In the politicians versus the press spelling bee. And on friday, oscar winning director Kevin Costner will be here to present his knew book. I will present speaker with the honorary mug. [applause] thank you. You are developing a connection. A couple of final questions. If the situation was right down on the campaign trail, could you consider being Donald Trumps running mate . The press will have a field day with this one. Before i answer, i just want to mention many in the press will say that im sensitive and, you know, i should not be thinking about running for office because i get offended by what they do. Of course, theyll say that. But the reason that i expose the press is because i want the people of america to understand what theyre doing. Its not because im sensitive. I will continue to expose them every time they do something because as more people understand who they are and what theyre doing, it will negate their effect and until they have the kind of transformation that is necessary for them to become allies of the people, we have to know what theyre doing. Now, in terms of trump. How could i forget . [laughter] okay. You know, i believe that donald trump has been very useful because hes brought in a lot of people, brought in a lot of curiosity and enthusiasm and whoever the eventual nominee is will benefit from that even if its him. Thats a good thing, you know, thats one of the reasons i dont talk about him, i dont talk about anybody else. But in terms of a Vice President , i would obviously want someone who is compatible with me. I would not necessarily be looking for somebody who can bring this demographic or that demographic because the things that have to be done are very, very serious things, quite frankly. This cant be tampering around the edges. We have to go to the heart of the matter and i dont think we have a whole lot of time to do that. It has to be somebody thats compatible and understand the urgency of what we are doing and willing to suffer the slings and arrows. Thats what it will take. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please give a counted of applause a round of applause to our speaker. [applause] i would also like to thank Staff Members of the National Press club and Journalism Institute in their work for preparing for todays event. Of a copy of todays program or to learn more about the National Press club, go to that website, press. Org. Thank you, we are adjourn. Youre good. [inaudible conversations] [laughter] [inaudible conversations] many of this years president ial candidates have written books and to remote their views on issues, here is a look at some of the candidates books. In his newest book reply all jeb bush catalogs email correspondence. A better understanding of the constitution is necessary to solve americas most pressing issues, in his book a more perfect union. Hillary clinton looks back on her time serving in the Obama Administration in hard choices. In a time for truth, texas senator ted cruz from u. S. Senate. Another declared candidate for president. In rising to the challenge she shares lessons shes learned from difficulties and triumphs. Lindsey graham released an e book. He details childhood and career in the air force. Former arkansas governor, huckabee gives take on policy and kasich calls for return of traditional American Values in stand for something. George is also running for president , in 1998 the former new york governor released when his book, taking the stand. American dreams, he outlines he is plan to advance economic opportunity. Bernie sanders is another candidate for the democratic nomination for president. His 1998 now titled outsider in the white house was updated to include time in the senate and launch of president ial campaign. And in blue collar conservatives president ial candidate Rick Santorum argues the Republican Party must focus on the working class. Donald trump has written several best sellers, in his book crippled america he outlines political flat form. And finally, governor Chris Christie and omalley have announced canned day but havent released books. Book t has covered many candidates, you can watch them on our website. Booktv. Org. Sixtysixth annual book awards was held this past wednesday in new york city. This years winners. Robin lewis and awards to James Patterson for their contribution for American Literature and the literary community. Thank you very much. Thank you. Okay, we are not going to begin till everybody is seated and quiet because some important stuff is going on. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, before we begin lets have a big round of applause for the National Book found foundation, everybody. Love, show your love. [applause] excellent. And a little protip, you have got to check out their amazing website National Book. Org. Ive been there. It is exciting, it is addictive. I have made it my homepage, i have. I start every day at National Book. Org and if you go there, you can literally spend all day on the faqs because you know all those questions that you are frequently asked about the National Book foundation, they are answered as last, yeah. For example, one question i have found myself asking frequently is what is the National Book foundation. Right . You dont know. You just applauded for them and you do not know who they are. Dont lie to me National Book awards audience. Youre better than that. I went to National Book. Org faqs and here is what i found. In 1986 the Publishing Community established the National Book foundation to oversee the awards, diversify and expand their mission. Okay, now at this point i found myself losing consciousness but check out the website, it is awesome. Nationalbook. Org, ladies and gentlemen, lets hear it. [applause] we are rolling now. Ladies and gentlemen, im so honored to be your host tonight. Im here for the same reason you are here, i love books. We are all here, everybody in this room loves books, right . [applause] even the agent loved their books and they are here tonight. I grew up in a household that was filled with books, my parents were these super intellectual, graduates and met as undergraduates at harvard. I say the last thing at the risk of making you hate them because really the most al alianated thing is that they went to harvard. Thats true. If i said that i cooked meth, for example, you would be like we should be compassionate, we dont know what led him to cook meth but if i told you i went to harvard, youre like what a [laughter] and you would be right. You would be absolutely right. They were like the supersmart people. It was hard to deal with, it was sort of challenging for me. Little story. I remember one time i was in middle and we were sitting around the dinner table and i guess i was looking a little bit down in the mouth and my dad said to me, whats wrong, and i said, all the kids at school are continuously telling me im a queer and in those days in the 70s high school queer, weird, uncool, unpopular, that sort of thing. And my dad looked at me and he said, theyre not continuously telling youre a queer. [laughter] theyre continually telling you youre a queer. [laughter] continuously would be youre queer, queer, queer, queer. [laughter] continually would be youre queer, youre queer. And the moral of that story is that is why im severely damaged. Thats true. Well, i want to thank you for letting me talk about myself for the last five minutes, although i must say if youre not in the mood to hear people talk about themselves, you have come to the wrong place tonight. [laughter] if history is any guide, its going to kind of be a theme up in here tonight. Yes, but thats cool because its the National Book awards. Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the show. [applause] [cheers and applause] are you ready . I have hosted this three times and i have to say this is the best National Book award audience ive ever dealt with it. You guys are a pleasure, absolute pressure. You know, im not doing this for the money, im not being paid, the National Book foundation made that abundantly clear. [laughter] they were like youre getting a free meal and metro card and then youre out of here. I was like, dude, i did not get into publishing to make money. That would be insane. Cool, no metro card. It was good. [laughter] all right, we are going to begin our medal presentation with the presentation of the literarian award. Is that even a word . That sounds like an faq to me. We are about to find out. Award to the most Outstanding Community service, teacher, superintendent, School Leaders guide to excel eendz, excellence, chancellor, ladies and gentlemen, my hero, carmen ferena. Now i know you have to be literary and funny to be here. It is a gift to an educator to have a writer that really gets people to read their books, and james not only got people to read their books but did something above and beyond, he contributed and donated for literacy to children. If any of you do not have a seventh grader in your life, for those who have had a seventh grade in your life and survived it, consider yourself even luckier, what James Patterson did, he didnt have to do, he decided to write for his mental school audience. I was privileged enough to be in the room when he was talked to middleschool kids about reading. What he did is something i tell people to write when they write to middle school, make the books gross and in the sense that everything goes wrong in their live and as negligent as possible and youll have immediate readers. I have three grandsons and one of them looks at a book and breaks my heart. After meeting james and he donated books to all our sixth graders and i took the books about living life in middle school and charlie says, wow, he really gets us. Its wonderful to say that theres a writer that sees beyond his own life and his own ability to write and make money and says what i want to do is give the gift of lit ra lit litracy. I hope that many of you will step up to the plait and help the children of new york city become more eager to read and write. Thank you so much. [applause] [applause] thank you, carmen, thank you, thank you. Special thanks to little brown, lare for sticking with me through thick and thicker since i was 26, over a dozen years ago thanks to bob barnett that are here. It is a long, long way from north plank road to the National Book awards. I feel happy to have my wife sue and my son jack here. To be honest, i feel a little bit uncomfortable. Its a long way from newburg. I feel uncomfortable, well, because i am the elephant in the room t stranger in a strange land the big mac. Let me tell you a few things about myself and maybe you wont think of me as a stranger after tonight. Its relevant that it was a tough town being a kid. Its still a tough town. His mother, my grandmother was a woman who clean it had poor houses bathroom and kitchen. For her work she and my father got the share a room. When my father was head to go world war ii he received message from this man said that his parents told him the night before that they loved him very much but they werent his birth parents. He had been adopted when he was a year old. My grandmother had been force today give up her baby before my father was born. My other grandfather was a cook. I spent more time with lauras family than with my own and that experience with a loving black family is how i came to write the novels. Thats where it all started. During my senior year at st. Patricks high school, i signed up and i never got a response so i went to see the christian brother, only to affiliated, he then told me that i had a full scholarship to the Catholic College which i had never applied. It was a terrific experience. After manhattan i went to grad school in literature and also rewarding. I took a job in advertising believe it or not because i had been rejected for for a job driving a taxi cab, the dispatcher said my hair was too long, i wish i had the hair right now. Thats nonfiction folks. Possible to prove that i wasnt the a communist but i have been clean for over 20 years. During my years as a student and working at night shift at mcclain hospital in vermont i feel in love with novels and short stories, i read everything. My favorite novels to this day are mr. Bridge and mrs. Bridge. When i was 25i wrote a novel of my own, a mystery and turned down by 31 publishers. It wont on aide edgar of mystery of the year. I kept a list of all the editors that turned down my novel. Sometimes they send me books and asked for blurbs. Because of the experiences ive always felt compelled to do the best i can, compelled to tell the best stories im capable of specially my stories for children, compelled to start an infant for kids called jimmy with message when child will say, please give me another book. What a sweet thing to hear from your child, please give me another book. Publishing needs to innovate more, much more. On occasion i found myself stupid i will saying that i believe publishing is in some trouble, that i believe American Literature is in some trouble. Im compelled to try to help independent bookstores survive and prosper and help School Libraries in any way i can. When we made an offer we received over 28,000 pleas for help and that tells you an incredible story about the library. I guess im endured to being a doers. Theres so much to do right now. Lets all be literarians, whatever the hell that means. Most of us know what it means. Lets find a way to make sure theres another generation of readers out there and bookstores and libraries. One another story, my grandfather would take me on his dli ri ruth and he delivered ice cream and we all know that that isnt the most romantic thing in the world to be driving a truck in the morning. Every morning my grandfather would motor to west point and be singing at the top of his voice and the clumsy truck will drive, we would put another nickel. He told me, he said, jim, when you grow up, i dont care if youre a truck driver or president of the United States, just remember that when you go over the mountain to work in the morning, youve got to be singing. I do. By the way, i didnt wear a tux because the newburg tux is powder blue with a ruffled shirt. Thank you so much for this precious moment. [applause] lets hear one more time for James Patterson, ladies and gentlemen. Yes. [applause] before we go on, just a little bit behindthescene stuff, im not suggesting they think im an idiot, but it is possible based on reading this, for example, after i introduced carmen, it says and i quote, borowitz takes the seat off stage, water available. I guess theyre like, you know, after five minutes of speaking, i will be so parched i will need to rehydrate. Well, it has been done. I can carry on now. They also provided with a protein biscuit, im good to go. How are the National Book awards working so far . Are you enjoyingjoying the even . [applause] the best is yet to come. The best is yet to come. And now to present the med al for distinguished contribution to american letters the author of the invisible circus, look ae which was nominated in 2001 and the best seller, recent novel was also a National Best seller, the National Book critic, ladies and gentlemen, i love jennifer egon. [applause] in a hundred years assuming that there are still people on earth and they still read books, its hard to imagine a way they might better understand American Life in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, then by reading dons novels. His sensibility yeah. [applause] his sensibility is epic. I use the word despite that epic is going the way of awesome because no other will exactly do. For scale of inquiry is global and historic. Over 45 prolific years he has pushed into the sidelines with pressures of an ordinary human collide with history. Who else could follow underworld, saga of 50 years of American Life with the body artist, an int your interior novel with ghost. More than one has raised questions. What role does an artist expect to play in a world thats so muscled and flattened by technology that the only act are acts of violence . But im getting it wrong harping on his ambition. To my mind his work is outstanding. He has impact gift for catching speech. It was the dialogue in his books that made me realize conversation is mostly repetition and that people never really answered each other. Its also what renders up the humanity of his character. Never settled premier beauty, the most familiar thing becomes strange in the descriptive hands , she liked working past the feeling of this is it. Importance to keep going and come upon a moment of blessing. Her work is made of blessings. Later a writer says of his own profession what terrorists gain, novelist lose. 1991. What will happen to reading and writing in this new century. Its a question im guessing most people in this room have asked request a certain urgency. My own answer is always the same. Its up to us, the writers. If we capture textures of contemporary lives in way that feel essential, people will read us, fictions have done this repeatedly. He has answered his own question. The artist who can show us our american lives at this moment and help us to fathom is performing an essential role. Im so grateful to me for the rigor and play fullness of his work and prove to go my generation of writers that fiction can do anything it wants. It is my great honor and pleasure to present don with the medal for distinguished contribution to american writers. [applause] [applause] im here to talk