Founded in 1931 during the depths of America’s Great Depression, the Commonwealth Club’s California Book Awards celebrated its 90th anniversary this year.
The purpose of the awards is to highlight the work of California authors – a praiseworthy goal at a time when the publishing industry (then and now) remains focused on East Coast writers.
Over the years, many of the most important voices in American literature, such as Joan Didion, Ishmael Reed, Amy Tan, Hector Tobar, and Viet Thanh Nguyen, have been honored with California Book Awards.
A recent story in the San Francisco Chronicle by L.A. Taggart explores this history and focuses on the stellar books chosen as this year’s winners. It was my great honor to serve on the nonfiction jury and to read many fine submissions from the Golden State
After months of reading, discussing, and debating, we awarded this year’s Gold Medal to historian Alice L. Baumgarten’s South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War, a revelatory work that compels us to rethink the reasons for the U.S. Civil War.
The silver medal in nonfiction went to Conor Dougherty’s deeply reported and empathetic Golden Gates: The Housing Crisis and a Reckoning for the American Dream. The Californiana award went to the father-son team of Richard White and Jesse Amble White for California Exposures: Envisioning Myth and History.
Julia at the 90th annual California Book Awards at the Commonwealth Club on August 16, 2021
One of the most touching moments in the awards ceremony came from Richard and Jesse’s video remarks. You can watch them here.
Serving on the jury was tough but rewarding work. The history of the West is a subject that fascinates me – especially as historians and public scholars unearth often deeply unsettling stories about California and the West.