A Word About Awards

ANGLE OF REPOSE by Wallace Stegner Award: Pulitzer Winner 1972 Date Read: August 6, 2017 Angle Of Repose is an absolute gem of a novel. Wheelchair-bound historian Lyman Ward, estranged from his family and largely on his own, sets to the task of researching the life of his grandmother, Susan Burling Ward. Ward is a fictional character that is based on the actual letters of Mary Hallock Foote, as published in A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West. Stegner's liberal use of these letters in his text, albeit with permission, caused many scholars consternation as Stegner blurs the lines between fact and fiction. Nevertheless, the incorporation of these letters helps paint a vivid picture of a fearless woman who takes on uncertainty and rural surroundings with fearlessness and a sense of adventure as their travels took them to Grass Valley, Leadville, New Almaden, Idaho and Mexico. Being a California native, I particularly enjoyed the sections set in California, which painted

THE SELLOUT by Paul Beatty Awards: National Book Critics Circle Winner 2015, Booker Winner 2016 Date Read: August 2, 2017 The Sellout is an odd novel - hilarious, baffling, serious, yet offers an uncomfortable insight into race perceptions in the US. To borrow the words of Amanda Foreman, chair of the Booker judges, The Sellout "...manages to eviscerate every social taboo and politically correct, nuanced, every sacred cow, and while both making us laugh, making us wince. It is both funny and painful at the same time..." This assertion is right on the money. An unnamed protagonist who grows artisanal marijuana and watermelons essentially decides to take it upon himself to reintroduce segregation in Dickens, an unincorporated town in the shadow of LA, which winds up in the Supreme Court. Crazy plot line? Absolutely!  Although much of this novel is satirical, Beatty laments that readers focus almost exclusively on the humorous aspects here, instead of its deeper mes

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & KLAY by Michael Chabon Award: Pulitzer Winner 2001 Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2002, LA Times Finalist 2000, National Book Critics Circle Finalist 2000, PEN/Faulkner Finalist 2001 Dates Read: December 23, 2008 & July 25, 2017 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay is the story of two Jewish cousins, one of whom escaped Europe at the onset of WWII, the other born in Brooklyn. Kavalier and Clay rabidly consume the earliest comic books and, after Joe Kavalier becomes an illustrator, decide to produce their own, both quickly becoming prominent figures in the industry. This sweeping novel touches on so many topics including homosexuality, WWII, Jewish mysticism, loyalty to family and love. The Amazing Adventures was a best seller from the moment it was released and while I appreciate the work Chabon did here, this novel didn't resonate with me as much as some of the other bodies of work I have experienced. Still, this nov

SO BIG by Edna Ferber Award: Pulitzer Winner 1925 Dates Read: March 14, 2007 & July 16, 2017 So Big follows the life of Selina, who begins her independence as a school teacher in a rural farming community, quickly meets and then marries a farmer named Pervus. Of course, the whole time I'm thinking why marry so fast? From reading, I just never got the sense that she was madly in love with him. They soon have a child together, Dirk, who she nicknames "So Big," hence the title of the novel. Pervus is not long for this world and dies, leaving Selina and Dirk to fend for themselves. Selina works herself to the bone on the farm, determined to give Dirk a future. The novel from this point focuses more on Dirk and him falling in love with his wife, Dallas, and money, yet ultimately being abandoned by his wife and realizing the wisdom of his mother and her artistic values. Yet, my enjoyment came from Selina through and through. The imagery of her toiling in the so

EMPIRE FALLS by Richard Russo Award: Pulitzer Winner 2002 Nomination: Dublin Longlist 2003 Read: February 2, 2007 & July 10, 2017 Empire Falls tells the story of Miles Roby, who lives in a quiet town in Maine. He is the manager of the Empire Grill diner, which plays an important social roll in the town of Empire Falls, with many people orbiting Roby's world spending time there, including his ex-wife Janine and her current boyfriend, Walt. Russo has created such a rich tapestry of history, people, struggles and economic struggles. Readers are first-hand witnesses to how these characters are trying to define themselves in the midst of a depressed local economy, trying to find their way when industry abandons the town. In this insular world with few options out, people could often feel suffocated, and that is what Russo so artfully conveys here.  I can only suspect what it would be like if someone had stayed in their hometown, married their high school sweetheart, and

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee Award: Pulitzer Winner 1961 Nomination: National Book Finalist 1961 Read: September 20, 2007 & July 5, 2017 I have actually read this novel 3 times if you include reading it in high school. Each time I read this novel, I love it more and more. It will forever be one of my favorites. To Kill A Mockingbird tells the story of the Finch family - Atticus, Jem and Scout. Jem and Scout are kids with free reign of their neighborhood, along with their friend Dill who stays in the fictional Maycomb, Alabama each summer with his Aunt. Jem and Scout's mother has passed, leaving Atticus, a lawyer by trade, to raise these two children with the help of their maid.  Jem, Scout and Dill become fixated on their neighbor, Boo Radley. Boo is essentially a hermit, never leaving his home and his legend is further enshrined by the town never speaking his name. The kids soon discover he is leaving presents for them outside his house in a tree. Atti

THE ABLE MCLAUGHLINS by Margaret Wilson Award: Pulitzer Winner 1924 Dates Read: October 24, 2008 & July 4, 2017 The Able McLaughlins tells the story of Wully McLaughlin who returns from the Civil War to find his beloved, Christie, pregnant by a scoundrel of the community, Peter Keith. Wully promptly runs Peter out of town and marries Christie, accepting paternity for the child and the shame it brings when the child is born soon after the wedding.  Peter eventually returns to town to see Christie and his child but is run off again by Wully, who eventually finds and confronts Peter.  I loved the contrast of Wully and Christie's marriage and home life with that of her father and stepmother who, coming from Scotland, expected a castle and instead inherited a "pig sty." Wilson is an exceptional storyteller and is able to convey life and struggle with her own unique voice. Where she could have driven the revenge portion of the novel, instead she elevates this n

THE KNOWN WORLD by Edward Jones Awards: Dublin Winner 2005, National Book Critics Circle Winner 2003, Pulitzer Winner 2004 Nominations: National Book Finalist 2003, NY Times Finalist 2003 Dates Read: November 4, 2006 & July 1, 2017 The Known World is a beautiful novel that depicts the horrors of slavery by both black and white owners. Set in Virginia, Henry Townsend is a former slave that becomes a slaveholder himself, along with this wife Caldonia. Jones weaves a rich tapestry of vignettes that describes the family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances that make up this strange world.  Toward the end of this novel, there is a poignant scene where a character wishes there were a light of truth in the world, an actual place where people can stand and tell the truth with no retribution. To envision such a place, and to be able to vocalize your soul's truth is powerful. And that truth would be raw and real and not black, nor white but most likely very, very gray.  I

ONE OF OURS by Willa Cather Award: Pulitzer Winner 1923 Dates Read: March 28, 2008 & June 27, 2017 One Of Ours follows the life of Claude Wheeler, the son of a successful farmer and modest mother. Claude is sent to university where he meets the Ehrlich family and is captivated by their lively home life, full of music, debate and free-thinking. Shortly after, Claude is forced to drop out of college to assist his father with his farm expansion.  Now trapped by the farm, Claude marries his childhood friend, Enid Royce, who is more interested in pursuits outside her home than she is in Claude. Enid soon leaves for China to tend to her ill missionary sister and Claude is left alone. He soon returns to his parent's farm, and he and his parents follow the outbreak of WWI with rapt attention. Once the US enters the war, Claude enlists in the Army and is shipped to the front.  The Army is a revelation to Claude, who feels his life has purpose for the first time and he thrills

MARCH by Geraldine Brooks Award: Pulitzer Winner 2006 Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2007 Dates Read: March 8, 2008 & June 24, 2017 March is a lovely novel that expands on Louisa May Alcott's famous novel, Little Women, entirely from the perspective of the father, Mr. March. He leaves his family for the Civil War and they are forced to fend for themselves in his absence. Fighting on the Union side, he writes frequent letters home, yet omits many of the brutalities and horrors he experiences. While recovering from a prolonged illness on a plantation in the south, Mr. March meets Grace, a slave whom he had previously met as a young woman. Eventually, he returns home to his family, although he is forever altered by the war. Brooks' enchanting creation is remarkable as it is well-researched. Modeling Mr. March on Alcott's father, Amos Bronson Alcott, she used his letters and journals to create this robust and very likeable character. He is human in every sense of t

ALICE ADAMS by Booth Tarkington Award: Pulitzer Winner 1922 Dates Read: November 24, 2006 & June 20, 2017 Alice Adams comes from a modest family with limited means, yet her life's ambition is to become a part of wealthy society. She sets her sights on Arthur Russell, who Alice at first believes is engaged to her friend Mildred, and believes is only spending time with her out of pity. She tells endless lies to him to hide her family's humble background and presses him to not believe anything he might hear about her or her family from others in society. Meanwhile, her father, Virgil, in poor health and with a nagging and ambitious wife, is encouraged to start his own glue factory, yet the original recipe comes from his previous employer, Mr. Lamb. Virgil justifies this intellectual property theft by determining he made enough improvements to the recipe that it now rightfully belongs to him. All of these shenanigans come to a boil when Arthur finally hears Alice a

THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck Awards: National Book Winner 1939, Nobel Prize Winner 1939, Pulitzer Winner 1940 Dates Read: February 2, 2003 & June 17, 2017 Few writers get me all hot and bothered and Steinbeck is one of them. He is one of my favorite authors of all time and I am so glad he won the Nobel Prize. I vividly recall the first time I read this novel and how the ending stuck with me. A second reading recently highlights for me this novel's staying power, particularly in light of our current political climate. The Grapes Of Wrath follows the Joad family as they try their best to make their way in this world. All they truly desire is enough money to feed their family and have a modest home, yet even these basics are nearly impossible to achieve. Escaping Oklahoma's Dust Bowl, bank foreclosures and agricultural consolidation, they set their sights on the promised land of California. Risking it all on a car that's about to gasp it's last br

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS by Booth Tarkington Award: Pulitzer Winner 1919 Dates Read: November 14, 2006 & June 11, 2017 As the most prosperous family in Indianapolis, the Ambersons represent a family of wealth and prestige that is quickly waning. George, the grandson of the family's patriarch, is a spoiled brat and, frankly, an a$$hole that is oblivious to the lives and needs of others. George falls in love with Lucy Morgan, a young debutante. The wrench in their happily-ever-after if the previous relationship between George's mother and Lucy's father, of which George has no clue. As the town grows and industry thrives, the Ambersons' prestige and wealth are in decline, while the Morgans grow more affluent due to the foresight of Lucy's father. George eventually sabotages his mother's, recently widowed, feelings for Lucy's father and the life that he had come to expect comes to an end. Tarkington has the ability to describe a world that has lo

THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO by Junot Diaz Awards: Center For Fiction Winner 2007, Dayton Literary Peace Winner 2008, National Books Critic Circle Winner 2007, Pulitzer Winner 2008 Nominations: Dublin Finalist 2009, LA Times Finalist 2007 Dates Read: February 1, 2009 & June 10, 2017 Oscar is a sweet but overweight nerd who lives in New Jersey with his mother and rebellious sister. Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. A curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, follows them on their journey from Santo Domingo to the USA.  Providing a glimpse into Dominican-American history and the immigrant experience, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao offers a unique perspective into the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere, and risk it all, in the name of love. The character of Oscar is so compelling and I immediately fell in love with him. As much as he tried to "be

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead  Awards: National Book Winner 2016, Carnegie Winner 2017, Pulitzer Winner 2017 Nomination: Booker Longlist 2017, Kirkus Finalist 2016 Date Read: June 8, 2017 Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood, where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned: Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted.  In Whitehead’s conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar’s first stop is South Carolina, a city that initially seems like a haven but th

HIS FAMILY by Ernest Poole Award: Pulitzer Winner 1918 Dates Read: October 25, 2006 & June 6, 2017 His Family has the distinction of being the very first novel to win the Pulitzer in 1918 and the earliest novel of this entire project. When I first began this project, I didn't enjoy the novels from the very early years but they have grown on me so much that I now find them to be my favorite. His Family is yet another that I enjoyed so much I read it twice. His Family begins in 1913 with Roger Gale, a New York businessman and a widower, reflecting on the changes that have come to New York since his arrival in the city as a young man. Driven by his wife's dying request to remain close to their three daughters, Edith, Deborah and Laura, he maintains close relations with all three. Edith is married with four children. Deborah is a school principal and lives at home, as does Laura. Laura suddenly announces her engagement to Hal Sloane, a young businessman who is unkn

GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson Awards: National Book Critics Circle Winner 2004, Pulitzer Winner 2005 Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2006, LA Times Finalist 2004, NY Times Finalist 2004, Oprah Book Club 2021, PEN/Faulkner Finalist 2005,  Women's Prize Longlist 2006 Dates Read: December 24, 2006 & June 3, 2017 Gilead is an exquisite novel of tenderness and love and such a lovely breath of fresh air from war, conflict and mayhem.  The narrator, John Ames, is a 76 year old preacher who has lived his life in Gilead, Iowa and is writing a letter to his 7-year-old son because his health is failing. Ames' legacy to his son is through this letter, an accounting of himself to a very young son who will never truly know his aging father. Throughout this account, Ames assesses himself and his life, inside and out. The novel is slow and deliberate, asking the reader to take the pace of an old man in Gilead in 1956 which allows the reader to make the acquaintance of Ames' fath