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Books on my mindThe National Book Critics Circle announced the finalists for its book awards on January 23, 2010, in New York, along with the winner of the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award: Joyce Carol Oates. And the winner of the Nona Balakian Citation for Reviewing Excellence: Joan Acocella. I'm honored to have been one of four finalists for the Balakian award. We all worked hard on 'best of' lists for 2009, and inevitably one ends up feeling defeated. It's never possible to name every worthy book. One that has been on my mind lately, perhaps in light of all the babbling about e-books, is Francine Prose's brilliant Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, the Afterlife. As Prose investigates the heroic writing of Anne Frank's diary, Frank's artistry, and the profound legacy of her heartbreaking masterpiece, one can't help but think about the power of a book, as artifact and work of art. |