2010 National Book Awards: more surprises

The first big surprise came during the nomination period: The 2010 National Book Awards completely overlooked Jonathan Franzen's bestselling novel "Freedom."

But there was more to follow when the winners were announced Wednesday night in New York. Jaimy Gordon, a novelist currently living and teaching in Kalamazoo, Mich., won the NBA for fiction for her fourth novel, "Lord of Misrule." Gordon was clearly the underdog in the fiction category. Her novel, about a racetrack in a down-and-out West Virgina town, was released only days ago by a small indy publisher. Gordon's victory was a long shot, particularly given the high marquee value of her competiton, which included big names like Peter Carey and Nicole Krauss.

In the nonfiction category, rocker Patti Smith not only took the prize for her memoir "Just Kids," but is also reported to have nearly brought the house down with her acceptance speech, during which she tearfully stated: "There is nothing more beautiful than the book" and then pleaded: "Please don't abandon the book."

In addition, Pittsburgh poet Terrance Hayes won the NBA poetry award for her book "Lighthead" and the award for young people's literature went to Kathryn Erskine for her book "Mockingbird."

The complete list of finalists for the 2010 National Book Awards included:

Fiction:
Peter Carey, "Parrot and Olivier in America"
Jaimy Gordon,"Lord of Misrule"
Nicole Krauss, "Great House"
Lionel Shriver, "So Much for That"
Karen Tei Yamashita, "I Hotel"

Nonfiction:
Barbara Demick, "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea"
John W. Dower, "Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, 9-11, Iraq"
Patti Smith, "Just Kids"
Justin Spring, "Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward"
Megan K. Stack, "Every Man in This Village Is a Liar: An Education in War"

Poetry:
Kathleen Graber, "The Eternal City"
Terrance Hayes, "Lighthead"
James Richardson, "By the Numbers"
C.D. Wright, "One with Others"
Monica Youn, "Ignatz"

Young People’s Literature:
Paolo Bacigalupi, "Ship Breaker"
Kathryn Erskine, "Mockingbird"
Laura McNeal, "Dark Water"
Walter Dean Myers, "Lockdown"
Rita Williams-Garcia, "One Crazy Summer"

Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor's book editor.

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