National Book Awards go to Phil Klay's 'Redeployment,' Evan Osnos's 'Age of Ambition'
The National Book Award winners for this year include Phil Klay, whose short story collection 鈥淩edeployment鈥� took the fiction prize, and New Yorker writer Evan Osnos, who won the nonfiction award for his book 鈥淎ge of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China.鈥�
Jacqueline Woodson took the young people鈥檚 literature award for her work 鈥淏rown Girl Dreaming鈥� and Louise Gl眉ck won the poetry prize for her book 鈥淔aithful and Virtuous Night.鈥�
In his acceptance speech, Osnos expressed gratitude to those who spoke with him for the book.
鈥淭hey live in a place where it鈥檚 very dangerous to be honest and be vulnerable,鈥� he said, according to .
In his review of 鈥淎mbition,鈥� Monitor critic Mike Revzin wrote, 鈥淭he stories of China鈥檚 strivers are remarkable.鈥� (Check out the Monitor's full review here.)听
Meanwhile, Klay, who made his debut with "Redeployment," spoke of his own time as a Marine in his acceptance speech.聽
鈥淲ar鈥檚 too strange to be processed alone,鈥� he said, according to the . 鈥淚 came back not knowing what to think about so many things. The book was the only way I knew how to really start thinking [it] through.鈥澛�
Amazon had picked Klay's work as one of the best books of March when it was released and Amazon editorial director Sara Nelson called the book "un-put-downable and ... so honest."
Meanwhile, Monitor critic Augusta Scattergood called Woodson鈥檚 work 鈥淕irl鈥� 鈥渉istory and storytelling at their very best.鈥� (See the full review here.)听
The NBAs were held in New York City and hosted by author Daniel Handler, who also writes under the pen name Lemony Snicket.
