"Manhattan Beach," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," receive 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

DENVER, Feb. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Library Association (ALA) selects "Manhattan Beach," by Jennifer Egan, published by Scribner, as the winner of the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir," by Sherman Alexie, published by Little, Brown, as the winner of the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The selections were announced this evening at the Reference and User Services Association's Book and Media Awards (BMAs) sponsored by NoveList, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.

The awards, established in 2012, serve as a guide to help adults select quality reading material. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by the American Library Association and reflect the expert judgment and insight of library professionals and booksellers who work closely with adult readers.

"My sincere congratulations to this year's winners of the Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction and to the award committee for selecting such noteworthy titles," said ALA President Jim Neal. "Today's selections illustrate how the expertise of librarians and library staff can help lead efforts to support adult literacy by identifying titles that resonate with adult readers.  Today's medal selections will serve as a guide for those who are looking for the best of the best in fiction and nonfiction for adult readers, thus transforming lives through education and lifelong learning."

Alexie's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir," presents a courageous, enlightening, anguished, and funny memoir told in prose and poetry that pays tribute to his Spokane Indian mother and reveals many complex traumas and tragedies of reservation life, as well as his own struggles.

From New York mobsters to the first woman diver at the Brooklyn Naval Station during WWII to the archetypally motley crew of a merchant-marine ship in U-boat-infested waters, Egan's "Manhattan Beach," is an insightful and propulsive saga that portrays complex and intriguing individuals navigating the rising tides of war.

"It has been an honor to be part of the dedicated committee selecting the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medal winners," said Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Selection Committee Chair Victoria Caplinger. "We are very excited to finally get to share this news – it has been hard keeping it to ourselves! We hope many readers enjoy these books – both the winners and the finalists – as much as we have."

2018 nonfiction finalists include "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner," by Daniel Ellsberg, published by Bloomsbury; and "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI," by David Grann, published by Doubleday.

The 2018 fiction finalists include "Lincoln in the Bardo," by George Saunders, published by Random House; and "Sing, Unburied, Sing," by Jesmyn Ward, published by Scribner.

The Carnegie Medal winner announcements take place during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, which now offer all ALA book and media award announcements in the same 24 hours, with the Book & Media Awards (BMA) preceding the ALA Youth Media Award (YMA) announcements. Carnegie Medal winners will each receive $5,000. All the finalists will be honored during a celebratory event at ALA's 2018 Annual Conference in New Orleans.

The Medals are made possible, in part, by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in recognition of Andrew Carnegie's deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world and are co-sponsored by ALA's Booklist and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

Annotations and more information on the awards can be found at http://www.ala.org/carnegieadult. Also, book cover artwork is available for download at  http://tinyurl.com/CarnegieMedalsArtwork.

About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation's work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy. 

About Booklist
Booklist is the book review magazine of the American Library Association, considered an essential collection development and readers' advisory tool by thousands of librarians for more than 100 years. Booklist Online includes a growing archive of 160,000+ reviews available to subscribers as well as a wealth of free content offering the latest news and views on books and media.

About Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, is a member community engaged in advancing the practices of connecting people to resources, information services, and collections, building relationships among members from all types of libraries, encouraging openness, innovation, and idea sharing, and promoting excellence in library services and resources.

About ALA
Established in 1876, the American Library Association (ALA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created to provide leadership in the transformation and the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services as well as the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

SOURCE American Library Association