j. anthony lukas book prize. some are here and some are not, but here they come.efferson, finalists for staying alive, 1970's and the last days of the working-class. c-span2 created a model for how to talk about both political and cultural transformations without shortchanging either. he traces how a public of anxiety over ticket public of security in the united states combining a but the with passion. makes understanding is called and condescension. americans living in 2011 will understand themselves far better because of his brilliant excavation of the 1970's. come on up. [applause] [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> i do feel moved. when i received a phone call about this prize i was particularly moved. i received several academic awards or prizes for this book, but so receive something named after anthony lukas on a book about the 1970's in which his shadow was cast with the book common ground and labor history in which his but big trouble also casts a big set up was particularly daunting. but extraordinarily rewarding. there are certain voices that one h

j. anthony lukas project awards and panel discussion with isabel wilkerson and alex bissonnette established in 1998th. the lucas prize project honors the best of american nonfiction writing. it is just over an hour. .. and he would have been very happy, i mean, to see his friends and colleagues gathering to do what we are here this evening to do. i guess a seasonally vehement question one might ask is, how is this awards ceremony different from all other awards ceremonies? and part of the answer is that we make the awardees sing for their supper in the form of having a panel discussion was a distinguished moderator for this year is taylor branch, whom all introducing a minute. the reason he did that specifically has to do with tony, who felt that particularly in nonfiction writing, there wasn't enough of a structured conversation about our craft in there needs to be more. so we use this program and pretext to do that and indeed, arlene has sorted spread this concept to several of our other words ceremonies as well. it reminds us all love why we are giving these awards in addition to offerin