Get into position. Thank you for coming to the fifth annual kirkus prizes and the editor in chief of Kirkus Review we are pleased you could join us it is a culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work by the kirkus staff and judges and the 18 finalist of this years authors whose books we are honoring tonight. Silence your cell phones just so we can have the uninterrupted event. Next i would like to thank a few people who make this evening possible this Space Available has been made available to us and thank you to the publishers who do that excellent work and bring them to our attention. Thank you to the editors of Kirkus Review who invested time with the judges to make sure that process is orderly and thoughtful and fair in that nonfiction editor young and old editor. [applause] and independent editor. [applause] its my pleasure to introduce to you kirkus ceo. [applause] we come together tonight to celebrate remarkable achievements and illustrations. One thing that makes this event so special is to celebrate the success of a writer or illustrator or any artist by definition to celebrate against all odds. Our critics 3456 books of fiction. There at 2465 nonfiction books and 4455 books for Young Readers. Thats a total of more than 10000 books which means less than. 2 percent of the books we read word name to the list of finalist for the kirkus price per you are more likely to be poor with 11 toes or fingers than someone who publishes a book and get some of you within a specified 12 month period to be named as a finalist this year. [applause] and i think its appropriate to celebrate improbable achievements that against all odds our company was started in 1933 and are considered to be dead darkest year the Great Depression when unemployment peaked at 25 percent. We are living in a time now considered to be the infancy of female entrepreneurship in our company was started in 1933 the darkest year of the Great Depression, by a woman. [cheers and applause] virginia kirkus founded the company she thought independent expert reviews were vital to Balance Power between the publishing books and the booksellers and librarians distributing them. Today 86 years later the same passion runs through our company only now the fire within us is of a determination to ensure a free press and independent criticism of americas lives opinions and attach the process of any individual book to quickly manipulate it is very important because as it is manipulated the distribution of thoughts and ideas is manipulated. Independent review. [applause] independent reviews help to lift the power and to level the Playing Field of discovery and ultimately help connect readers with books to entertain and teach. The kirkus prize would not exist if two particular book lovers did not earn Kirkus Review because of the generosity of the prizes we canvassed only awarded 50000 to each of the three winners tonight. [applause] in addition to 50000 each will receive a trophy that is a commitment art piece created in london. Every detail is handmade from the pages of the open book to the handblown glass. We create these each year and gift of appreciation to industry and art in our world. The first literary event i attended about the book exit west is a finalist for the 2015 kirkus prize for fiction to reach the zenith of his class but that night in this room to talk about the discipline of writing but talked about law. He thought it was critical in his novel to explore the notion that law in and of itself is not necessarily tragic but the tragedy comes with the expectation he wanted to explore the idea of love and social structure and it might be easier to understand if we appreciate love and life and the whole human experiences temporary all along. What was described that night were ideas so intimate that for me to capture the essence of why so many of us love to read books books are entertaining and informative but to reach the level that we are celebrating tonight cuts through in a profound and personal way of our humanity to help us understand just a little better. To reach the level of translators and illustrators they dont just mastercraft or hold their skill that have some nuance of the human condition to help see ourselves in each other a little differently they allow intimate access to the experience of another ultimately presenting us the most beautiful gift of all. Understanding. That seems like something that is honoring it seems like with honoring of particular money honor and a lot of money. [laughter] youve already beaten the odds to be a finalist. Thank you for sharing your talent with us and good luck. [cheers and applause] thank you. We are at the part of the evening we will present the award and i will introduce our judges. The judging committee for each category is comprised of a bookseller or librarian , kirkus critic and author of note and is my privilege to start things off to introduce the judges for the Young Readers literature prize. Professor from Library Science at North Carolina central university, kirkus critic at the First Library in northwest mississippi and the author of 12 novels for Young Readers including ford me back to you please come up to the stage. [cheers and applause] a finalist this year is a young reader undefeated. [applause] new kid written and illustrated by carrie kraft. [applause] color by jim callahan and imagine. [applause] on the come up. The other side. [applause] and genesis began again. [applause] and new kid. [applause] new kid is laugh out loud combination of heart and story that captures the beauty of graphic novels author and illustrator along with poet jim callahan is the angst of an africanamerican child waiting to start seventh grade in a White Private School youre invited to be friends with jordan the protagonist as well as those who inhabit this community this is a generational story everybodys treated compassionately it can only be written by someone who had himself has responded to micro aggression and successfully navigated power structures as an activist and a peacemaker and a superhero for us all thank you for creating him. [applause] i have the angst of an africanamerican 12 yearold kid right now. [laughter] [applause] thank you everyone who made this possible. I wasnt a reader when i was growing up and went from spiderman for years and not until i read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens but somehow that was as close as i had gotten to a mirror i dont know what it was about that kid. But he was a kid and that is what got me into reading. I knew i would be addition never thought i would be traditionally published those africanamerican kids and always have the weight of the world on their shoulders i wanted to give them mirrors that so important but i realize that i needed mears as myself as an adult i remember going to the bookstore to do a book signing and i met tom alexander. And i thought this guy is amazing. [laughter] i didnt realize how much to see him go over years. I watch that and said thats the guy that i met way back then not to give you the wrong idea. [laughter] i remember giving books that i really wanted to show and thats when i came across nelson and his books and i thought that is amazing in that i realized he was going to speak and i left what i was doing to be the first one there to actually meet him and i was so happy even though i was his facebook friend. [laughter] it was pretty amazing. So when my book came out and have her retweet is a big deal that i will meet you and i want you decide my copy and she said retreated i want you to sign my copy of new kid and i showed everyone. [laughter] when we were both the new kids a few months ago and publishing so i ever preach appreciate each of you so as an adult to know that i needed mears i know more quickly how it is for kids as i strive to do thank you to my agent that this was a combination of the right house and the right time in the right editors the right timing is now as we read diverse books and a lot of great people doing Amazing Stories and my friends at harpercollins and my editor. Thank you i appreciate this very much. [cheers and applause] next i will introduce the fiction judges who read so many books this year michelle from changing hands in arizona. David a kirkus critic and author and editor of ten books. [applause] and author of finalist of National Book award at one of the New York Times best books. Please come up. [applause] good evening. It is an extraordinary privilege to be one of the three judges of this award so on behalf of the judges we want to say it was a very tough decision. The finalists. [applause] the other american. [applause] lost children archives. [applause] territory of light. [applause] the work of angels. [applause] on earth. [applause] the nickel boys. [applause] and the winner is the nickel boys. [applause] this is Michael Goldsmith a doubleday because he cannot be with us tonight. We like to share this statement about the reason why this book has garnered the kirkus prize. Evaux race in america not as a concept but a condition of being in this modern historical novel whitehead exposes the Nickel Academy and the fate of its boys. With profound compassion of a skilled craftsman whitehead reveals the tragedy of our not too distant past which is also the tragedy of our present like all classic one classics this works in many Different Levels a social drama accessible and unrelenting. The nickel boys is an allegory and a cautionary tale this is our history. It is our story. Thank you. Congratulations. [applause] thank you so much. Im not sure hes either in germany or switzerland right now. But he gave me some words to read on his behalf hello humans and book people who have gathered in the lovely city of austin texas. I wish i could be there with you but ill have to console myself with this lovely honor. I am in the middle of another book now and still after all these years i constantly wonder does this make sense will people understand what im trying to do cracks what is the correct way to use comprise . [laughter] the answer is always a hope so except in the case where the answer is just use another word instead. Im incredibly grateful those understood what i was trying to do with the nickel boys with that movement of recognition and connection that moments like this you try to find your way. Thank you so much kirkus. [laughter] [applause] i would like to introduce the nonfiction judges. From books and books in florida. Kirkus critic and jackie davis and author was a 2017 kirkus prize and Pulitzer Prize of history. Thank you. I think i can speak for my fellow judges whittling down 300 books down to these finalists i only came on board after the sixth finalists i was grateful for the work but to have six finalists out of 300 that is pretty remarkable accomplishment for those authors. These are the finalists. And when death take something from you give it back. [applause] how we fight for our lives. [applause] the refugees and what the immigrants never tell you. [applause] and no visible bruises. [applause] the winner is how we fight for our lives. [cheers and applause] let me share with you what the judges had to say this tightly crafted work that explodes with vitality. As a journey of exploration of reassurance but of that comingofage and does not travel alone the journey is our journey. And the readers in society. And to compel us to be honest to negotiate grief and family dynamics. And how we fight for our lives it is palatable and seductive in the delightfully humorous. [applause] so with gratitude, thank you from the bottom of my heart. From the bottom of every person. My mother is the soul of this book. She didnt graduate from college but her copy by toni morrison. And tina turner. [laughter] those were the books. And i made it all the way through high School Without having a single book talk in class of a person of color. And i will never forget that because to come home to the books that she passed on to me. For how far she could get and then i was given an opportunity and sacrifice to walk a little farther of course the entire point of what it means that Roosevelt High School home of the fighting farmers. And because the bible belt its not your whole self you always have to choose. So you dont have to choose. Thank you. [applause] that is the seasonings ceremony. [laughter] congratulations to all the kirkus prizewinners at all the finalists we are so proud to shine a spotlight you are also worthy per hope youll join us for the kirkus panel at the texas book festival will be at the tent on 11th street forgot the host of our podcast will be with the illustrators and translators followed by a book signing please patronize them thank you for coming and have a wonderful week. [applause] [inaudible conversations] when my mother came of age in jim crow alabama she loved her youth as White Nationalist society and officially a White Nationalist society that has reared its head again of the healthcare the most effective way for veterans. And then to go into the private sector. And then that should be available
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