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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 29 January 2020
Jerry Craft, Kadir Nelson win honors for children’s books

By HILLEL ITALIE of Kwame Alexander. “The
Associated Press Undefeated” was also a
This combination of pho- runner-up for the Newbery
tos shows “New Kid” by prize, won by Alexander in
Jerry Craft, a graphic novel 2015 for “The Crossover,”
about a 7th grader’s strug- and won the Coretta Scott
gle to adjust to a private King prize for best illustrated
school with little diversity, book. The prizes were an-
left, and “The Undefeated,” nounced Monday by the
by Kadir Nelson, a poetic American Library Associa-
tribute to African American tion during its annual mid-
history, featuring the words winter meeting, held this
of Kwame Alexander. year in Philadelphia.
Craft’s “New Kid,” won the Other winners include A.S.
John Newbery Medal for King’s “Dig,” named the
the year’s best children’s outstanding young adult
book. Nelson won the Ran- novel, and Colson White-
dolph Caldecott Medal. head’s novel “The Nickel
(Quill Tree Books, left,/Ver- Boys,” cited as one of 10
sify via AP) books for adults that ap-
NEW YORK (AP) — Jerry pealed to young people.
Craft’s “New Kid,” a graph- Lifetime achievement
ic novel about a 7th grad- prizes were given to Kevin
er’s struggle to adjust to a Henkes, whose books in- Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, who will perform in concert starting next Feb. 7 at the Puerto Rico
private school with little di- clude “Kitten’s First Full Coliseum Jose Miguel Agrelot, poses for a portrait in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Jan. 27, 2020.
versity, has won the John Moon,” and Steve Sheinkin, Associated Press
Newbery Medal for the author of such historical
year’s best children’s book. works as “The Port Chica- ano for President Lincoln.” side book world also were George Takei of “Star Trek”
“New Kid” also received go 50” and “The Notorious American Indian Youth Lit- honored. Supreme Court fame shared a prize for
the Coretta Scott King Benedict Arnold.” erature awards were given Justice Sonia Sotomayor best young adult literature
Award for an outstanding Carlos Hernandez’s “Sal to “Bowwow Powwow: Ba- won the Schneider Family by an author of Asian Pacif-
work by an African Ameri- and Gabi Break the Uni- gosenjige-niimi’idim” and Book Award for books that ic background. He, Justin
can writer. verse” was the Pura Belpré illustrator Jonathan Thun- “embody an artistic expres- Eisinger and Steven Scott
Kadir Nelson won the Ran- Author Award winner for an der for best picture book sion of the disability experi- co-wrote “They Called Us
dolph Caldecott Medal for outstanding Latino writer. and to “Hearts Unbroken,” ence.” Her book, “Just Ask! Enemy,” a graphic mem-
his illustration of “The Unde- Rafael Lopez received the written by Cynthia Leitich Be Different, Be Brave, Be oir based on Takei’s being
feated,” a poetic tribute Belpre illustrator prize for Smith, for best young adult You,” illustrated by Rafael held in a detention camp
to African American his- “Dancing Hands: How Te- book. López, was inspired in part for Japanese Americans
tory, featuring the words resa Carreño Played the Pi- Some writers from the out- on her battle with diabetes. during World War II.q

‘American Dirt’ Latino backlash part of long publishing war

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS because — it was being don’t get it,” said Kanellos. viewed civil rights lead-
Associated Press heralded by many in the Cummins, author of three ers Dr. Hector P. Garcia
During a trip to Mexico to book community as a vital previous books, has faced and John J. Herrera in her
visit family, writer Myriam new work on the Southern criticism for previously research into discrimina-
Gurba took “American border crisis. It was praised identifying as white but tion in Texas. John Stein-
Dirt,” a novel about im- by novelist Don Winslow mentioning her Puerto Ri- beck enjoyed a following
migration and cartel vio- as a modern “Grapes of can grandparent as the among Mexican Ameri-
lence that was being tout- Wrath.” The novel has novel got closer to publi- cans for his stories set in
ed as one of the biggest become a flashpoint in cation. “You don’t get to Northern California.
U.S. releases of 2020. The debates over who gets bring out your Puerto Rican And in 1974, California-
writer was of mostly white published, how reputa- abuela when it’s conve- born John Nichols was
descent, and Gurba felt tions are formed, and who nient,” said Daisy Hernán- praised for his novel “The
the book didn’t ring true. can tell which stories in an dez, a Colombia Ameri- Milagro Beanfield War,”
“I was reading the book industry — from publishers can writer who teaches which explored the com-
in Parque Revolución in and editors to booksellers writing at Miami University plicated relationship be-
Guadalajara. I’d look up and agents — that is pre- of Ohio and wrote a 2014 tween Hispanics and
and see real Mexico,” said dominantly white. memoir, “A Cup of Water whites in northern New
Gurba, of Long Beach, Nicolas Kanellos, founder Under My Bed.” Mexico and the battle This cover image released
California. “I’d look down and publisher of Houston- In the past, some white over water rights. by Flatiron Books shows
back at the book and see based Arte Publico Press, writers have received ac- Others, like T. C. Boyle and "American Dirt," a novel by
fake Mexico.” the largest publisher of claim for their portrayal D.H. Lawrence, faced criti- Jeanine Cummins.
Since before its publica- Hispanic literature in the of Latinos in the U.S. Edna cism for stereotypical por- Associated Press
tion, “American Dirt,” by U.S., said a lot of the anger Ferber, a Michigan-born trayal of Latinos. introduced Chicano Stud-
Jeanine Cummins, gar- stems from the exclusion Jewish novelist, was widely Bernadine Hernández, an ies and created a more
nered suspicion and criti- of Latino writers by major admired by some Latinos English professor at the critical Latino reading au-
cism from many Latino publishers. “This has been for her portrayal of Mexi- University of New Mexico, dience.
writers and activists at the going on for decades and can Americans in her 1952 said that since those ear-
same time — and partly these New York publishers novel “Giant.” She inter- lier books, colleges have Continued on Page 31