New York – Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism have named the 2013 winners of the Lukas Prize Project Awards.
Andrew Solomon, an author with an interest in emotional health, has won the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize for work that explores what it’s like for children to be markedly “different” from their parents. Robert Caro, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, will receive the Mark Lynton History Prize for his profound understanding of Lyndon Johnson. The J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award was won by reporter Beth Macy for her book about a Virginia furniture factory owner threatened with the loss of his business.
Solomon’s book, “Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity” (Scribner), which judges described as “a tour de force of heart, head, shoe leather, and terrific writing, gives us a moving and deeply nuanced mural of the American family today.” As the winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, Solomon receives $10,000. One finalist was named: Cynthia Carr for “Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz” (Bloomsbury).
Caro won for “The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson” (Alfred A. Knopf). The judges cited Caro’s book for taking “readers to a pivotal moment in modern American history when the presidential ambitions of Lyndon Johnson are first thwarted and then tragically fulfilled. At once deeply researched and utterly absorbing, this book exemplifies the power of narrative history to enlighten and entertain.” The winner of the Mark Lynton History prize receives $10,000. The judges named one finalist: David Nasaw for “The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy” (Penguin Group).
Macy’s book, “Factory Man” (Little, Brown and Co.), won the Work-in-Progress Award. This prize is given to aid the completion of a significant work of nonfiction. The judges cited Macy, a newspaper reporter, for “…her extraordinary reporting and narrative skills,” which “come together in a compelling story about a gritty Virginia furniture maker who refuses to allow his family's company and its workers to become victims of globalization." The Work-in-Progress winner receives $30,000. The judges named one finalist: Jim Robbins for “37 Arguments for the Survival of Birds” (Random House).
Caro and Macy studied at Harvard University as Nieman Fellows — Caro in the class of 1966 and Macy in the class of 2010.
The awards will be presented to the winners and finalists on May 7, 2013 at a ceremony at Columbia University. Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation co-administer the awards.
About the J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project Awards
Established in 1998, the prizes recognize excellence in nonfiction that exemplify the literary grace and commitment to serious research and social concern that characterized the work of the awards’ Pulitzer Prize-winning namesake, J. Anthony Lukas, who died in 1997. One of the three Lukas Prize Project Awards, The Mark Lynton History Prize, is named for the late Mark Lynton, a business executive and author of Accidental Journey: A Cambridge Internee’s Memoir of World War II. Lynton was an avid proponent of the writing of history and the Lynton family has sponsored the Lukas Prize Project since its inception.
About the Nieman Foundation
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard educates journalism’s leaders and elevates the standards of the profession through special programs that convene scholars and experts in all fields. More than 1,300 accomplished and promising journalists from 92 countries have been awarded Nieman Fellowships since 1938. The foundation’s other initiatives include Nieman Reports, an influential quarterly magazine and website that explores contemporary challenges and opportunities in journalism; the Nieman Journalism Lab, a website that reports on the future of news, innovation and best practices in the digital media age; and Nieman Storyboard, a website that showcases exceptional narrative journalism and explores the future of nonfiction storytelling. www.nieman.harvard.edu.
About the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
For a century, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has prepared journalists with instruction and training that stresses academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry, and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer, the School opened in 1912 and offers master of science, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy degrees. Learn more at: www.journalism.columbia.edu.
Andrew Solomon, an author with an interest in emotional health, has won the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize for work that explores what it’s like for children to be markedly “different” from their parents. Robert Caro, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, will receive the Mark Lynton History Prize for his profound understanding of Lyndon Johnson. The J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award was won by reporter Beth Macy for her book about a Virginia furniture factory owner threatened with the loss of his business.
Solomon’s book, “Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity” (Scribner), which judges described as “a tour de force of heart, head, shoe leather, and terrific writing, gives us a moving and deeply nuanced mural of the American family today.” As the winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, Solomon receives $10,000. One finalist was named: Cynthia Carr for “Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz” (Bloomsbury).
Caro won for “The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson” (Alfred A. Knopf). The judges cited Caro’s book for taking “readers to a pivotal moment in modern American history when the presidential ambitions of Lyndon Johnson are first thwarted and then tragically fulfilled. At once deeply researched and utterly absorbing, this book exemplifies the power of narrative history to enlighten and entertain.” The winner of the Mark Lynton History prize receives $10,000. The judges named one finalist: David Nasaw for “The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy” (Penguin Group).
Macy’s book, “Factory Man” (Little, Brown and Co.), won the Work-in-Progress Award. This prize is given to aid the completion of a significant work of nonfiction. The judges cited Macy, a newspaper reporter, for “…her extraordinary reporting and narrative skills,” which “come together in a compelling story about a gritty Virginia furniture maker who refuses to allow his family's company and its workers to become victims of globalization." The Work-in-Progress winner receives $30,000. The judges named one finalist: Jim Robbins for “37 Arguments for the Survival of Birds” (Random House).
Caro and Macy studied at Harvard University as Nieman Fellows — Caro in the class of 1966 and Macy in the class of 2010.
The awards will be presented to the winners and finalists on May 7, 2013 at a ceremony at Columbia University. Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation co-administer the awards.
About the J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project Awards
Established in 1998, the prizes recognize excellence in nonfiction that exemplify the literary grace and commitment to serious research and social concern that characterized the work of the awards’ Pulitzer Prize-winning namesake, J. Anthony Lukas, who died in 1997. One of the three Lukas Prize Project Awards, The Mark Lynton History Prize, is named for the late Mark Lynton, a business executive and author of Accidental Journey: A Cambridge Internee’s Memoir of World War II. Lynton was an avid proponent of the writing of history and the Lynton family has sponsored the Lukas Prize Project since its inception.
About the Nieman Foundation
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard educates journalism’s leaders and elevates the standards of the profession through special programs that convene scholars and experts in all fields. More than 1,300 accomplished and promising journalists from 92 countries have been awarded Nieman Fellowships since 1938. The foundation’s other initiatives include Nieman Reports, an influential quarterly magazine and website that explores contemporary challenges and opportunities in journalism; the Nieman Journalism Lab, a website that reports on the future of news, innovation and best practices in the digital media age; and Nieman Storyboard, a website that showcases exceptional narrative journalism and explores the future of nonfiction storytelling. www.nieman.harvard.edu.
About the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
For a century, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has prepared journalists with instruction and training that stresses academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry, and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer, the School opened in 1912 and offers master of science, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy degrees. Learn more at: www.journalism.columbia.edu.
