnold shriver. finally, minor prizewinners i'd like to welcome grammy award winner, rosanne cash. thank you all for being here with us. [applause] and now i have to thank the financial supporters here at of course we wouldn't be able to do anything without them. so let me thank each of them. we premier sponsor, theodore h. birth foundation, google, lyndon meyer book publishing papers division essential national guardsmen, coral graphics, david drummond, the ford foundation, penguin group, random house and sponsors bloomberg, borders, has

shed, book group u.s.a., national endowment for the arts. deborah whaley, maureen white and stephen ratner, larry kirschbaum international cricket management domineering. thank you for making this possible. [applause] and now i'd like to acknowledge in our audience or winners of this year's invasion than reading prize. this is an extraordinary group. i just want to describe to you an extraordinary set of initiatives. i want to describe each of these groups quickly. they all received awards this year at the national book foundation. here they are, fat homes from brooklyn's coney journal distributed by text message on the web. publishes original work to some of the worlds best established poet. a 26 valencia in san francisco is a nonprofit center dedicated to helping students develop a

lifelong passion for reading and writing. freeman's book club in writing workshop uses books in creative writing to empower teenage boys charged and incarcerated as adults at the washington d.c. jail, to transform their lives. [applause] mount olive baptist is a small church in a row community in south carolina with a library branches far away and in order to give the children in the community more exposure to remain, the church membership created their own children's library by going to garage sales and buying books, dictionaries and encyclopedias. and finally, united rating from san diego. this is a group that offers parents away from their children the opportunity to be recorded on dvd rating storybooks. for families separated by a military deployment that is available on u.s. navy ships and bases around the world, including desert camps in iraq and afghanistan.

these are extraordinary groups. i'm really proud to -- i haven't been able to give them awards this week on behalf of the national book foundation. [applause] okay, just a couple more people to think here. we'll get through this. so thank you to my fellow board members, especially market in japan and lynn nesbitt, who are also dinner cochairs along with high about shelley ranger. they have completely transform this event in the last few years. a great thanks to them. they deserve laws. [applause] also, thank you to tina brown, "the daily beast" in st. john for sponsoring this event after party. somehow tina has found time to do this, including editing "newsweek" and everything else. thank you, tina.

commack thank you to executive director into the outstanding shots at the national book foundation for all their hard work, making this evening possible. [applause] part of what makes this industry so much fun is the diversity of our publishers. and you can see that tonight this year's finalists. from one of the smaller literary publishers in america, based in kingston, new york, the nonprofit publishers and minnesota and washington state, to the largest publishers in america, from the east coast to the west and many in between, this year's finalists represent the best of american writing and publishing all across the country. i thank you all for coming and being part of this great, great tradition. and now onto the awards award ceremony. thank you.

[applause] >> at seven nice round of applause for mr. steinberger, please, come on, do it. [applause] those are wonderful remarks and of course we are grateful to everybody who supported the national book foundation. and actually until i heard those remarks, i didn't realize that barnes & noble is the premier sponsor at tonight's events. i'd like to have a nice healthy round of applause for barnes & noble. [applause] upon reflection, i made some jokes earlier about balance and noble, which the only way i can explain it is in preparing for the national book awards

tonight, i spent the day drinking this alcoholic energy drink. and it got me a little bit pumped. and i try to sort it it feeds off of it by smoking a combination of pot and crack. and i think i'm fine now. i think i'm fine. are you ready for the awards, ladies and gentlemen? [applause] we are giving out awards in these categories in reverse alphabetical order. we are given awards for young people's literature, poetry, nonfiction, fiction and finally, the most coveted award, best tweak which will be exciting to give out this year. first, we're going to start with the award for young people's literature. in the fast vessel meaning for me as i can just share for a moment in the last year, my wife, olivia, had a baby girl. so we're very excited about that.

[applause] and if i can share, here's the exciting part. i am the father. and it's so good to know that. or so i'm told, you know. i'm just taking it to the bank. and we have a very exciting part of nominees for young literature. before anyone wins an award tonight, let me just get one guideline to the winners have been inherent at last year's award. it is such a great moment when you win, but please when you give your speech, don't say that you're humbled because you one, dude. you should be proud. do you agree everybody that these people should be proud of winning? [applause] i mean, if anybody is humbled tonight, and the losers. that will be firing their agents tomorrow. so be proud. okay, to present the national book award for people's young

literature is tor seidler, not there for books children such as me margaret. ladies and gentlemen, tor seidler. [applause] >> good evening, everybody. and young people's literature, we really covered the gamut. we have read some great nonfiction, graphic novels, collections of short stories, poetry that well over 200 novels. it was a daunting task to say the least, but now that my eyesight has recovered, i came away from the whole thing feeling really inspired, blowing away really by the quality of

the word. it was just amazing. i was also inspired by my wonderful fellow judges, by their commitment and their passion. kelley link, leaving turco, sir czar and hope amanda smith. [applause] they deserve it. together we somehow managed, narrow it down to five. and they are paulo gaja lupi, ship breaker, published by little brown. [applause]

kathryn erskine, "mockingbird," published by villanelle a division of penguin young readers group. lori mcneil, dark water, published by alfreda cannot. walter dean myers, lockdown. [cheers and applause] published by ms todd and print of harpercollins. and rita williams garcia for one crazy summer, published by ms todd and imprint of harpercollins. and the winner of this year's national book award for young people's literature is kathryn erskine for "mockingbird."

[cheers and applause] >> gosh, thank you very much. thanks so much to the national book foundation for supporting, writing and reading in our culture. and to the judges for select team some very powerful and important books. too kind when an especially paddy and tamra and readers and friends and supporters and family. jan, who will always be my big

sister no matter how will they get. bill, i love you more and you don't have a mic, so i got the last word in. to my kids -- they used to kiss the manuscript. another blow kisses at the laptop. and now to teachers and adult of all kids who are teaching them to read and to saying -- to think critically, think deeply, think for themselves. especially my mom, who taught us to learn not just the facts, the what of your world, but more importantly, the wife. thank you very much. [applause] let's hear one more time. she was fantastic. yes! all right.

now on to poetry. and i am lucky enough that i sat next to our presenter in the poetry category, cornelius eady is a great poet. i thought i knew a lot about poetry, but i learned a lot talking to him this evening. for example, when poems don't rhyme, that's on purpose. they mean to do it that way. this has been like -- he schooled me. i mean, it was so amazing. cornelius eady of course is the author of eight books of poetry. his boat, brutal imagination was a finalist in 2001. it is a gentleman, cornelius eady. [applause] >> good evening.

william collis williams who won the national book award in 1954 his boat. as i'm was often quoted among poets as saying, it is difficult to get the news from poets, from poems, yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found fair. here are five recent american headlines from our finalists. the small dog barking at the darkness has something to say about the way we live. the archetype left from the bright belltower and slumped back to her cage. an arkansas park is not a rainbow, but an iron bridge over troubled water. dear say the tyrants.

sex is not the and intense and might save you. please mistake it for what you're not supposed to do. each year, a panel of five poets it together at a table for lunch in new york for five books of poetry. at the end they somehow do, what the name to announce. if one wishes to use this annual event as a way to engage the state of american poetry, i can tell you this year that vast and wide includes small and traditional publishers is old and young, holds different shades of sexes and is dizzy and the acts of translating the ever day at large events at this moment we are all passing through into exciting, complex, sometimes breathtaking song. choosing five books to be finalists out of the 180 ibooks with the panel has to read through was daunting enough.

.. >> finally, i'd like to thank my panel, who i will always consider one the many lucky breaks in my life for the time, care, consideration, joy, and honesty you brought to the table. i leave this process renewed, refreshed, and a little less cynical about human nature.

thank you, brenda, jeffrey mcdaniel, linda gregerson, and ray armatroud. [applause] here are the five poetry finalists for 2010. kathleen graver, the internal city published by princeton university press. [applause] terence, light head. [applause] published by pen begin books. james richardson, by the numbers published by copper canyon press.

cd wright, "one with others" published by propaganda press. monica yuen, "kidnapped" published by books. it is my great pleasure and perm joy to announce this year's winner by unanimous vote, terence hayes. [cheers and applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> i have no speech. i was sitting thinking i should have come up with blushes for

-- blurbs for the other finalists, and i was thinking i have to thank my wife whose eyes are belter than my -- better than my eyes. my editor. [applause] paul lets me do anything i want. i can even screw up. like my wife, that's the best partner who lets you be imperfect. i'm happy, shaken a little bit. i won't say anything else, and we can get on with the rest of the show. thank you, all. [applause] terrance hayes. [applause] >> the national book award in

nonfiction is presented by mar senior ri -- majoriegarb -- garber. [applause] >> it's a pleasure and an honor to be here this evening. it's been my privilege to work with the distinguishing authors and critics on the nonfiction judging panel. i'd like to introduce and thank them now. blake bail bailey, jennifer michael heck, and larry tisdale. [applause] nonfiction is the category with the largest number of entries annually. this year we considered almost

500 books, a sign z vitality, the publishing industry, and the energy and brilliance of today's writers. reading and discussing 500 books creates a judging panel, a bond that will endure, a combination of boot tap that was for me, and i hope for my colleagues deeply pleasurable. this kind of conversation is what we look for in cultural and intellectual life, a discussion about what matters in writing and in the world of ideas. it's interesting in either odd or symptomatic, depending on your point of view, the category of books americans read most often, nonfiction, is dwinned by what it is not, nonfiction. the wide variety of books submitted this year included biographies, memoirs, political and historical narratives, books about technology, literature, war, animals, religion,

globalization, music, the economy, and of course, publishing. taken together, these books create a portrait of what we as individuals and societies are thinking, hoping, dreaming, and worrying about. it was impossible for our panel not to note that the prevailing tone was eel dry ex. we agreed at the outset we agreed powerful writing, original research, and a book granted rereading in the coming year z and was a marker of the times. the finalists i'll read remits for our panel the best of the best in a very strong year. barbara demeck, ordinary lives in north korea. [applause] published by the random house

publishing group. john w. douwer, powers of war, published by ww nor ton and company. patty smith, "just kids. published by echo, imprint of harper publishers. justin spring, secret historian, the life and times of sam mule stuart -- samuel stuart, published by jerard. this year's national book award

for nonfiction goes to patty smith, "just kids." [cheers and applause] [applause] >> thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you, everybody. i, of course, would like to thank my publisher, echo, dan helpburn and all at echo and

most of all betsy lerner. i've always loved books all my life. when i was a clerk at a bookstore, i dreamed of having a book of my own, of writing one that i could put on the shelf, and when i would have to unpack and put up the national book award winners, i used to wonder what it would feel like to -- sorry, to be a national book award winner, so thank you for letting me find out. [applause] and please -- [applause] publishers, there is nothing more beautiful than the book the paper, the font, the cloth, please, no matter how we advance

technology, please never abandon the book. there is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book. [applause] thank you. [applause] [applause] >> okay, one more time for patti smith. come on, let's -- [applause] great. [applause] and now, fiction. somebody likes fiction out there, that's good. the year 2010 has seen imaginative new books from masters of fiction like george w. bush.

[laughter] nonnominateed. don't get it, so political. to present the 2010 book award for fiction is joanna scott. it gives me great pleasure to introduce joanna scott. [applause] >> well, thank you. this is a very exciting evening, very moving. many years ago when i was about to publish my first novel, an editor passed along important advice. he said a friend of his was jogging in paris and sat on a

bench. the friend ran up to beckett, introduced himself, he fluttered his add admiration, and then out of the blue, and announced his young disawr wanted to be -- daughter wanted to be a fiction writer, and was there any advice fer her. beckett said, tell her to be very careful. i find myself thinking of that advice from time to time. more often though, i forget it. i forgot it when i was asked to serve as a judge at the national book awards, and i forgot again when i was asked to chair this panel. it's hard to be careful. when one does not have diplomatic immunity, but as it turned out my fellow judges didn't need a diplomat. they have all been more than civil to our deliberations.

the only time i got worried was today at lunch when one launched for a knife, but she was just cutting up her chicken. [laughter] they didn't need anything from me more than a reminder of a deadline. serving on this panel was far more rewarding than i could have hoped through e-mail to the conversations on the phone and over lunch today i watched spirited writers in action. i have seen how passionately and honorably they engaged of the work of pairing 300 books down to a list of five finalists. they asked the big questions not just about the books in front of us, but the mission of writing. when e-mails extended to six, nine, and 12 single spaced pages, u nigh the -- i knew the writers cared about the work. they represent a number of approaches reflected in the list

of finalists, a list that is as vibrant and diverse as the field of fiction itself. there's one thing these finalists share as different as they are from each other. they define excellence on their own terms, and each of the book has a voice of style and structure specific to its focus whether they are looking hard at the past or present, whether they explore the secrets of a desk, a horse, a hotel, illness, or the potential of democracy, whether they are paragraphs are extinct or sprawling or books are issued by independent presses or large publishers, they remind us of the greatest attribute of fiction, the power to keep surprising us. the five works of finalists have nothing barred or common or familiar about them. they are in alphabet call order, peter carrey, america --

jamie gordon, life of miscral. nicole, published by norton and company. >> nike laws shriver, so much for that. karen, "i hotel" published by coffeehouse press. this year's national book award for fiction goes to lord of misroll by jamie.

[cheers and applause] we might need salts in the corner over there. [applause] >> this is really heavy. i'm totally unprepared, and i'm totally surprised. a lot of friends of mine called

me up and said, if you could get this finalist thing, that gives us hope, and i feel as though this is much for them as it is for me and for everybody involved in this book in any way, thank you very much. [applause] >> okay, one more time, let's hear it for all of our winners and all of our nominees, come on. [applause] [applause] ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much. i had a blast. i want you all to join the daily beast after party on the balcony sponsored by st. john. check it out. this has been the 2010 national

book awards. good night. [applause] >> for more information about the national book awards, visit nationalbook.org. >> i'm holding the essential engineer, why science alone will not solve our global problems. it's author joins me, henry petroski. tell us, what is the reasoning behind the subtitle here, why science alone will not solve our global problems. >> well, we hear a lot about the global problems, climate change and so forth, and we hear what science can do to alleviate the problems or outright solve them. the history of science and technology teaches us differently that science and scientists don't solve problems. they help, but engineers are the problem solvers. engineers and problem solving are hand in glove.

>> you define the difference between scientists and engineers and how they work together. tell us more about that. >> well, science is who understands the world that's begin to us. the universe, the scientists studies the planets and stars and origins. assembly knowledge, really, getting to the baht m of things -- baht m -- bottom of things. they want to contribute to the civil decision and our comfort. sin tieses and engineers get together in research and development, r and d that we hear a lout about. the engineers are on the development end. there has to be a teamwork from understanding the situation as it is to changing the situation through engineering. >> what's the difference between how engineers and science got us to where we are now, and how engineering and science takes us into the future. >> that's an excellent question

because as you know, a lot of people think that those are the people that got us into trouble in the first place. well, we always have incomplete knowledge. science is always gaining for knowledge. we work as engineers with incomplete knowledge of the world and the laws of nature, so we make mistakes in that sense. we -- we call them innocent mistakes in the sense they were done regimely speaking, you know -- generally speaking without full knowledge of their full implications. that's not to excuse them. however, if we try to study the problem to death, we never get to solving the problem, and that's a fine edge to really separate the issues. >> in one of your chapters, you talk about speed bumps. why is than an example of the relationship between scientists and engineers? >> well, every problem we try to

solve or every part of nature that we try to understand, we invariably have to regroup partly along the path to the end, and i describe these as speed bumps because i think it's a good metaphor, and it's not original with me, actually, but you know, speed bumps are sometimes helpful, and i try to point that out in the book also, and they make us think, recalibrate, make us think about whether maybe we're not on the right road or street. you know, we are being reminded of that. , oh, we're going too fast which gets back to what we were talking about which if we go back to a solution, we might miss the implications we miss later on. >> what are you doing to tell the folks when you represent? >> i only have 20 minutes to allow time for questions and answers, so i'm beginning to focus on the difference of scientists and engineers, science and engineering because

i think there's a general misunderstanding about that. a lot of times engineers are grouped with scientists. it's not that they reacceptability that. it's -- resent that, but it's inaccurate. especially in these days deals with so many global important issues. we hear a lot out of washington, really, right here where we are, that, well, if we want to inno innovate, really change the way we do things to affect the economy and improve it, we have to through money at science, well, that leaves engineering out the question entirely. maybe engineers are intended to be included in science, but more often than not, it's clear that they are not included, and by not understanding that connection, i think we miss opportunities. all the great innovations of the world basically and all of

history are engineering innovations, and they are usually done with incomplete science knowledge, and i'll talk about examples this afternoon such as the steam engine. there was no science to base that on. it was only after the engine operated for a couple of centuries, scientists looked at it for an object of studies, and the wright brothers developing an airplane is an example to give us powered flight. the wright brothers looked for scientific basis on which to design their wings and propel lores, and wrote to the smith sonnian institution here and asked what do you have in your filing to help us, and the answer they got back is well, there's nothing directly related to what you want to do, so what the wright brothers had to do is go and do their own science of the they had to do tests so that they could figure out what shape of propellers should have,

something simple and basic like that. the airplane was developed with little science to back it up. i want to emphasize things like that this afternoon, so that we understand that if we just wait for science to bring us raw materials for innovation, we're either going to have to wait a very, very long time, or they are wasting time because we don't need complete information to move ahead. >> in addition to being an author, do you consider yourself a scientist or engineer? >> i consider myself both in this regard. i'm an engineer in that i'm very interested in creating things. books i see as creations, but i'm a scientists because i do have to study. i do have to get to the heart of the matter, and in most study and engineering education includes a lot of science. you learn to think like a scientist as well as an engineer. one of the things i'll talk about this afternoon is albert einstein to show you can be

both, and he's a classic example, but it's not widely known. it's widely known he worked in the patent's office when he was young largely because he couldn't get a job as a scientists, but then in the 1920s he began to be an inventor in his own right after he won the nobel prize and really he could have sat back and done science, but there was a special challenge to doing inventions and engineering, and what he did was a very mundane thing among others, but refrigerators in the 1920s were very, very new, and they were subject to leaks and the refrigerant that they leaked was poisonous and whole families were being killed while they were sleeping because of the leaking refrigerator. einstein said there must be a better way. that's what an inventor says. he created a system that would

not leak and tried to market it, but the timing was not right because refrigerator companies came up with freon because that's not poisonous. as we know, decades later we discovered freon doesn't poisen people, but the atmosphere. that's another example of unforeseen consequences. >> we're been talking with henry petroski, the global engineer and why science will not solve our global problems. >> next pulitzer prize winner recounts the 1200 letters that john and ab gail adams exchanged through their 50 year marriage. it creates an understanding on their relationship and a discourse on the politics of their time. he discusses his book in washington, d.c.. the program is just over 45

minutes. >> i'm not going to read to you. i'm going to read a few passages, but i'll talk for like 25 minutes, and then we'll have questions. everybody is busy with complicated lives, and then we'll do signing and get out of here, and this was the most enjoyable book i have ever written to write. i had fun -- fun is not the right word, but fulfillment in trying to write this book in a way that hadn't been true for the other eight before it. eight, that sounds like a lot. and i think it's partly because i've never written a love story before, and it is a love story, and it's a love story written across a rather consequential american historical landscape,

but here's the way i put it more cogently perhaps. all of us who have fallen in love dry to raise children, suffered engs tended -- extended bouts of doubt about the integrity of our ambitions, watched our once youthful bodies betray us, our principles, and then all of this with a partner traveling the same trail no what unconditionble commitment means and why especially today it is the exception rather than the rule. abigial and john traveled down that trail 400 years before us remaining lovers and friends throughout and had a significant hand in laying the foundation of what is now the oldest enduring

republic in world history, no small matter. they left a written record of all the twitches, traumas, throbbings and tribulations along the way. no one else had ever done that, and as suggested, one of the reasons for writing this book was to hey, g gail, how are you doing? is to figure out how they did that, and i really mean it. how many of you have ever seen a movie -- this is a talk that probably strikes a different age group in a different way than another. that's entertainment. remember a movie called that's entertainment? it came out in the late 60s, a collection of the great musical moments in mgm musicals. it's great.

there's a scene in the movie early in which a very still in his prime, fred, mid 30s does a two minute 48 second dance sequence with eleanor powell. she makes ginger roberts look like clumsy. [laughter] they do this piece, and then frank sinatra comes along and looks at the audience and says, you know, you can sit around and wait, but you're never going to see that again. you can sit around and wait, but you ain't never going to see abigail and john again. they are singular, and a story i feel privileged to tell.

i want to dip you in a few moments, and then let you ask me questions. let me give you a bit of the letters. the letters themselves are so potent. there are about 1200 of them. why are there so many? because they are apart a lot. john is in philadelphia, she's in grain tree during the continental congress and runup to the revolution. there's my son, how are you doing? [laughter] then he's in paris and amsterdam while she's back in quincy so that like you would think maybe the madisons, dolly and james

m.d. edison -- madison would have something similar, but they don't because they are always together, and maybe washington, martha and george, but george requests that martha concurs that upon his death, they will destroy all of their correspondence. only three lertds survived. part of this story is available to us because the volume of the letters. the volume is important, but the quality is even more important. even if james and dolly wrote or even if they didn't destroy their own letters, they wouldn't match this correspondence, okay. it's the literary quality and it's the level of emotional

honesty and candor that they sustain for 59 years, and allow us to understand what love means over a lifetime, not just romeo and juliet, but as it seasons and as you suffer together. abigail asked if she would do it all over again, and she said, i can't imagine suffering the same amount with anyone else. [laughter] i mean, they lost three kids. they lost him go down in elections, and some ways suffering together is the most ultimate expression of love. it's particularly new england idea. [laughter] all of us red sox friends understand it. [laughter] let me read you a brief passage

that gets at this when they are courting. it talks about their correspondence. this is just before they get married which is almost now, it's october 25th, 1764. she was serious when she asked john to deliver on his promise and tell me all my faults, both of omission and commission, and all the evil you know either or think of me. tell me what you really think. john responded with a mock catalog of your faults imperfections, deficits, or whatever you please to call them. she was, he observed, negligent at playing cards, could not sing a note, hung her head like a bull rush, sat with her legs

crossed, was pigeon toed, and read too much. these were incurable especially the reading, so he would have to learn to live with them. the leg crossing charge struck her as awkward since as she put it, a gentleman has no business to concern himself with the legs of a lady. [laughter] the letters exchanged during their courtship provide the fullest and first window into the chemistry of their relationship, but it would probably be wrong to presume that the correspondence accurately reflected the way they talked to each other when thigh were together -- they were together. letter writing in the 18th century was a more deliberative and self-consciously artful exercise than most of us in the presence with our cell phones, e-mail, and text messaging can fully fathom.

it's a psychological different world. the letter, of course, are all we have to recover the techture of their -- texture of their overlapping personalities, and while they constitute a long string of intellectual pearls of the era, they were unconscious performances, presentations more stylized and orchestrated than real conversations. there are some things in short that we can never know for sure about their deepest thoughts and feelings, though they are, among the most fully revealed couples in american history, and given the likely depth of letters in the present and future, i don't think we'll know about any more of any prominent political leaders in the future as we know about them. two essential ingredients in their lifetime dialogue is clear

from the start. abagail despite the lack of education, she was home schooled by her father and grandmother could match john with a pen which was saying quite a lot since he proved to be one the that'ser letter writers in an age not lacking in serious con senders -- contenders like thomas jefferson and benjamin franklin. second, there was a presumed sense of psychological equality between them that abagail presumed and john found intoxicating. she was marrying a man that he loved the fact as he put it saucy, and he was marrying a woman simultaneously capable of unconditional love and personal independence. they recognized from the beginning that they were a rare match. her grandmother tried to talk

her out of it. she thought that abigail was marrying down. she said, i have found my man, and i intend to keep him. there were so many topics they could talk about easily, and just as many that di didn't have to -- they didn't have to talk about at all. the wedding occurred on october 25th as i said, 1764 in the same parlor of her father's house, her father was a minister, where initially they found themselves totally uninteresting. in her last letter to john before the wedding, she asked him to take all her belongings which she was forwarding in a cart to their new home, and then she said, then, sir, if you please, you may take me. [laughter] that gives you a bit of a sense

of the correspondence. i want to dip you, as i say, in two moments. i thought of dipping you in summer of 77. it's got a melodramatic quality to it. she's pregnant. she's -- in 13 years, she's pregnant six times. that's normal for new england women. they lose two to three kids out of 12, and she writes him -- he's in philadelphia. it's a very pivotal moment in the war. general howe is sailing out, maybe up the hudson, but he's going to the south side of the chesapeake to come up to philadelphia from the south. john says he's going to california. [laughter] it's politically a significant

moment. that decision by huwe is a fatal decision because it leaves the army marooned in new york, and they are annihilated. captured. the movements of the british army, but they're the movements inside abigail, the uterus of her. she's pregnant. they can't write directly about it, the conventions of the 18th century concluded, but he's worried, and then she writes him in june and says, i felt something, and i don't like it. i think something's wrong. there's a two week high at toc between when she writes and when she gets the letter and vice versa, and this is what makes

distance so difficult, and he's writing her about the politics and she's -- and by the time he gets it, it's already happened. the child has been born. it's stillborn. it's a girl named elizabeth, probably strangulation with the umbilical cord, but she's writing him in between contractions of the birth. later warned when he leaves the presidency for seven months to be with her when she's sick, how can you possibly leave presidency? this is the reason. he never wants -- i mean, he thinks she might be dying, and she's never going to make the mistake of being away from her again, but i won't tell you that story. [laughter] i want to tell you the story that's the most famous letter, probably, in the entire correspondence from her.

mar 31st 1776. it's the remember the ladies letter. everybody is nodding. everybody who has taken a women's history course knows about this. it's an unhappy life, but she suspect really a feminist in anything like a modernceps of the term. she is a singular woman, an independent woman who recognizes the implications of liberal argument, but it's an interesting dilemma. what do you do when you're 200 years ahead of your time which is what she really was, and the decision she was most unhappy when john was away. she was clinically depressed between 1781-85 while she was away. i don't think that's bad. i think that's the way it was. to call her a feminist, i would

call here a protofeminist. you get the point. second dipping moment, john's presidency, again, what i find so stunning is the overlapping relation between the private and the public story. john's elected president? 1796. it's a close election, 72-69, very sectional vote. adams comes to the presidency almost, maybe worse than obama in terms of what he inherits. i mean, obama has a good case that he's in a ditch. john comes after george

washington. how would you like that? [laughter] the greatest hero of the age, and probably the greatest hero of history. his cabinet a loyal to hamilton. he doesn't think he can reappoint them. it's unprecedented. there's never been a change of administration. he keeps the people, and literally the secretary of treasury, war, and state all are loyal to hamilton, and they -- i mean, by loyal, hamilton thinks he's really the president. he really does. once washington leaves the stage, hamilton goes nuts. he's been living under washington, and some of the things that hamilton does in 96, 97, and 98 are incredible. there's a war going on with

france, undeclared, and his vice president, thomas jefferson is the guy who ran against him for the presidency. jefferson, in his capacity as leader of the opposition is leaking all information to the french counsel in philadelphia and telling the government of france in paris not to pay any attention to anything that the president of the united states has to say. he doesn't speak for the american people even though dually elected. this is a pretty big thing to deal with here. you have to read the book to get the fullest context, but abigail is influential on john. before there was hillary clinton or maybe michelle obama, there was abigail, and at this stage,

abigail's influence proves catastrophic because abigail is going to tell him in a moment of serious doubt on his part to sign the alien indecision act, the biggest blunder of his presidency, the tin can tied to his reputation, rattled through the history books. why? well, does this sound familiar to you? george washington upon retirement as adams takes the presidency, the aurora of the fox news of its day says we have absolutely clear and convincing evidence that during the entire war for independence, george washington was a spy for the british.

[laughter] it's actually a series of forged documents the british released during the war trying to undermind washington's authority. we, upon his retirement, we seriously question whether you have any honor, whether you ever had any honor, or whether you have simply lost it. with this one, we devoutly pray for your eminent death. this is washington. okay? that's the partisan, that's the world that's been created here, so adams comes in, and they launch on him. john adams intends to make himself king and appoint his son john quincy as successor for life. he was a boat load of prostitutes and one he intends to bring to the mansion, and

reliable witnesses on the cabinet can testify he's certifiably insane. remember eagle mton and -- eagleton in 72? that's what the political culture of the moment is like, and in that moment, abigail is a lioness protecting her lair. she cannot believe what's being said about her husband and her son. there's a funny moment when a publisher newspaper man in new jersey, publisher of a newspaper called "the wasp," a great title, accuses him of having a big ass. [laughter] one of the wonderful features of this agent, and most people don't know this is this act is the first time in british or

american law makes truth a defense. if you say the king of england has a big ass, and he does, that's worse, okay? you go to jail forever or they cut your head off. in the insedition act, if it's true, you can't be prosecuted. she said we can't go after that guy because i know you do have a big ass. but how does he know? [laughter] but she does persuade him to sign this piece of legislation, which is, you know, it goes out -- it only has a two year statute of limitations, but it is bad, and it's too bad. when they retire, adams says i feel i have made a great change, a great exchange. i have exchanged honors for

manure. he has a barn full of seaweed, and he can't wait to get back to quincy. the retirement years themselves are interesting, and i try to write about them. john is always worried about what he calls dying at the top meaning dementia and alzheimer's as we would call it, and just the opposite happens to him. his body goes, becomes a kind of weak envelope, but his mind keeps racing away in a vivacious fashion, and the portrait of 1824 sort of captures that. abigail has suffered for some time with rheumatoid arthritis and is incapacitated for a long period of time. there are moments where they ride in the fields in their

carriage and go to boston three times, and it's like they are fed. they go to harvard, and these are like people out of the past, like, you know, they are people from a distant era. heros -- it's like -- it's hard to know how to talk to them. abigail dies in 1818 of typhoid and with a stroke too. john goes to bed and lays down beside her as he's dying and says i just want to die with her. he thinks he's going to go soon. heaven, for him, the vision is boring as hell, and heaven for him is going to make love with abigail and argue with jefferson and ben franklin. [laughter] this is heaven, you know, and

he's not sure there is a heaven. he's got a great line. he says, if it could ever be shown conclusively there is no here after, my advice to every man, woman, and child on the planet is take opium. [laughter] but this is how he goes, and that's it. he knew that his powers of thought and speech were diminished, so when the delegation from quincy visited him on june 30 requesting some statement for the looming independence day celebration, he refused to cooperate. i will give you independence forever, he declared, asked if he might like to elaborate, he declined. not a word. he had finally learned the variance of the gift of silence,

something he never learned. abigail would have approved. positions and other visiters came to his bedside convinced that the end was near. he was 91. on the morning, he's lying on the bed breathing with difficulty unable to speak, but when it was the 50th anniversary of independence, he lifted his head with effort and declared, it is a great day. it is a good day. late in the amp, he stirred in response to severe thunderstorms subsequently described in eulogies as the artillery of help and heard to whisper, thomas jefferson survives. there's some historians question whether this happened. it happened. it's in the record. but by a coi understand den that

defied, jefferson died earlier that same afternoon. both each possessed a will power seemed determine to die on schedule. madison died on the 3rd. monroe died on the 2nd. they are all trying to die on the 4th. john drew his last breath shortly after six o'clock. witnesses reported that a final clap of thunder sounded at his passing and a bright sun broke through the clouds and an estimated 4,000 people atepidded the fiewn -- attended the funeral as his body was laid to rest alongside abigail's. they are remained together ever since. thank you.

[applause] actually, they moved him across the street to the unitarian church because john quincy bought two crips for him, and he and his own wife were buried next to them. john might have been a utilitarian by the time he was at that stage. that's the feather bed to hen, and you don't have to believe anything. [laughter] have i prompted any questions or comments? >> we got a mic right here. >> oh, there's a mic right there. go to the mic because c-span is covering this event. people have to speak. yes, sir? >> this is just to fill the time until someone thinks of a better question. i heard that the children and grandchildren raised by abigail had horrible lives and the

others raised by john had great lives. i wonder if you could comment on that and what do you have to say? >> interesting. some of the book talks about the childbearing issues, and as a parent, and one of my children is right here, who, who? you do your best, and then who knows how it turns out. what you said is partially true and partially misleading. abigail herself worries about the fact that all the children up until a certain stage are being raised without their father around a lot. she talks about that. they develop an impression of their father as a result that wouldn't exist if he was there, namely as some extraordinarily heroic, almost beyond human

figure. if he was there, he was a bumbling idiot about some things. it is true, he takes john quincy with him to paris and then again the second time to paris and amsterdam and takes charles the second time too. ..

is this man qualified. does anyone else read and speak latin, greek, french, dutch, russian and german? [laughter] if there's anyone else who does we would like to please entertain. he's not a happy man, however, he doesn't have a happy life and he's a one-term president as john sort of knew he would. but nevertheless, he's a significant figure in america. he's a great secretary of state, too and a great opponent of slavery as a member of the house of representatives as many of you know. in fact, there's a great book -- at you got me on this -- there's a great book to be written about this and it's called quote code missing link." john quincy is the missing link between the founders and lincoln. john quincy by use in the will of the senate in 1848. i think i got this right.

and present to watch him fall is lincoln. and the missing link. somebody can take this idea and run with it. [laughter] atty werries this guy who was a former officer in the continental army who ends up losing everything in a variety of poor investments. charles becomes an alcoholic and a job at who dies at 30 in new york even though as a child he is most beguiling. all three of the place by the way graduate from harvard. abigail while they are in europe keeps were young we are spending all this money on me elaborate dinners we are not clean to be able to afford college tuition. [laughter] for our children. tommy, the yemen-based and the most invisible feels as a lawyer in philadelphia and eventually comes back to live with his parents in quincy and marries a

local girl and has like eight kids but he's an alcoholic. so the pattern in the adams dynasties one child succeeds e. enormously and all the rest of them are horrible failures. is this the fault of abigail and john? there are some letters that abigail rights to john quincy that will scare the hell out of kuwait more than john. abigail is tougher as a parent and john. abigail says the ship they sailed on almost sunk, the sink ship that john and -- and she says she's glad it didn't but if you turn out to be and what immoral man, i would rather you die right now. whereas, this is the john's way

of dealing is different. john and john quincy are together in the netherlands, and john quincy says i would like to buy a pair of ice skates, very indulgent, right? so john first says no, you can't have any ice skates. and then john neff thinks well, one of the things i don't have is the grace, and if you buy the ice skates -- he writes this to him -- you will learn to dance and this therefore this is an investment in you and your overall maturity. so i will buy you ice skates on one condition, we buy them a size large so that we don't have to buy any new ones. that was john's way of being in more indulgent parent than his mother, than john quincy's mother. there's stuff that's written -- there's a book called, well it's

a book about the adams tennessee what sort of dumps on who abigail as a mother. i don't think that's fair. i think it is imposing to set a 28 and 21st century standard. wim abigail's children come to live with her and quincy, abigail says, you know, my standards for child rearing are different than yours. they are more austere and severe, but i have to recognize that that's a different kind of thing. and most of the grandchildren in dub equally horrible. i mean, george, the grandson from home john quincy, could suicide. the other kid dies youthful. so it's not a romance. it's not -- it's got all kinds of horrible things in it. i know people want to get out of

here and maybe buy a book, and so -- >> if you want to a answer all these questions, you've got to give shorter answers. [laughter] >> absolutely right. you get me going. i mean, there's too many things -- we will take one more question and then we will handle questions as we -- is search. >> i just finished reading founding brothers, and i am struck by the fact it seems to me you do not like thomas jefferson and regard his reputation as undeserved, and largely based on his writing one document in 1776. and i wonder whether you see -- >> that's too strong. >> i know but i had to give you going. >> do you see any parallels in the current president who has been sometimes regarded as having given one speech or to and become president? >> no. >> great. [laughter]

>> no, i understand when you're saying. let me put it to you this way when i was talking about the election of 1800 jefferson and adams that the interpretation of the election of 1800 is that is a jeffersonian interpretation, that the federalists have captured the american revolution, and carried it in this despotic monarchical direction, and jefferson is elected and recovered the original spirit of the revolution. it's the second american revolution. what really is the victory of states' rights and slavery. that's what it really is, and that's with the atoms from it is. it's not democracy versus aristocracy. it states rights versus a national vision, and jefferson is committed -- jefferson and have been with the confederacy

in 1861, clearly. i am also sure about madison. and that's the reason, along with the hypocrisy on the racial issue, because one of his poor argument on the racial issue -- this is jefferson -- was we can't afford to free the slaves because then they will intermarry with whites and corrupt the anglo-saxon race. well, meanwhile he is offering four to six children by selling hemingses. it's pretty bad. and this, from a guy who is a virginian, went to the same school as jefferson, william and mary and remains the same color as jefferson. [laughter] so i'm not totally alienated, but i do think that jefferson is the most resonant and contradictory figure. he wrote the magic words of american history which are extraordinary, we hold these truths, and he is simultaneously the symbol of the central dilemma of american history,

slavery and race. he stands astride both of those issues. so, maybe we will -- i will try to be really brief now. you got me going. by now i'm sure you're an expert in reading her letters written in those days in the course of writing this book, and if i'm not live in big trouble. [laughter] i am intrigued on how one wrote a letter in those days. >> you implemented you were conscious of what you were writing. but did you do athe drafts in your head? >> they didn't do who draft. at the gilroy in the coming after the children were in bed at a kitchen table in the four roomed house that if you go to visit him in quincy you can't believe how small it is. john wrote in the morning before he went off to do his morning

ride. the original letters have crossed out and are harder -- john's is especially hard to leave. his hand, even as a young man, is not good. abigail is easier to read. but one of the reasons that i remain an antediluvian in terms of the writing of books is that i actually read all my books by hand. on the back of xerox paper that's blank. and i believe there's a connection between the movement of my fingers and wrist and the muscles in the movement in my head. now i don't recommend that for anybody. certainly the next generation has gone in a totally different direction. but it works for me. and there is a deliberative quality in the 18th century we need to understand that there's

nothing interactive about communication. and so you are having to be more thoughtful and the way you're expressing yourself is not just like it's a conversation. your reporting on your thought process at that moment. there is more interested in it. abigail has a wonderful early in her life. she says my pen is freer than my tongue. i can write to you things i cannot speak to you. which is i think a good. she also said -- to talk about john when he is wounded i bleed. one more and then we've got to go. >> we've got to people in line. >> okay, we will try to deal with them. we will try to be brief. >> to the extent it is even possible to answer this question, what do you think

adams will think of the living document series of the constitution, that is, the idea that the meeting of the words of the text change over time? >> adams as a advocate of the notion of the original intent of the framers is frozen in time in 1787 come 88 is absurd and he is of aware of the fact the original in tenders themselves don't agree, and therefore he would be more like -- he would be a liberal church spurgeons person rather than scalia or thomas, so but we would jefferson koppel. jeffersonville the constitution of to be rewritten every generation so the original intent school which has come into existence only recently under meese in the 80's is bizarre from their point of view

and most historians point of view because we all know as historians that there are a lot of different intentions, and the one thing they know intended is to have the document change. >> a last question to eight >> qe literally here to other first ladies. i wonder in this case the role that abigail played in john's tenure during his white house residence. you he looted before to the sedition act and so forth, but is there a singular moment that you think that really stands out during that period in which her influence was critical in terms of the presidency? >> abigail and john are the most seasoned diplomats in the united states. the have served in european courts in both paris and london. so that as vice president and then as president, she and john r. a. keen and in diplomatic

circles, the light is part of your -- you know, you're point of view. she is used to that. but everyone on both sides said the old lady is the real brains in the outfit and whenever john did something the other side didn't like the six because abigail wasn't there to collect him. i think that where she is with him all the way and supporting most of the federalist agenda that she becomes an ultra federalist whereas he holds to a motion we are going to avoid the war with france and that is this what i was referring to in the the only time in their entire collaboration, if you will, where she feels him. thank you. [applause] >> this evening and was hosted by politics and prose bookstore in washington, d.c.. for more information, visitas politics-prose.com.

>> david axe has covered severaa different wars and was a freewok lancer who worked for c-span and in iraq and afghanistan. david axe, where else have you work worked? >> guest: lebanon, chad, east timor, off the somali coast chasing pirates, i might be forgetting a few -- nicaragua. here and there. >> host: that doesn't sound boring. >> guest: right. the title's meant to be somewhat ironic but not entirely. war, the modern experience of war, low intensity warfare is a lot of sitting around. it's 99% waiting and tedium and bore dumb punctuated by 1% of sheer terror. i think that describes the experience of the typical soldier, but it's the same for reporters, too, between the red tape and the logistic and the distances you have to travel, the logistics of being a reporter, arranging interviews and negotiating languages and cultural differences.

you spend a lot of time weeding and maneuvering for the golden nuggets of excitement or the tiny little gems of a good story. >> host: and this is done much like, as a comic book -- >> guest: right. >> host: in a sense, a nonfiction comic book, and you write, i love how war made you appreciate the little things. you said coming home was like popping ec that si. what do you mean by that? >> guest: i've actually never done ecstasy, but i imagine it feels ecstatic. you spend time roaming around a place like somalia or chad, and it puts into perspective, i don't know, what we have here in the united states and what we call problems. so one reason i enjoy my job as a freelance war correspondent, or enjoy's not the right word, one of the reasons i find it fulfilling is it contextualizes

the rest of my life. and i've come away from my work as appreciating being an american more than before i did this kind of thing. >> host: when you read your book, it doesn't sound like you could stay in the states very long before you had to go back. >> guest: well, that's the irony. when you need that contrast between home life and life in some conflict zone in order to appreciate the home life, and you have to keep going back to the conflict zone in order to keep that and to maintain that contrast so that you can, i don't know, that's the only way i can find peace and satisfaction was to move between these two extremes. the one made the other make sense. >> host: david axe, what work did you do for c-span? this. >> guest: i shot video and have done voiceover and studio interviews from and about the iraq war and the afghanistan war, piracy, the conflict in central africa or conflicts in

central africa, and that might be all. i think so, yeah. >> host: ptsd? this. >> guest: myself? not formally diagnosed. i had a rather hairy experience in chad in the summer of 2008 and came home feeling not quite like myself. and managed to, you know, through the help of family and good friends and a lot of beer managed to right myself, i guess. i don't think that the trauma i've experienced compares to what an american soldier who spends 15 months on deployment in afghanistan or iraq, my experiences don't compare to that, but sure, sure, i've had some stress. >> host: we're going to put the numbers up on the screen in case you would like to talk with david axe about how journalists cover war and how it effected them. these are pictures here, these are drawings of when david axe went home to detroit. and what i noted on these is

that you slept in quite late every morning, and you didn't look like you were terribly thrilled about anything. >> guest: you mentioned ptsd. probably the worst i've had was in 2008. prior to that i was in somalia in late 2007 and also a very difficult place to work. and came away from that, i don't know, with a rather bleak outlook and crashed, i guess you could say. i needed, i needed some time. and i took that by moving back home, you know? a 30-year-old man moving back home with mom and dad, and i did nothing for as long as i could stand it. and i think had i not done that, things would have been a lot worse. so, yeah, i slept in. played video games. [laughter] >> host: what were some of the worst experiences you had? this. >> guest: i was briefly kidnapped twice in chad. actually not covered in the book. hinted at at the very end of the book. in somalia i spent some time in

the after guy ya refugee camp with, among -- surrounded by one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, made friends with somali reporters some of whom have since been seriously hurt or killed. that has been very trying. iraq and afghanistan there is always those bursts of extreme violence that rattle you. i think in the balance, though, somalia and chad have been my, the most difficult places to cover. personally and professionally. >> host: how did you get started in this line of work? >> guest: in 2004 and 2005 i was, i was a full-time political reporter in columbia, south carolina, for the local free times newspaper. and if war is boring, then peace is way worse. and it was driving me nuts sitting in on county council meetings and things like ordinances.

so i had an opportunity to embed with the national guard in early 2005, took it, realized not only could i enjoy it, but i could do it. so i quit my job and began freelancing from conflict zones full time. >> host: 202 is the area code, 585-3885 in the east and central time zones, 585-3886 for those of you in the mountain and pacific time zones. where was the last place you've been? >> guest: i just got back from congo, and the artist on "war is boring," matt, he and i are going to collaborate on an entire graphic novel -- >> host: novel? >> guest: right. well, it's nonfiction, a nonfiction comic book about congress go. >> host: why? >> guest: congo's probably the worst war that most americans don't know anything about. no one is exactly sure about the numbers, but in the past 15 years at least 700,000 people have died in several overlapping

conflicts. it's a gigantic country, lots of problems, and a country that really matters to the developed world. leaving aside humanitarian issues which, of course, matter on their own, congo's the source of horse -- most of the earth's rare minerals. without congo, we wouldn't have this high-tech society that we have. so conflict in congo should matter a lot more to americans than it does. we want to draw some attention to that. >> host: in iraq and in afghanistan, were you embedded with the military? what was your experience working with the military? >> >> guest: i've had really good experiences, i've had really bad experiences. the u.s. military is a vast organization, and everything sort of turns over every three years so it's a different cast of characters. once i inadvertently reported on a secret technology in iraq and was detained and then booted out of the country by a very irate u.s. army. that was probably the low point,

but there have been high points as well. i've witnessed incredible bravery and sacrifice even on my behalf by soldiers in iraq and afghanistan. >> host: how did you find that secret technology? the u.s. army, and i was working as a freelancer for wired at the time. i said to this lieutenant, what's that? and he said, oh, that's a blah, blah, blah, and i said, oh, that's interesting, tell me more. so i was taking notes on this bit of technology, lo and behold, it was classified. i didn't think that, apparently the lieutenant didn't know that and, yeah, it got bad real fast. [laughter] >> host: david axe is our guest, "war is boring" is the book. fredericks burg, virginia, you're on the air. please go ahead. >> caller: hi, mr. axe. you commented on it -- >> host: fredericks berg, you with us? >> caller: yes, i'm here, can you hear me? >> host: yes, go ahead. >> caller: i wish you could

expand a little bit, i've always been interested in how the unique military cultures of the marines, the army, and the special operating forces, what differences you may have seen in the fact that there's three branches that are doing this kind of work. >> guest: i don't really have special forces, but i have worked with the marines and the army, the air force and the navy and even the coast guard. i guess it's cliche, but honestly working with the marines is the best experience. there's a kind of culture of accountability and sacrifice in the marine corps that, while present in the other branches, is amplified in the marines. i guess they're able to hone that in a better way than with a vast organization like the u.s. army. so the marines have always taken really, really good care of me, and i'm grateful for that. >> host: emporia, virginia, you're on with david axe. >> caller: good afternoon. my question was, basically,

being a war correspondent do you have to go through any specialized training at all to be in conflict zones? >> guest: no, i didn't. in the beginning of the iraq war, the pentagon rounded up some reporters and put them through a reporters' boot camp in anticipation of the invasion and having embedded reporters. but once the embed program had sort of found its footing -- because i didn't embed for the first time until early 2005 -- by then they weren't doing those boot camps. and i found that the military was, by that point, experienced enough in handling reporters that they were able to just accommodate me in the conflict zone and point out what i should and shouldn't do without putting me through a formal training program. >> host: who was or who is ahmed zia in afghanistan? >> guest: he's one of my fixers. as a reporter working in a conflict zone, you utterly rely on your local fixers to drive you around, to keep you safe, to interpret, and he was one of my better afghan fixers.

there are good ones and there are bad ones. the bad ones will squeeze you for cash, the good ones will save your life. >> host: how do you find them? >> guest: networking. i find other reporters who have done similar work and get referrals and check out these people, cross-reference and then cross my fingers. >> host: you start to tell a rather homophobic joke with ahmed. >> guest: well, that's afghan culture for you. [laughter] >> host: you write that you came back from afghanistan with, basically, a low-grade anger. why? >> guest: i came back from afghanistan the first time in the summer of 2007, so by then i'd been covering primarily american-led wars for nearly three years. and it was frustrating to come home to a society that didn't seem to realize it was at war. certainly, soldiers and airmen and marines, sailers deployed overseas, they know they're at war. reporters who cover the conflict, we know we're at war. our elected leaders probably sense that we're at war. but it's easy to get the feeling

when you're just walking around small town america or in many detroit or d.c., wherever, a lot of americas don't seem affected by these conflicts. i'm not sure who's to blame for that, but it's not healthy. >> host: "war is boring," is the book. cold spring, texas, please go ahead. >> caller: yes. i personally experienced post traumatic stress syndrome after my husband was district attorney in an eastern county, and what i found was i could not sleep for months and months and months, and i was just wondering since he refers to having post traumatic stress syndrome, did he have insomnia? ..

between the war m i brac i would go home and have no idea where i was and that is probably the most terrifying thing, psychological effect that i suffered. so it sprang out of bed in a free in the morning at under darkness at home in columbia, south carolina and began sprinting around my apartment running into things because i had no idea where i was. w. that, i think my brain hadnd adapted doing that kind of workd and i don't suffer those kind of things anymore.. >> you know, they have some really good pastas in mogadishu, you quote yourself as saying, te sarenthe expression on your parents face is rather priceless. why ledid you conclude that?uese >> i came home from somalia in late 2007 and crashed moved in with my parents. i think they at first struggle

to understand what it was i was dealing with. the memories, the experiences, the disillusionment being broke and feeling under appreciated. just the sheer psychological effects of covering more. there were a few, i think, tends dinners as they tried to tease out of me what was troubling me. and it was not always pretty. >> here it is. "war is boring" by david axe. new american library is the publisher. a birdie you go next? >> guest: i have not decided yet. every time i come home from a war zone i announce that i've retired. i'm in retirement. give me about six wee he becomes the carter's childhood in place georgia,