Winners of the 7th annual Arab American Book Awards have been announced
by sernabad
The Arab American National Museum announced the winners of their Arab American Book Awards. Established in 2006 in collaboration with the University of Toledo, these awards honor books in three categories -- fiction, poetry, and non-fiction -- that were written by Arab American authors who celebrate, research, and promote their cultures.
This year's fiction award went to Diana Abu-Jaber, for her 2011 novel, Birds of Paradise. The Muir family in Miami, FL, know five years of pure hell when their 13-year-old daughter, Felice, runs away. Felice, now 18, struggles with continuing to hide her secret or risk losing her family forever. Abu-Jaber's 2007 mystery, Origin, received Honorable Mention in the 2008 Arab American Book Awards.
Anthony Shadid, the Pulitzer Prize journalist and Middle East correspondent for the New York Times, was posthumously awarded AABA's Lifetime Achievement designation. Shadid's February 26, 2012 death in Syria due to asthma, was a devastating loss.
For a full list of the awards and Honorable mentions, look here.
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