The National Book Award winners will be announced soon, and I happen to have read two of the five fiction finalists already. A while back, I had the chance to chat with two former judges and, in addition to exceptional writing, they mentioned factoring in the conversations that the nation was having in the moment. How could this book contribute meaningfully to ongoing discussions, they'd ask. That framework has added dimensions to how I ponder what I've read. Julián Delgado Lopera's Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You remarks on the dignity of queer lives in incredible ways, and Valeria Luiselli's Beginning, Middle, End speaks wisely to life's cycles and the movement of peoples for personal and political reasons. In the end, I'd be a terrible judge, because I want everyone to win.
The 77th National Book Awards Ceremony will be live-streamed on Wednesday, November 18, at 8 p.m. EST.