Greenwich Reads Together 2018: Code Girls, by Liza Mundy

Code Girls:The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II, by Liza Mundy, has been chosen as the Greenwich Reads Together selection for 2018. Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience which engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book, culminating in a month-long series of special events and programs in the fall.

About the Book:
Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.

About the Author:
Liza Mundy is a journalist and author of four books, most recently Code Girls. She is a former staff writer for the Washington Post, where she specialized in long-form narrative writing, winning a number of awards. Her 2012 book, The Richer Sex, was named a top non-fiction book of 2012 by the Washington Post and a noteworthy book by the New York Times Book Review. Her 2008 book, Michelle, a biography of First Lady Michelle Obama, was a New York Times best-seller and has been translated into 16 languages. She writes widely for publications including The Atlantic, Politico, The New York Times, Slate, and TIME. She has appeared on The Colbert Report, The Today Show, GMA, CBS This Morning, MSNBC, CNN, C-Span, Fox News, Democracy Now, Bloggingheads TV, NPR’s Weekend Edition, and many more TV and radio shows. A senior fellow at New America a non-partisan thinktank, Liza has an AB from Princeton University and an MA in English literature from the University of Virginia. She currently lives in Arlington, VA with her husband and two children.

Companion Selections for Children:
For middle-schoolers: Code Girls: The True Story of the American Women Who Secretly Broke Codes in World War II, by Liza Mundy (Young Readers Edition)- Coming in Fall 2018
For elementary-schoolers: Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code, by Laurie Wallmark

Visit Greenwich Library's website for more information on Greenwich Reads Together.

VOTE FOR THE NEXT GREENWICH READS TOGETHER BOOK FOR 2018!

Every year dozens of worthy titles are submitted by Greenwich residents for consideration for Greenwich Reads Together. Annually, the Greenwich Reads Together Selection Committee winnows the field down to roughly four exceptional books. And every year the committee vociferously debates and makes a final decision on which book will become the Greenwich Reads Together title.

But 2018 is special.

This year the Greenwich Reads Together Selection Committee is placing the power with the people and asking our community to make the final decision on what it wants to read and discuss for Greenwich Reads Together, the community-wide reading experience which engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book. 

Residents may vote among the ‘final four’ titles via online poll NOW through April 27 by visiting www.greenwichreadstogether.org.  The wining title will be announced in May.

Choosing among the four will be difficult, but there’s no wrong way to decide. A choice could be made based on how well the book meets the official selection criteria or on how much community discussion the book might generate. Some people may simply choose the book they most want to read.

In order to be selected as a ‘final four’ title, the book had to be of literary quality, reflective of universal issues and capable of generating thought-provoking discussions. It had to lend itself to engaging public programs and appeal to a diverse population. It had to be currently in print and available in large quantities and in multiple formats, including ebook, audiobook and large print. In addition, the author had to be alive and available to speak in Greenwich. 

Greenwich Reads Together 2018 will take place in the fall.

The Final Four are as follows. Detailed descriptions and author bios can be found within the survey form and at www.greenwichreadstogether.org.

Exit West, by Mosin Hamid
Janesville: An American Story, by Amy Goldstein
Behold the Dreamers, by Imbolo Imbue
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II , by Liza Mundy

Submit your suggestion for the next Greenwich Reads Together Title!

Greenwich Library is now accepting suggestions for Greenwich Reads Together, the community-wide reading experience which will engage all of Greenwich in exploring a single book.

In order to be selected, the book should be of literary quality, reflective of universal issues and capable of generating thought-provoking discussions. It should lend itself to engaging public programs and appeal to a diverse population. It must also be currently in print and available in large quantities and in multiple formats, including paperback, ebook, audiobook and large print. In addition, the author must be living and available to speak in Greenwich.

Suggestions will be accepted through February 24. They will be evaluated by a committee that includes Library staff and community members. The chosen book will be announced later this spring. Greenwich Reads Together 2017 will take place in the fall.

Review the selection criteria and submit your suggestion here: http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/greenwich-reads-together/

Greenwich Reads Together 2016: Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel, has been chosen as the Greenwich Reads Together selection for 2016. Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience which engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book, culminating in a month-long series of special events and programs in the fall.

One snowy night, a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time-- from the actor's early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains-- this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor's first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes tender, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.

Companion Selections for Children:
For middle grade readers: The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau
For younger readers: Blackout, by John Rocco

Visit Greenwich Library's website for more information on Greenwich Reads Together.

Greenwich Reads Together 2015: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has been chosen as the Greenwich Reads Together selection for 2015. Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience which engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book, culminating in a month-long series of special events and programs in the fall.

Americanah is a powerful, tender story of race and identity, unfolding across three continents.Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.

Visit Greenwich Library's website for more information.

Perrot Newsletter

The Spring 2014 edition of Perrot's newsletter, Précis, is now available! Pick up a copy in the library, or read it online (in PDF format).

Summer Sunday Hours- Reminder

Don't forget- Perrot is closed on Sundays during the summer. We will be closed beginning this Sunday, June 24th, 2012. We will resume our Sunday hours (1 PM to 5 PM) on Sunday, September 9th, 2012.

2012 Children's Literary Award Winners

The winners of the 2012 major literary awards for children were recently announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in Dallas.
[Click on each title to view in the catalog and to place a hold.]

Caldecott Medal Winner

A BALL FOR DAISY, illustrated by Chris Raschka

Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. This wordless picture book explores the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. 

Newbery Medal Winner

DEAD END IN NORVELT, by Jack Gantos

Twelve-year-old Jack's plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore-- typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative makes readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

 

Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AMERICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICANS, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This is the story of the men, women, and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton for their masters; it’s about the America ripped in two by Jim Crow laws; it’s about the brothers and sisters of all colors who rallied against those who would dare bar a child from an education. It’s a story of discrimination and broken promises, determination and triumphs.


Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
UNDERGROUND: FINDING THE LIGHT TO FREEDOM, written and illustrated by Shane W. Evans
A pivotal moment in American history is shared with young readers by following a slave family's escape to the North by crawling on the ground, running barefoot through the woods, sleeping beneath bushes, and eventually reaching freedom.


Geisel Award Winner (for beginning readers)
TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS, written and illustrated by Josh Schneider
James is a very picky eater. His dad has to get creativ in order to get James to eat foods he thinks he doesn’t like. He presents James with a series of outlandish scenarios packed with fanciful and gross details-- like pre-chewed gum as an alternative to broccoli and lumpy oatmeal that grows so big it eats the dog-- in an effort to get James to eat. But it is eventually James himself who discovers that some foods are not so bad, after all, if you’re willing to give them a try.


Sibert Award Winner (for non-fiction)
BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY'S PARADE, written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Who invented the first balloons for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! Everyone's a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Melissa Sweet tells the story of Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America-- the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy's Parade.

For the complete list of this year's award winners and honor books, take a look at the ALA website.

Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz Memorial Scholarship to the ALA Annual Conference

Random House Children's Books continues to honor the memories of Perrot's beloved librarians, Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz, with their annual scholarship for a new or student librarian to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference.

From Random House's Website:

ALA Members: In 500 words or less, tell us about a new librarian or library student who has never attended an ALA Annual Conference, and in whom you see great devotion to the library community and promise in the field. Tell us how he/she would benefit from attending the ALA Annual Conference. The new librarian/library student could win a trip to attend the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California.

More information, as well as the application, are available at this website: http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/the-kate-mcclelland-and-kathy-krasniewicz-memorial-scholarship/

Hugo, the Movie Adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Opens Soon!

Hugo, the film adaptation of Brian Selznick's award-winning book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, opens in theaters on Wednesday, November 23rd. Be sure to read the book before you see the movie! Hugo was directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Asa Butterfield as Hugo, along with Chloë Grace Moretz, Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Ben Kingsley.

You can read more about the movie at Publishers Weekly, and view the trailer on the movie's website. You can also view some video clips of Brian Selznick talking about the book when he visited Perrot's book clubs in 2007.

"Free Entertainment, for Life" at Your Public Library

Free Entertainment, For Life
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/08/21/greene.books/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

There are so many wonderful books that have been written over the centuries, books that will thrill you and make you cry and change you and bring laughter to you and keep you up all night. Even if you did nothing else for the rest of your life but read, you would only be able to get to the most infinitesimal percentage of books that you would be destined to adore. They're just waiting for you -- waiting to be found, right now.


And in most cases, even in these rugged and scary economic times, they're free.

The Latest in Movie Adaptation News

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, based on the second book in Jeff Kinney’s bestselling middle-grade series, lands in theaters March 25th. Zachary Gordon reprises his role as Greg Heffley, with Steve Zahn and Rachael Harris returning as Greg’s parents; Devon Bostick is also back as older brother Rodrick.
• Mars Needs Moms, based on the picture book by author-cartoonist Berkeley Breathed is in theaters now. In this article at the LA Times, the author describes describes how his work grew from a picture book to a Hollywood movie, with lots of worries about how his plot-driven progeny would change.
• The Atlantic discusses the casting of the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins. Finding the right Katniss is a "daunting decision." Young Oscar-nominated actresses Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) are reportedly the current top contenders for the roles.

2011 Children's Literary Award Winners

The winners of the 2011 major literary awards for children were recently announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in San Diego.

[Click on each title to view in the catalog and to place a hold.]

Caldecott Medal Winner
A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (written by Philip C. Stead)
Every day Amos McGee spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it's time they returned the favor.

Newbery Medal Winner
Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool
Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was. Abilene is disappointed to find that Manifest is just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler.


Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia
Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education. Heartbreaking and funny, this is an unforgettable story told by a distinguished children's author.


Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier (written by Laban Carrick Hill)
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.


Geisel Award Winner (for beginning readers)
Bink and Gollie, by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGee, illustrated by Tony Fucile
Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls-- one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. No matter where their roller skates take them, at the end of the day they will always be the very best of friends.

Sibert Award Winner (for non-fiction)
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot, by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop
On remote Codfish Island, off the southern coast of New Zealand, live the last ninety-one kakapo parrots on earth. These trusting, flightless, and beautiful birds-- the largest and most unusual parrots on earth-- have suffered devastating population loss. Now, on an island refuge with the last of the species, New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to restore the kakapo population. With the help of fourteen humans who share a single hut and a passion for saving these odd ground-dwelling birds, the kakapo are making a comeback.


For the complete list of this year's award winners and honor books, take a look at the ALA website.

Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz Memorial Scholarship to the ALA Annual Conference

Random House Children's Books continues to honor the memories of Perrot's beloved librarians, Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz, with a special scholarship for a new or student librarian to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference.

From Random House's Website:
ALA Members: In 500 words or less, tell us about a new librarian or library student who has never attended an ALA Annual Conference, and in whom you see great devotion to the library community and promise in the field. Tell us how he/she would benefit from attending the ALA Annual Conference. The new librarian/library student could win a trip to attend the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

More information, as well as the application, are available at this website: http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/librarians/KateandKathyScholarship.html

Banned Books Week, September 25−October 2

Banned Books Week 2010 is the twenty-ninth annual celebration of the freedom to read. This freedom, not only to choose what we read, but also to select from a full array of possibilities, is firmly rooted in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Although we enjoy an increasing quantity and availability of information and reading material, we must remain vigilant to ensure that access to this material is preserved; would-be censors who continue to threaten the freedom to read come from all quarters and all political persuasions. Even if well intentioned, censors try to limit the freedom of others to choose what they read, see, or hear. ---The American Library Association

Perrot Memorial Library joins other libraries in the country supporting the freedom to read. Please see our display in the Adult Fiction room of books that have been challenged at one time in history.

Now Is the 'Most Exciting Period to Be a Reader'

Ever feel like print is dying out? No more libraries, books, etc.?! Well, I found this in a newsletter I subscribe to. To the library world this is good news!

Now Is the 'Most Exciting Period to Be a Reader'

Amidst all the doom and gloom (Books are dying! Print is dead! The Kindle will destroy us all! Big Publishers want to kill your pets! ARMAGEDDON IS NIGH!!!), I just want to take a moment to proclaim that this is quite possibly the most exciting period to be a reader in my lifetime. Think about it: when was the last time books and publishing were as much a part of the daily conversation as they are now?... [I]n my thirty years on this planet, I cannot remember a time when so many people were discussing books themselves, the future of books, and what it all means for everyone involved. All in all books have a 'buzz' about them that I can't recall ever feeling. The future of publishing feels like an important discussion well outside the cul-de-sac of the industry itself, and there are more books and book-related discussions than I can remember in a long, long time. --Jason Pinter in the Huffington Post.

-Linda

2010 Children's Literary Award Winners

The winners of the 201o major literary awards for children were just announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in Boston.


[Click on each title to view in the catalog and to place a hold.]


Caldecott Medal Winner:
The Lion and the Mouse, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.



Newbery Medal Winner:
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.



Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner:
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Bass Reeves seemed bigger than life. As a deputy U.S. Marshal-- and former slave who escaped to freedom in the Indian Territories-- Bass was cunning and fearless. This title reveals the story of a remarkable African-American hero of the Old West.


Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner:
My People, illustrated by Charles R. Smith, Jr. (written by Langston Hughes)
Langston Hughes's spare yet eloquent tribue to his people has been cherished for generations. Now, acclaimed photographer Charles R. Smith Jr. interprets this beloved poem in vivid sepia photographs that capture the glory, the beauty, and the soul of being a black American today.


Geisel Award Winner (for best beginning reader):
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!, written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes
Brother and sister mice Benny and Penny track down a mysterious new kid who may have climbed over the fence into their yard and stolen Benny's pail (a no-no). But when they meet the culprit (a mole in a polka-dot dress, green flippers and goggles), they re-evaluate the situation.


Sibert Award Winner (for non-fiction):
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream, written by Tanya Lee Stone
When NASA was launched in 1958, 13 women proved they had as much of the right stuff as men to be astronauts, but their way to space was blocked by prejudice, insecurity, and a scrawled note written by one of Washington's most powerful men.


For the complete list of this year's award winners and honor books, take a look at the ALA website.

The Latest in Children's Literature News

A few interesting tidbits from Publisher's Weekly:

• Newbery medalist Katherine Paterson has been appointed the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She succeeds the first Children's Ambassador, Jon Scieszka. Paterson says, "Books help us make friends who are different from ourselves."
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the movie, arrives in theaters on April 2nd, 2010! Coming soon is The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, a making-of diary written by Jeff Kinney, the author of the Wimpy Kid books and an executive producer of the movie. Watch for The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, which comes out in March, at Perrot!
• Jarrett Krosoczka, author of the Lunch Lady series of graphic novels, held a contest to find the best lunch lady photos! The winners are on his blog.

National Book Award Winners 2009

The 2009 National Book Awards were presented on Wednesday.

Fiction Winner:
Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann

In the dawning light of a late-summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers. It is August 1974, and a mysterious tightrope walker is running, dancing, leaping between the towers, suspended a quarter mile above the ground. In the streets below, a slew of ordinary lives become extraordinary in McCann's stunningly intricate portrait of a city and its people.

Non-Fiction Winner:

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, by T.J. Stiles
A gripping, groundbreaking biography of the combative man whose genius and force of will created modern capitalism. Founder of a dynasty, builder of the original Grand Central, creator of an impossibly vast fortune, Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt is an American icon. This is a sweeping, fast-moving epic, and a complex portrait of the great man.

Poetry Winner:
Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy, by Keith Waldrop
In these quasi-abstract, experimental lines, collaged words torn from their contexts take on new meanings. These powerful poems, at once metaphysical and personal, reconcile Waldrop's romantic tendencies with formal experimentation, uniting poetry and philosophy, and revealing him as a transcendentalist for the new millennium.

Young People's Literature Winner:

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose

On March 2, 1955, an impassioned teenager, fed up with the daily injustices of Jim Crow segregation, refused to give her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of being celebrated as Rosa Parks would be just nine months later, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin found herself shunned by her classmates and dismissed by community leaders. Undaunted, a year later she dared to challenge segregation again as a key plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the landmark case that struck down the segregation laws of Montgomery. Hoose presents the first in-depth account of an important yet largely unknown civil rights figure.

National Book Award Finalists 2009

The National Book Awards present the best in four genres of published works: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature. They recognize the best in literature, from both emerging and established writers.

The National Book Awards finalists were announced on October 14th, 2009 and are as follows:

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

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

In addition, there are finalists in Poetry and Young People’s Literature categories. A special award to acknowledge a distinguished contribution to American Letters will name Gore Vidal as its recipient. A Literarian award will go to Dave Eggers. The winners in each of the categories will be announced at the 60th National Book Awards Benefit Dinner on November 18th, 2009.

-The Reference Librarians