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Amidst a few technical difficulties, an awkward triumph, a few genuine tears, and a truly speechless speech, the LA Times Book Prize winners were announced last night at The Times’ Chandler Auditorium. LAT Book Editor, David Ulin, presided over the festivities and opened the ceremony with a warm welcome to “book nerds.”
So who won?
• Mystery/Thriller - The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
• Science & Technology - The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom by Graham Farmelo
• Current Interest - Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
• First Fiction - American Rust by Philip Meyer
• Biography - Dorthea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits by Linda Gordon
• Graphic Novel - Asterios Polyp by David Mazzuchelli
• Poetry - “Practical Water” by Brenda Hillman
• Fiction - A Happy Marriage by Rafael Yglesias
• History - Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance 1950 - 1963 by Kevin Starr
• Young Adult Literature - Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Patridge
Dave Eggers also took the Innovators Award home & Evan S. Connell received the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement.
So how close did we come with some of our book prize predictioning? So-so. We thought Rafael Yglesias had a great chance to win, but weren’t feeling American Rust, so Philip Meyer’s win was a surprise. We’re thrilled, however, that David Mazzuchelli won for his stunning graphic novel Asterios Polyp and we’re still a bit giddy that graphic novels are now an official category for the LAT Book Prizes. That, in our book (pun intended), was the biggest win of the night.