National Book Awards Nominees Announced

The National Book Awards announced the nominees for the 2009 awards this past week and the talent displayed is excellent and vast. The awards are staying true to their mission of putting both established and emerging authors in the spotlight, while creating more awareness of the literary world, just as GetLit! is doing.

The four categories (fiction, non fiction, poetry and youth literature) each have five nominees touching on a different aspects of the world through their writing. The fiction category includes stories ranging from a man alone in the Siberian desert to a collection of short stories about growing up in rural Michigan. The nonfiction topics range from evolution to a guy who really didn’t like the Romans. The poetry category shows off an excellent array of well spoken poets. And the youth literature category places stories and events in a light that captures the minds of young people. You can find more information about the different nominees at the National Book Awards website, or check out the listing below.

Fiction: Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage; Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin; Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders; Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite; Marcel Theroux, Far North

Nonfiction: David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook; Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species; Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City; Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy; T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Poetry: Rae Armantrout, Versed; Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again; Carl Phillips, Speak Low; Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval; Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy

Youth Lit: Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith; Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice; David Small, Stitches; Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times; Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped

The winners of the National Book Awards will be announced at the 60th National Book Awards Benefit Dinner and Ceremony on Wednesday, November 18. It's like the Oscars...for books!

Take this opportunity to tell us who you think the winners should be in each category. Let the games begin!