complexity of strategic competition. but rather than being there -- are strategic guardrails around it, which i call managed strategic competition. and th'shat the book seeks to elabat >> afterwards is a weekly interview program with reva guest hosts, interviewing top nonfiction authors about her latestor. to watch this program and others, visit book tv dot org, slash afterwards. esteemed guests, welcome to the 73rd national book awards ceremony. tonight host is panama locked me and television host bestselling author. she is the creator, host, and executive producer of the critically acclaimed hulu series, taste the nation.

and the host and executive producer of bravo's two-time emmy winning series, top chef. please welcome padma lakshmi. >> hi everybody! how is everybody doing? i hope by now, you are a couple drinks in, seriously. i want to thank you guys so much, it is my great honor to welcome everyone to the 73rd national book award. to celebrate books together in person again, after two years of being virtual. we're all here, united by a deep love of a narrative. how it shapes who we are, and how we understand the world. when i found my way to writing

professionally, it was, like most things in my life, through cooking. and i believe that food, like books, can tell a story, by creating a sense of -- by creating a sense memory. capturing a feeling, sharing our identities, and transporting us with the right combination of ingredients, right back to our childhood. being here tonight, in the company of so many amazing storytellers, and the people who championed them, i am struck by the way books can also, of course, feed us. by sparking new ideas, exposing us to new people, and cultures. and expanding our understanding of the world. i wrote tomatoes for n.i.l.a., a children's book about three generations of indian women, passing down a beloved family recipe, because i wanted not only brown kids to meet characters that look like them,

with families who cook like them, and speak like them, but also for their peers to better understand them. or perhaps, another family living next door. i grew up in an indian household, where if you mistakenly stepped on any book or touched it with your foot, you'd have to stop and touch it to your eyes to undo the disrespect. but today, in schools across the country, books like mine are under attack. according to pin americans, there was an unprecedented wave of book bans in the u.s. this year, spanning 138 school districts in 32 states. think about it. that encompasses around 4 million american children. the main books targeted discuss lgbtq+ themes or characters.

they have protagonists of color, or address issues of race and racism, or all three. targeted groups of books have included fry bread, a native american family story, dim sum for everyone, and penguin makes three. the story of two male penguins who formed a pair bond in a central park zoo. i'm happy to have been able to read some of these to my daughters, they are wonderful books. the book banning isn't simply a new form of concerned parents. it's a massive censorship campaign from organizations working with state and local officials to restrict access to books, and it coincides with the passage of the parental rights and education law in florida for the don't say gay law. yes, do.

though is right. there are even bands like art spiegelman's graphic novel, mouse, which recounts the chilling experiences of the authors fall or during the holocaust. or even a preemptive been in a tennessee school district where books were sorted into tears, based on how much the books focus on lgbtq characters, or storylines. so if a book reached year five, according to the sorting guidelines, it was too gay. and the books were pulled. even before any librarian could foam through them. so it's not just gay penguins that these groups are attacking. it is our children's first amendment right, the protection of free speech and equitable access to information and diverse ideas in the school library. it is fundamental to education.

[applause] deciding what books are in school libraries is the job of librarians, not politicians. where are my librarians at? it's not the job of politicians who want to continue to whitewash this country. look, i am a product of the american public school system. and in doing my research for my showcase the nation, i realized there was so much about this country, about this country's history, that i didn't learn in school. and i should have. i needed to re-educate myself about indigenous history, immigrant history, and structural racism. i don't want my daughters to be shielded from history. i want her to have access to what was missing from my

classroom. i want kids of her generation to learn the truth, and not just the truth that isn't painful. looking at the truth of our history, of who we were, and who we are now as a country, are the first steps to understanding and reconciling the past sins of our nation. but we can't learn those lessons if we are not even allowed to open those books. this year's nominees embrace conversations about race, immigration, and identity. from imani perry's beautiful memoir, where are you imani? a journey below the mason-dixon understand the soul of a nation, it's a beautiful book. to jimmy all john coach i've.

where are you, gmail? , gmail is a start on the episodes of face the nation, you haven't seen it yet. and to roger races collection of poems. these books and others by authors here tonight paint a truer picture of what it means to be american, for all of us. we need books like these to help show us that we belong. we need books like these two have empathy for those around us, because they belong, to. you say, it's not just about being able to see ourselves represented in these books, which is vital. it's about being able to really see one another, as well. that is why the national book award and organizations like the national book foundation

are so important. they are not just about a figure on the book cover that will help sell more. that national book award ensures that books continue to expand our individual and collective lives, and horizons. they are on a mission to celebrate literature, honor diverse creative voices, reach readers across the country and the world, and most crucially, give a more robust rendition of what it means to be human. i am so honored to be here with all of you, fellow lovers of the written word. to celebrate this incredible group of authors, and to raise a glass two books. so if you have a glass, please lift it. and toast, because we are here for the most important of endeavors tonight. thank you all for being here,

and now it's time to begin our celebration. [applause] we begin tonight by honoring the foundations lifetime achievement honoree. the first of these lifetime achievement awards is the literary an award for outstanding service to the american literary community. which is given to a person who has proven a remarkable dedication to expanding the audience for books and reading. past recipients include doctor my angelou, mitchell kaplan, and scooped glass dick's dick robinson. tonight's lottery is exceptional in her service the literary community, and advocating for readers all over the country. and here to present the literary an award is doctor

ibram x. kendi. doctor kendi? doctor kendi is there professor of humanities at boston university, and the founding director of the boston university center for anti racist research. his -- he is a contributing writer to the atlantic and a racial justice contributor, and the author of many highly acclaimed books, including stems from the beginning. the definitive story of racist ideas in america. winner of the national book award for nonfiction. in 2020, time magazine named dr. kendi one of the hundred most influential people in the world. and he was awarded the 2021 book arthur fellowship. his two latest books where the instant new york times bestseller -- i'm getting tired of reading

all of your accomplishments. the new york times best sellers how to raise and anti racist picture book. it gives me great pleasure to welcome dr. ibram x. kendi. [applause] >> thank you, thank you so much. let me first congratulate truly all the finalist for the national book awards. i was here, six years ago and that was one of the most memorable nights of my life. less about what happened to me and more so what i witnessed. i witnessed the late congressman john lewis. when a national book award.

[applause] in his victory speech he talked about how when he was grown up in segregated alabama, he was not allowed to attend and to go to his local library. and he talked about his started cheering up about his journey, the journey of a boy who couldn't go to the library to a man and an icon who won the national book award. i was also here with my six month old daughter at the time, imani. and now she's six years old. and recently, she came home she

started first grade, she expressed she didn't like first grade. i'm just done with first grade. a week later, she came home excited about being in first grade. we asked are, why, why do you so excited now. and she told us, it's because she now, because she's a first grader, she has debility to check out books from the library. [applause] and these are just to the many reasons why it's such an honor, pleasure for me to present the literary an award, the tenth executive director of the american library association, tracy lee hall.

[applause] tracey is the first black woman to lead the l.a., her career of outstanding service to the american literary community is extensive and remarkable before leading the ala, she was a cultural program director at the joyce foundation. she was the deputy commissioner of chicago's department of cultural affairs and special events. the vice president of strategy and organizational development, leans public library war during her tenure she found the nyc early learning network, to a community librarian at the hartford public library, where her work was so influential that the van mayor of hartford, eddie perez, designated february 13th, tracie hall day.

and that's just a small sample. but what i want to bring to your attention, is the challenge that tree see issues. to librarians, library professionals and library supporters in june of 2020 when people were demonstrating all of this country. this was four months after becoming the al a executive director. hall called for building a library workforce that reflects the diversity of the nation. universal digital access and a much deeper financial commitment to libraries. she said, through these three priorities, let our legacy the justice. when i say, let our legacy be justice, she said, i'm inviting

as to explore the construct of the library. as both the vehicle and the driver of justice. and both a means to justice and an arbiter. hall was talking to librarians, but really she was talking to us all. the american literary community in this era of book banning, of the forces of injustice taking the books out of our hands, of tyrants taking away our right to read. as hall instructed all of us, our legacy be justice. the literary community as a whole must be a vehicle and driver of justice. and thank you, tracie, for leading the way. i must say, i won -- your grandmother. that see murray sanders scott,

for leading you where like a young john lewis, she couldn't go, in segregated louisiana that hollowed space in her mind, the library. her legacy was justice, her ancestral legacy was justice. and so, i'm delighted to present to you, tracey, the literary an award for outstanding service to us. to the american literary community. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

>> calm a 103rd street. that's a shout out to, a shout out to us. i want to thank the national book foundation, and those who saw something in my work that has resulted in the butt stole of this award tonight. i wanna thank all of my friends, and family and those who are

coconspirators in this work of justice. those who have come with me here tonight. [applause] moments like these, aren't intended to shine a spotlight on one individual. but to hold up a lear -- all of the people and places that have contributed to what an individual has become. tonight, it's a reflection of two groups of people that have lived a lifelong fire within me. people who long to read, people who fight for the right tory. two groups, that deserve to be seen and supported in this moment one of the very active reading, something which is a laboratory act, an act of agency, and self realization is being politicized and weaponized to the point that

contemporary acts of censorship have surpassed that of the mccarthy era. the book themselves, have become contraband. but, one of the central laws of information that we learn and library school the first day. is that information wants to be free. [applause] so, the irony is that in a period when books and rating are being scrutinized over 43 million adults in the united states cannot read above a third grade level. and urban and rural communities that figure jobs to as much as two out of five adults. i dedicate this award to my grandmother, that see, one of the adults who lived with low literacy, who got me my first library card and who nearly 70

years old, walked me to the little gala library. that felt like a cathedral to me. and what so normally measure everything else, allow me to check out as many books as the two of us could carry. for, her someone who has grown up in the segregated south, which also manned limited schooling, an aggregated libraries were none at all. for, her that her granddaughter could literally grow up in the library must of been an act of reparations. i want to thank, i want to thank my brother, scott, who's here tonight. he took up the walk to the library when my grandmother no longer could. it's because of both of them that i'm standing here tonight. [applause]

this award goes out to our grandmothers and grandfathers. our neighbors and our friends. and all adults who long to read. and to discover the freedom that comes from navigating the world as a reader. and i dedicate this award to my fellow librarians. [applause] the tireless school librarians, the public library and, so the college librarians, the tribal librarians, and the librarians of -- prison librarians. who fight for the right to read. [applause] and who in censorship efforts have sacrificed their jobs, livelihood, to ensure that every raider, every reader, has a chance to see themselves

represented on a bookshelf. with their lived experiences validated. let history show of this period, that librarians who work, and protect from being removed or all race. more on the front line in upholding our democracy. [applause] and finally, i dedicate this award to the tens of thousands of librarian information professionals, committed staff that make up the american library association. [applause] it was a scholarship to attend library school from ala, that allowed me to turn my passion for literacy and information access into a class that has see -- my life. i will forever work to pay that investment in me forward.

inevitably, when you tell someone, you are a librarian, they comment, you must really love to read. surely, loving rating is up for was it. loving rating is not what makes you a librarian. what makes one a librarian is when you begin to truly understand that our democracy depends on people having the opportunity to think and write and read. and to share their stories openly. what makes wine a librarian, is that once you would miss a transformation that occurs when someone comes across the buck, or resource, that truly -- in their lives, and changes their lives. after that, you want everyone to have that same opportunity. and you are willing to fight for a. it's a universal truth, that

one of the real test of liberty, is the right to read. please, please, stand against this effort to limit access to reading. i invite you to join the ala, and join me in the fight against book bans. remember, free people read freely. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ to. the. >> so inspiring.

the second lifetime achievement award will be presented tonight, is the medal for distinguished contribution to american letters. previous winners of this award include tony morrison, steven kang, and maxine hong kingston. this honor is given two riders who have over the course of their careers, greatly enriched our literary heritage. through their body of work. tonight's honoré's, and his work has proven again and again, the power of comics and graphic novel. here to present the metal, is neil gaiman. neil gaiman is the author of numerous new york times bestseller as including the sand man, a graphic novel, -- american gods and the ocean at the end of the lane.

his fiction has received a new barry medal, carnegie metal, and he'll gonna blow world fantasy at award. he is a creator of -- pros, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics and -- originally from england, he now advises time between scotland, for good omen and nasty -- in the united states. where he's a professor in the arts. he's a fellow of the royal society out literature. it gives me great pleasure to welcome alum neil gaiman. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> thank you so. i'm not here as colleague

today. i'm here as art spiegelman's front. art, makes art. he makes pictures, he makes words, he combines visual art with literary art. and he makes magic. art studied cartooning, at the high school of art and design in new york city. he became an underground cartoonist joining the underground comics movement, inspired and descended from creators of mad magazine. the first thing about art that

i have a read, i would've been about 14, maybe 15. and it was every parent of a three-page autobiographical comic. about the jewish mouse who was a holocaust survivor. telling his son a bedtime story. about jewish mice and nancy katz. that was the first time i read anything by him. and the first time i notice that arch was a genius. art is a genius. it's important for you to remember this, he's a manchin, but he's a genius. art taught at the school of visual are, in 1979 to 1986.

where my school friends, had the life that i was convinced i should be having. because jeff had somehow gotten out of england, made it all the way to new york, and was being taught our art spiegelman. jeff eventuality wound up and assistant editor on raw. the amazing comic art magazine periodical that art and his wife, the fabulous -- we're creating. and i, back in england would redraw, which was an enormous magazine and inside raw, which each issue of raw there would be a tiny little comic, where it felt tiny by comparison. it was called maus, it took

that initial defeat of jewish mice, and that's the cats, and it expanded it. and it expanded it into the story of art and arts father. and of the holocaust. i know it was a work of genius and because i was friends with jeff, i got to meet, part. -- and baby nausea. -- in london. in 1986, i'm matt art as my friend jeff's friend. and over the next ten or 15 years. i became arts friend also. i watched as art made garbage pail kids.

and was attacked in the prize. i watched as art became a starved added artist at the new yorker creating iconic covers that were each of them in themselves the story. -- a crucified tax return easter bunny. a black missing power of the 9/11. unforgettable issues, images, all of which -- i was there, watching him get a pulitzer prize for maus. a special pulitzer, because at that point nobody had ever given any big awards to comics

before nobody quite knew how. they had to make a whole new special pulitzer category. and art was in it. i've known are now while, i think, for a while over two decades. he's one of the kindest people i know. he's one of the wisest people i know. he's in every way a mensch. he's a new yorker, a citizen of the world, he's a maker of comics, that redefined what comics were capable of. and how they were perceived. he changed the level of respect that comics got. and he's a troublemaker, and they, he still up there are

making trouble. today, they sent a letter out protesting the latest round of book bannings. i was proud to be on it, american gods was banned. [applause] but up there, first and foremost making trouble. art spiegelman signature, his maus, is banned again. and again. and if you ask me, there's only one kind of people who really want maus band. and they're the same kind of people who didn't want things like maus to exist. back in 1942 either. it's with incredible pleasure that i get to give the medal too art spiegelman. [applause]

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> thanks, neil, for being the source of this occasion and purposely being a good friend. as well as the world class -- storyteller. and you look good in black. so, thanks for the national book foundation that's done so much to champion literature. and now welcomes me, comics, into that category.

with this metal, a milestone in my life. i'm also thankful that i didn't mispronounce milestone, as millstone. i was so terrified of putting together an acceptance speech for this event, for this crowd. i even contemplated setting a suicide note -- but hey, i had a writers block. [laughter] nothing like a lifetime achievement award to make me feel like my lifetime might be over. [laughter] so, this awards for my distinguished contribution to american letters. and i really feel honored, but what about the pictures? [laughter] i now know that everyone, you've met evolve from graphic novels, i've even been called the father of the graphic

novel. but i'm still demanding a blood test. [laughter] for me, comics with an ax, -- is a more accurate description of the forum i love. in the future, if we have one could we say, this is an award for american letters and pictorial comix -- or at least, let's call them award for american letters and added in a mug. against all odds, maus became a blockbuster. -- it's therefore been rejected by every publisher in town. today, this award makes my book a blockbuster yet again. as in what, they're letting cartoonists into the great hall of literature. wow, there goes the neighborhood. [laughter] maus was never made to teach anybody bought me anything.

i was just trying to understand how i got on this planet, with two parents who were supposed to be dad long before i got here. i was not trying to write how -- for beginners and i confess i was annoyed up first when i got a young adults wry barry ward after 13 years of working on a book for adults. in the heyday, books were read by adults as well as kids. it's that most adults were embarrassed to be seen reading them, that's why they change it to graphic novel. a moral panic in the 1950s, more than half of all comics published out -- causing juvenile delinquency. politicians declared teachers and parents -- collected. them not because they were valuable incentives. but to protect our children and they literally threw the books into a public bonfire.

the more things change, when maus was pulled out from a middle school in tennessee, my book aimed -- was a cause celeb, for the book banning culture awards. my marketers at the local school board, -- every bestseller list and alarmed readers around the world. [applause] >> karen mayer of been some good old antisemitism involved. but i don't think it was exactly holocaust denial, as one teacher was at the board meeting even said, i love the holocaust. i love the holocaust, but it wasn't a book that i would teach students. everyone just wanted a kinder, gentle or holocaust at each. as well as wanting to control, and maybe eviscerate trust in

public education. so, the tax money can be diverted to private and alleges schools. there still a general shrinking consensus that the holocaust was a bad day. most of today's attacks focus, many of them graphic novels deal with queer identities, race issues, maus granular detail with my parents experience as jews in nazis europe. it became a universal symbol for all murderous othering because of the stable life animal fat of metaphors. so, this metals first english contribution, it's not an objective i associate with cartoonists. in, fact i'm proud of my medium spoke, its ability to duster controversy. and provoke and sometimes make people laugh. harvey kirtzman, he's the genius who created math comments as well as sober

anti-war war comics during the mccarthy era and korean war. he deserved a lifetime achievement award. for rewiring the way several generations tend to think and question authority. [applause] and this is a lifetime achievement award, it's got to include -- garbage pail kids. [applause] as well as my new yorker covers, starting in the 90s, they got a generation of readers in their minds to capsule their subscriptions. my here accommodating in this ward has been seen wearing. i'd always vowed to not become the ali weasel of comics. in fact, in the years after

maus, i would try my -- trying to either of aid or supersede that were but now, i need to try to become -- it's been a long march. it turned around, and embrace the 500 pound mouths, while storm clouds gather yet again all over our planet. so, i'm even grateful the maus, may have an afterlife as a cautionary carroll. that it might make americans insist never again in the future, -- i matter of never again, and again, and again. thank you all, and see you in the funny papers. [applause] before i get the hot, i want to thank my friends. they've always had my back.

-- i better half, for over 40 years, my love, my tech support, and my most disputed editor, more mercy for putting up with me. when i find my -- with a diamond blade, you get half. thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it's steam gassed, please welcome ruth dickey and davis

steinberg are. [applause] >> thank you so much, pat, law hello i'm ruth, i have the pleasure of serving avid zach yadav director at the national book foundation. thank you. >> i'm david steinberger, chair of the board of directors. it's my pleasure to welcome you to the 73rd national book awards. the awards are always incredibly finite. those of us who love books but tonight's made extra special by the fact that we are finally back together in person, for the first time since 2019! >> what a tremendous joy it is to be able to gather together here in new york city, which is in the home of the national book award since the start in 1950 a. while we've missed gathering in

person, something is special about the past two years has been celebrated virtually with readers from all around the country and the world. >> tonight's awards are once again being broadcast live. audiences everywhere. i'd like to extend a special welcome to viewers, we're so grateful to you all for being here with us. from one of the most exciting nights in literature! [applause] >> we are here tonight not only to celebrate 25 extraordinary books and their riders, translators, an exceptional lifetime achievement honorees. but to celebrate that in order for books to find their way into the world, it seeks a vast community of people who love and believe in them. we celebrate all of you. from writers, publishers, two agents, to editors, to publicists, to distributors, to booksellers, to book critics,

to librarians, to teachers, to readers. each of you, is a critical part of this work. the national book foundation's champion book need champions. especially, these days when books are being challenged in unprecedented ways. folks need all of us. every one of this room, -- everyone watching at home. to build a literary ecosystem and which everyone can see themselves represented. and everyone can thrive. tonight, is as it should be, a celebration. but it's also a reminder of the work i had. >> we have a lot of work with the book foundation. we've doubled down on supporting literary organizations across the country, literary arts emergency fund. thank you, to the fund. and we've engaged with readers of all ages, throughout the

nation, 46 states and counting. in just a few minutes, we'll be learning the winners of the book awards. none of us can wait, but first we'd like to share a little more about the work we do. the other 364 days of the year. it's been such a privilege this past year and a half, so many colleagues with the national book foundation means to that. and we've tried to capture a taste of that to share with all of you tonight. we'll be back with you after a brief video. >> across all our programs, the national book foundation reaches of reaches almost 200 -- readers a year. >> i like the way the national book foundation makes it through business, to care about books across the country. there really isn't arrival to

it. you're supporting something that's doing work that nobody else says. >> the national book foundation, has four key areas, awards and honors, which is the national book awards. but also awards like 535 and our science literature prize. service to the literary field, to the literary arts and margins the find. public programming, which brings national book awards honor authors to all corners of the country. and education and access. which works to connect young people, families with access to books. one of the most excited ways we do this through our book rich environment program. we have all types of ethnicities, cultures and our public housing and section eight in our tax credit. and this is so inclusive. you've heard it, we've heard this data. mommy, that was like me, and that's a big deal. >> to make sure the whole country is a book rich

environment is the ultimate goal. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> in terms of service, for the literary field. we want to continue to support i marries-ing organizations all over the country. and that we want to figure out by our 75th anniversary, how we preserve our archive and make it accessible to the community. >> the initial book awards are the biggest driver and biggest revenue source that make possible the work that we do as the national book foundation throughout the whole year. >> being a real momentum over the last six or so years. to make sure that the foundation concerns itself with books every day, everywhere. not just combining itself to

the night of the awards ceremony. >> it was such an incredible honor for me, as one of the awards of the literature program price this year. because i never actually saw myself as a science writer. the book is so much about science, about community, families. i think it opens a door of connection between -- >> work that helps more people get a chance to feel like books are a place of belonging for them. for me it feels like the most important work than any of us can do. >> this is what books do, right? they open up these conversations, the spots of connection and intimacy. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> there's something about fiction that demands that you'll be an empathetic person. given the state of the world right now, where you feel so disconnected that were at each other's throat. fiction -- one of our only cares.

-- we met people their book was palpable, they write a of about. they read the profit, they left of it. they want to talk about. at what was most profound about traveling. especially when we went to the mississippi delta. we could see on the faces of our audiences, how are books impacted them. >> we like to say that the national book awards honored books and authors are now part of team books, they're part of our family. i think looking forward in the next six years, it's only going to occupy the title even more strongly. the national book foundation. >> i think books are the most important thing that there is in this world. >> it's so important to see yourself, and this means education, it means power, it means understanding your culture. they change our lives, looks completely change our lives.

♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> the national book foundation accomplish is important work would make it easy for me to do this next part. , we need your help. as we are my people every year when i'm on this stage, tonight's awards are the single largest source of income from the national book foundation. i'm happy to, share that so far we've raised together, $920,000 towards tonight's [inaudible]

[applause] which has been amazing. thank you. on your table, you'll find a qr code. you can scan, to make a donation online. and if you prefer paper, we've got you covered. your program contains a donation envelope where you can make a donation or pledge. >> thank you so much for consider joining us in support of books. we have staff and volunteers circulating the room for those in person to collect those envelopes, the law also be selective boxes -- at the exits tonight with staff ready to help. >> and for those of you watching at home, keep an eye out for donation lengths. or visit national book.org slash donate. tonight's broadcast is free of charge, but we're hoping that book lovers like you will support us with a suggested a nation of $50. >> while you're getting your donations ready, we like to

take the opportunity to thank many of the many people love supported and hard work to help us do the work of ensuring that books and literature are for everyone. thank you too -- the arc for justice club, ms. -- rockefeller -- >> we're also enormously grateful for tonight sponsors. penguin random house, barnes and nobles, lyndon mayer publishing patrons division of -- amazon, literary partnership amazon studios, apple books, books 1 million, google play books, the chef furred -- mcmillan publishers, mata, poetry foundation, vivian books, thank you for making our work possible.

>> we're so grateful. we're two years away from a big milestone, the 75th anniversary of the national book award. in preparation, we spent the last year crafting a strategic plan that will culminate in our landmark anniversary. or absolutely thrilled, to have generous supporters who believe in us and have big dreams for the future. >> that's right, we're so grateful. to the supporters who joined us and making significant gifts and multi year commitments to help us get to 75. a huge thanks to debra wylie, the waldwick foundation, karen and marcus dole way, -- [applause] >> i'd also like to thank some

of those who've helped us make tonight -- an in-person celebration so very fabulous. a huge thanks to our host committee, our after party committee, and our book council. many thanks to our longtime incredible design team at schiff, collaborators that i've made useful -- who are doing behind the scene magic production work to bring all of you tuning in at home, an amazing broadcast experience. thank you both for helping us always look our best. thanks to all the friends who have helped recorded videos and photos overs as part of tonight celebration. i don't spoil the surprises, but you'll be hearing from some very special guests soon. and of, course most tremendous thanks to tonight's host, padma lakshmi, i thank you. give her a round of applause. [applause] thank you for helping us celebrate books. >> thank you so much of this year's national book award judges, who read, and read, and read an order --

on our authors, the finalist of celebrating tonight and a special thanks and welcome to -- pass finalist and winners 2020 and 2021, many of whom are joining us here in print, in person we owe analyst thanks to our team and board of directors, it's an honor to serve with all of you, and of course none of this would be possible without the small but mighty staff of the national book foundation. and the leadership of executive director ruth dickey, thank you, ruth. >> thank you so much, david. i'm so grateful to get to work with you, and are incredible borden alongside the amazing members of team book. huge thanks to team balk, jordan smith, meredith andrews, maggie fancy, natalie greene, ali mata, juliana lee marina, at yet quite burrs, emily love it, and a huge thank you towards an honors manager, madeleine shelton, for coordinating.

[applause] for coordinates so many details begin small tonight tonight possible. it's truly astonishing. that this team -- along with the invaluable support of interns, volunteers, and program partners. and all corners of the country can accomplish so much. together, we reached over 2 million readers in the world. thank you, thank you, thank you. >> maybe your here with us tonight because you're an author whose works being honored. maybe you're here because you're part of a publishing team who's working to get an important book out in the world. maybe you're tuning in because you work with books, as a teacher, or librarian, and know their power. or maybe you just love books. >> whatever the reason, and i find it so moving that books have brought us together. books have a tremendous power to bring people together.

we hope we can count on all of you to come together in support of books, and it's a of the national book foundation, and to help us through the book and connections they create. -- congratulations, once again, two alternates finalists. and now on with the show! [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ where >> maybe of a thing for writers, i couldn't resist. the national book award is particularly excited because until tonight, no one about the five person panel of judges knows the decision. not the foundations board, not the staff, not me, not anyone

else. the judges made their final decision only earlier today. so, everyone is hearing it here for the first time in the same time. the winners in each category will be announced by the chair of each category. presented in reverse alphabetical order. these categories are young peoples literature, translated literature, poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. this year we have special gassed helping us from afar to introduce each category. and the panel here.

first, we have jimmy fallon, emmy award winner, to introduce the finalist for the 2022 national book award for young people's literature. and panel chair, dr. jewell parker rhodes. >> looks for young reenter simply put change lives. this year's finals for the national book award for young people's literature, for what it's like for a lot of people and people of all ages to tackle grief, anger, discrimination. whether in a magical realm, or somewhere closer to home. through pros an illustration these books create characters underneath the self acceptance and self discovery. and somebody even change the course of history. the panel chair for this year's book award for young people manager's doctor jewell parker rhodes, the award-winning author of several books for adults and young people. she's the virginia hyper

endowed chair, and narrative studies professor at arizona state university. [applause] >> so, as you may know, i'm not jewell parker roads. amen -- a young adult author, graphic novelist, all that stuff. but you don't need to know that, i'm here representing jewel parker rhodes, who's in the hotel right now sick. so, i want to say just a few words about jewell, who was our leader, our fearless leader. she lad with compassion, which generosity, and most importantly, with love. and so, i just want to share some of the words that she was meant to say here tonight. and i'm really grateful that i'm able to represent her. and represent our team, and also just this is one of the

most important awards. the young peepers literature, that's all i'm gonna say. so, these are the words that jewel wanted to mention today. as a group together, we all learn from each other. a deepened our critical understanding, our common humanity, and our empathy. we became a circle of friends, a lifeline for each other, a loving and group who was discussing and searching for a great books, that would leave lasting an impact in our literature. i would also love to just add, that we read countless many books, hundreds of books. but the creator and you created anything these past few years, you've already won. because how is it that we're able to embark in this journey with all these obstacles.

i give you all awards! please join me in thanking our fellow judges, including also bakke, who is unable to come, joseph -- maegan -- and me, lilliam rivera. the finalist for the 2022 national book award for young people's literature are kelly barnhill, the orgas and -- workman publishing. -- the lesbian's guy to catholic school. barbara collins publishers. tommy smith, derrick barnes, and daoud -- victory stand, raising my fist

for justice, norton young readers, w w norton and company. and sabaa tahir, all my rings. -- penguin random house. lisa yi, lazy chan's last chance, for young readers. penguin random house. this year's national book award for run peepers literature goes to, -- all my raise. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

>> this is not two minutes. i'm so sorry, i should've given it to my editor. but i didn't think i would need to. thank you so much. the national book foundation, and to the judges for this award. and to my fellow finalist and

nominees. it's been an honor of a lifetime, to read and hear your words. on the first muslim and pakistani american woman to win this award. [applause] in this category, i'm with honor my muslim sisters and too many places to count. who are fighting for their lives. their autonomy, their bodies, and their right to live and tell their own stories without fear. sisters, may you arise. and may you be victorious against the oppressors. this feels like an impossible dream, my grandfather he was a

sharecroppers, with a fourth grade education. my grandmother, who was illiterate, and my parents came to america almost exactly 40 years ago to the day. and like to many immigrants, they worked so hard, to prove themselves, they work themselves to the bone. many of our parents dreams die, so that's the dreams of my generation could live. to my mother and father, your love and -- sacrifice have lifted our stories beyond my imagination. -- may god bless ceo. sorry, i told my dear friend and agent alexandra. about this book, while i was actually under contract for a different project. and she could've said, don't you dare. but instead, she said, write it

and i'll deal with the rest. alexandra, thank you for believing in me. everyone at punk when young readers, goal library publishing and sales is an incredible -- so many deadlines. including the next one, i'm sorry. thank you to my wonderful editor and advocate who put straight trust in my stories. my publicist, who answers really dumb questions. my publisher, casey mcintyre, and our fearless leader, jen -- you're remarkable and inspiring team. my greatest love to my family, -- have got me through this weirdly difficult here with some osaka's, cat videos, to my

brother, amara, who saved my life more times and i can count. and he's taught me everything worth knowing. i thank my children, who are here tonight, and who have shared these imaginary worlds with such generosity of spirit. all good things are for you. i'm sorry, i'm almost done. my husband, insisted that i tell the story. the story of all my -- even -- and for the 15 years that it took to write it, he walked with me through the darkest night. cassius, thank you for all the ben & jerry's! and there was a lot. thank you for helping me -- for reminding me that my spirits stronger than my fear. and for being a witness to my life. it's an honor to witness years. thank you to every librarian,

and educator, and bookseller who's put my work into the hands of a young person who needs that. and, last my beautiful readers have told me, my book makes them feel less alone. you make me feel less alone. i've been i'm misfit, outcast, and lonely, and lost. but when i read for you, i'm none of those things. and i thank you for all my heart for that gift, thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> congratulations.

maxwell, have christiane i'm empire, international anchor for cnn. introduce the finalist for the 22 national book awards. for translated literature and panel chair, and goldstein. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> literature and translation welcomes us to new countries, new world, and new possibilities. the finalist for the national book award for translated literature was interpreted in the english world french, japanese, norwegian, and spanish. these works of translation considered each word, line, and phrase to bring us powerful stories of country's political history. the horrors of the internet now shared reality and the ways in which we converge in a not so distant imagined future. the panel chairs for this year national book award for translated literature, it is an goldstein, former editor of the

new yorker. she's the translator of work by -- pierre palo pass, any and all summer on day. she's the editor of the complete world of prima levy in english. [applause] >> i'm quite disorienting. thank you so. thank the national book foundation for inviting me to be a judge. for the price for translated literature and i was especially like to thank my fellow judges, nick above and ski, veronica as busy, toe -- for their dedication, knowledge, and generosity. it's been a pleasure and an honor to work with them. it sounds exciting uninspiring to read so many works of

literature from so many diverse places. in a way, what was most inspiring was the fact that these works exist in english at all. in spite of low pay, low recognition, translators are working on such a wide variety of books, and a wide variety of languages, and a wide variety of styles. enabling all of us in the english speaking world to enter world we might not otherwise know. all it's almost -- to say that translators are the forgotten voices of literary culture. it's also true they become more visible recently thanks in part to prizes. grateful to the natio having added awry they're revived the price for translators richer. in a way, thieves in a way every work in translation deserves a prize along with the translator who we should celebrate them all. but given that we had to choose,

the finalist for the national book award for translated literature are yang -- whoops him on the wrong page. translated first from the norwegian by damian's terrell, transit folks. unless he lucas saundra -- translated from the french by marc polo sake -- monaco hated a, job bone, translated from the spanish by sarah bakr. -- translated from the spanish by meghan mcdowell.

penguin random house and yokota, scattered all over the earth. translated by margaret -- new directions publishing. this year's national book awards for translated literature goes to samantha's weapon for -- thank you. translated from spanish by meghan mcdowell. joel john ossoff shot nemours

thank you. i am so honored i am mostly short story writer so this is

going to be very short. i was thinking today that there are so many moments in life when words can be very tricky and misleading and even heart harmful. and we need to be very careful about this. but then someone calls you from back home and says even if you have to dress up nice,. make sure you don't get cold. keep warm, be happy and enjoy it. and then words become a gift. and a privilege. so i am here, i am where i am and i am a privileged person

because of all of these people who have been delivering this kind of kindness and care and support all of these years to me. so i want to say thank you to them, to my beloved and my family and to some very special teachers i have had and some very special friends that i have had. to my marvelous and amazing translator, megan. to my publisher, my first publisher is the one who published this book in spain. from the publishing house puffiness duma, to my publishers here at the riverhead team.

to -- the national book foundation, thank you. >> this is crazy. i am not a person to whom words come easy. people often think that rioters are people who have a way with words but i think that they are people who question environment.

they contemplate entergy a loss and erasure and depict the many stages of love, lost and aging

through reflection and reckoning. poetry reminds us how to make sense of the present and how to hope for a better future. the panel chair for this year's national book award for poetry is kwame dawes, the author of 22 books of poetry and other books of fiction credits, wisdom and essays. he is a george w holmes university professor at the university nebraska and a chancellor of the academy of american poets. i'm in blood, stepped far that should i wait no more. returning were as tedious as going over. it's not a bloody game, so don't worry about it.

it's a great pleasure. to be representing representing on behalf of the four brilliant, accomplished, sensitive and informed poets that served with me in selecting the winner of this year's book award for poetry, jan o'neil keats, you go just good. get your clippers as. my divine. and when felipe herrera. who unfortunately was not able to make it but his spirit, was definitely with us today. we diligently read through and

thought about and spoke about and meditated over a few hundred of poetry to bring us to tonight's. so i want to take a moment to thank profusely for their kindness, generous spirits as they carried out this great service, american poetry. so first, i want to say i congratulate the long list and all the other people who had books submitted and they impressed us greatly. the finalist for the 2022 national book award for poetry are alison adele hedgecock. and that's her book. look at this blue coffee press. are the publishers. john king.

for his book punks new and selected poems published by the song cave. sharon owens owens. for her collection, published by alfred knopf and penguin random house. and roger rees. for his book for his book the best barbarian, published by w w norton and company. and jenny g, for her book the ruptured tense, published by gray wolf press. the winner of the 73rd national book award for poetry is john

keane. for his collection -- [inaudible] not [applause]

i'm actually crying, i'm in shock. [applause] so i put together some notes because i i said, in the improbable event i received this word, -- so i ran out in my head. i wanted to begin by thanking the national book foundation and the amazing jury, the judges, all my fellow long leicester's and shortlist or's, they are all amazing poets and all of the poets who submitted work this year, they all deserve a round of applause. i also want to think, begin by

thanking my partner curtis allen who is here, has been with me through this whole journey. i love you. many thanks to my parents, particularly my mother who encouraged me as a reader, a writer and a creative person. many thanks to my publisher -- and my editors alan rosenthal and -- took me many years to get this book into print and i think i was doing a reading in brooklyn and alan was there and he said, can i see the book? and i said i don't have the whole entire book, and he said send me the manuscript and the rest is history. thanks a lot to my agent jonas strauss and let me thank the -- photographs on the cover, many people comment on the cover of

this book and have picked it up just because of the cover, so thank you very much alvin for this. thanks also to the late cynthia gray, cindy lauren her parents for allowing our collaboration's to bring this book who is very important to me that these books include these collaboration's. i feel like they were a vital part of my experience so i'm glad that cindy's words, many thanks to my brilliant students and at university of newark, the last place to work. 1 million thanks to the -- collective who was my first literary family into my the amazing calvin caught him. thank you to everyone out there

everywhere for the love and critical guidance, the wills dumb and the support. want to dig decorate dedicate this award with all the readers out there and to my ancestors on who shoulders i stand. my lineage and the association between several generations of writers, particularly black, gray and truly queer writers. especially those we lost to hiv aids in the 19 and 1990s. i have the pleasure meeting some of these rioters let me say they were brilliant and fierce and the writ daring and courageous and their voices not only capture the world they were living in but envisioned a better one. let's return to their words and the words of so many vital writers and names we may have

forgotten. lastly, i urge you to support libraries and librarians for they -- support workers in the publishing industry in every industry. -- who face censure and oppression, support people fighting for a more equitable and equal, fair or, less violent, less cool country and globe. and support those fighting for

social, political and economic justice and yes i am going to say, we need people who are fighting for social, political and economic justice. support people fighting against climate change and it's devastating effect on meyer planted. it is causing crises all over the globe and sometimes it is easy to look away unless it directly affects but -- and support those who are fighting for our -- never forget the role that as we do that, don't lose your place in the struggle. i will end with two lines of -- what did i know about loves fear and loves opposite?

-- author of american like me, joins us to introduce the finalists for the 2022 national book award for nonfiction and -- oscar v alone >> nonfiction is expansive, it can be memoir, investigative, biographical historical or like the 2022 finalists for the national book awards for nonfiction genre bending work that defies characterization. this year's finalists consider the potential and limitations of modern science, examine race, politics and identity and illuminate a families magical ancestry is all to enrich our understandings of one another and the world around us the

panel chair for this national book award for nonfiction's oscar via loan, the manish jing editor -- and former book editor for the san francisco chronicle. >> good evening. i just want to say what an honor it is to be on the page representing the nonfiction award committee because it is such a privilege to be around such a thoughtful group of readers and speakers that i can't think enough for their work. let me just think them right now caroline dawson, mick alyse beauce, applaud please. janet webster jones.

besides having this wonderful opportunity to read all of these incredible works in fiction this year, we end up coming into this project as strangers and i think i americay below the to understand the soul of the nation. elko, harpercollins publishers. david breathless. the scientific race to defeat a deadly virus. simon schuster. ingrid contreras. the man with the files.

a memoir. penguin. random house. and robert samuels and tolu ronnie pearl. his name is george floyd. one man's life and the struggle for racial justice. viking books. penguin. random house and this year's national award excuse me, national book award for goes to imani perry imani perry.

louis. a bama has a national book award. all right. i want to begin by thanking the people who made this book possible. my community at eko, a especially sarah caitlin, miriam, my wonderful agent, tanya, princeton's department, african-american studies, the lyceum agency, sky blue media and the publishing professionals i have worked with throughout my career. all have been integral to this moment. also want to honor my fellow finalist, everyone who wrote a righteous purpose and a stunning pen. wonderful books.

and of course, i offer my deep gratitude to the national book foundation. anne and the judges. and from the moment of my birth, thank you to nita garner. holy teresa perry. brilliant. stephen s whitman. righteous. i am sweetly indebted and deeply bound to my family and friends from birmingham, boston. philly, chicago, milwaukee georgia. tennessee. los angeles new orleans. and always mississippi. the land of the bluest blues. you know how much i adore y'all. as i have remained steadfast in moments of disappointment, my integrity grace be my familiar in -- >> the other states the atlanta lectures are obligated to be truthful and i promise i will continue to bear witness to the best of my ability. i write for my people, i write because we children of the lash guard are -- desecrated are still here,

standing. i write for the field hollered the, shout, the ground the singular, the signer in the signified. i write for the sins against and the sanctifying, i write for the ones who cleaned the toilets and until the store soil and walk the picket line. for the hungry the, cage, the disregarded, the holding on. i write for you. all right because i love sentences and i rode love freedom more. four tiny words, liable, cypress trees, red clay and back earth, cotton, pecans, papa's and peaches, the prettiest day breaks, the chatting blue jays, the dancing lightning bugs, the decaying magnolia blossoms. i write for my children. freeman and diallo perry, isa gardner who i love who are the very best of me and the most beautiful young men that ever were. and for their entire generation who deserves so much better than what we have offered them.

may they succeed where we have failed. my grandmother need a gardener perry holy, used to say you weren't born to live on flowerbeds and ease, these are not easy times. we may write in solitude but we labor in solidarity. community is never easy but absolutely necessary and let us meet the challenges of a broken world together making interceptions with love unbound and heart without end. a man. [applause] law of law law one more to go

and that's it. finally to present the finalist for the 2022 national book award for fiction and panel chair, ben fountain is actor and cofounder of ex artist books, piano roofs. fiction is more than escapism, it can be a miracle, adore a call to action and sometimes all the same time. the finalist for the national book awards for fiction, following the lives of housing complexes, black american artists abroad and the young career immigrant during the great recession, spanning the growth globe from modern-day afghanistan to suburban long island, these characters chase after authentic community and their stories serve as a

reminder that we are all personally and collectively searching for freedom. the panel chair for this year's national book ward for fiction is been fountain, the author of lily lin's halftime walk, 2012 finalist for the national book award >> thank you keanu i, look forward to meeting you someday. tracey hall and art spiegelman, after listening to your speeches my heart was full to bursting and they made me think about my father, he wasn't educator of the old school and first thing he would do when he arrived at the college campus was go see the head librarians and say whatever you need, tell

me and we will get it for you. so here is to libraries and librarians everywhere. [applause] he didn't think very much of comic books however so sorry art. here the basic facts of this year's fictional ward, five judges, four months for, hundred 63 books. judging the national book award for fiction this year was a challenging job by any measure and i want to thank and commend my very great panel of judges for their excellent work. they are brandon hopson of lost kruse's, new mexico. pam houston of creed, colorado. dana johnson of los angeles.

[applause] california. you and michelle alonso of phoenix, arizona. [applause] these judges are oh as fine group as i have ever worked with, you brought this job the highest standards of diligence, thoughtfulness and seriousness. and approached every book with the kind of open minded generosity of spirit that all rioters hope their work will be judged with. it has been a genuine pleasure and honor to work with you, i also want to thank your supposes and my own wife sharon for putting up with four or five or ten or 12 deliveries from u.p.s. and federal express per day, for having several rooms in the house that looked like the over stark warehouse for book six 1 million.

for being patient when books turned up in the laundry under the sofa cushions, among the boxes of cereal, or pretty much anywhere else you can imagine a book wandering off to. for five months, our lives were basically taken over by books. and if at times we were a bit weary, we found ourselves sliding out into a full blown freak out, those times were more than made up for by the discovery, the pleasure of encountering a novel or short story collection by first time offer that absolutely knocked us flat, or new work by established writers that showed the freshest kind of inventiveness and curiosity. so let me, anybody within the sound of my voice, if ruth ever calls weapon asks you to be a judge for the national book awards, say yes. i haven't regretted it for a

second and neither will you. so we started with 463 books, and now we are down to the five extraordinary finalists. three of these are debut authors, another author is being honored for what is only his second book, and another finalist has been a powerful force in american letters ever since publishing her first book in the 1970s. the finalists for the 2022 national book award in fiction are, tess gunty for the rabbit hutch. published by alfred a can of, penguin random house. gayl jones for the border capture. published by beacon press.

jamil jan kochai for the haunting of haji tack another stories, published by viking bucks, penguin random house. sarah thank i'm matthews for all this could be different, published by biking books, penguin random house and alejandro varela for the town of babylon. published by astral house of astronaut publishing house. this year's national book award for fiction goes two tess gunty for the rabbit hutch.

[applause] >> i was so convinced there is no way this could happen that i didn't prepare a speech but the one thing i did do was felt read my fellow shortlist ease and i want to thank them for putting their work out into the world. i have been thinking a lot about what sharon said yesterday about how we have been preparing to --

action for the good and that is why we don't have to be afraid. and when i think about everyone else on this list, that is what each of those books accomplished as different as they may be, they attempted to, those who are structurally neglected and the humanized experiences that are not physical normally. so i want to thank them for putting their books into the world and everyone who help them do that and i also want to thank my team, my agent duvall who is here from the beginning. for her brilliance and her courage. and thank you to my editor john freeman of could not. and thank you to everyone act knopf knopf and the national book foundation for putting

this together, i truly believe detention is the most amazing resource we have to spend on this planet. books are one of the last places where we spend this resource freely and where it means the most. and so everyone here tonight, thank you for everything you have done to put books out into the world and to promote justice. and i think kindness wins, i think that that is the point of this evening, love wins. thank you so much.

-- ,,. i hope you will join me for a dance at the after party, goodnight and thank you very much for having me. recently, on book tv, chairman of the edward berke foundation and author of conservatism, discussed whether western civilization is worth defending. >> any kind of community has a public, it has a public religion, it has a public philosophy and there is an implicit or explicit framework

that every human community lives within and that is what allows our children to not have to reinvent every thought every idea, every standard and every norm from scratch. every generation. i this is something very big in general that is inherited. and i think that quite a few people have argued that the rapidly rising woke, neo-marxism, whatever you want to call this muse movement and whatever you want to define it by, that movement is making a bid to offer a public religion and it is succeeding very well in creating a new public religion and a new public philosophy for the united states and for britain and other countries. and the previous public religion or public philosophy

which again i don't want to go down the rabbit hole for labels and definitions but if i argue that after world war ii until the year 2020, there was a hegemony of things that a public philosophy that recognizes itself as -- they call themselves liberals, at least all the professors would call that liberalism. >> to watch the full program, just search you on her zoning, or the title of his book, conservatism, rediscovery. book tv dot org. >> hello everyone, welcome to new america and the top we have with josh chen and lisa lin from the wall street journal on surveillance states and his new book. i am super excited to host this because josh and i were longtime colleagues of the wall street journal in china, so first things first, a couple of ho