A novel exploring identity and loss, a sweeping history of Iran’s revolution, and a children’s book celebrating the humble belly button have been named this year’s winners of the Kirkus Prize — each receiving a $50,000 award.
Lucas Schaefer won in the fiction category for “The Slip,” which follows a man’s search for his long-missing nephew. The nonfiction prize went to Scott Anderson for “King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation,” an account of the downfall of the Shah of Iran.
In the young readers’ category, Thao Lam received the award for “Everybelly,” a playful, illustrated look at belly buttons and the stories they tell.
Founded in 2014, the Kirkus Prize is administered by the trade publication Kirkus Reviews.
“This year’s Kirkus Prize winners bring us vital messages for our time — about the joys of community, the power of self-transformation, and the mutability of history — all delivered through exhilarating prose and pictures,” said Kirkus Editor-in-Chief Tom Beer in a statement on Wednesday.
The finalists included Angela Flournoy’s “The Wilderness”; Nicholas Boggs’ “Baldwin: A Love Story,” a biography of writer James Baldwin; and “Mother Mary Comes to Me,” a memoir by Arundhati Roy.
Source: AP