Judy Blume, American Library Association (ALA) Receive Receive Honorary Prizes From National Book Critics Circle

From AP (Associated Press):

Lorrie Moore won the prize for fiction on Thursday, while Judy Blume and her longtime ally in the fight against book bans, the American Library Association were given honorary prizes by the National Book Critics Circle.

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Blume was the recipient of the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award.

The committee cited the way her novels including “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” have “inspired generations of young readers by tackling the emotional turbulence of girlhood and adolescence with authenticity, candor and courage.”

It also praised her role as “a relentless opponent of censorship and an iconic champion of literary freedom.”

The American Library Association was given the Toni Morrison Achievement Award, established to honor institutions for their contributions to book culture. The committee said the group had a “longstanding commitment to equity, including its 20th century campaigns against library segregation and for LGBT+ literature, and its perennial stance as a bulwark against those regressive and illiberal supporters of book bans.”

Learn More, Read the Complete Article (about 500 words)

View the Awards Ceremony  (Recorded March 21, 2024)

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