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National Book Awards
By Maddy Art
On Wednesday night, the National Book Awards were presented. While Ali Benjamin (see our second post) unfortunately did not win her category, other wonderful literature was honored. In the nonfiction category, Ta-Nehisi Coates won with his novel Between the World and Me. Between the World and Me takes the form of a letter written to his son about life as a black man in America. It reflects on historical and modern racial inequality. In the fiction category, Adam Johnson took the prize for his collection of short stories, Fortune Smiles. “Nirvana,” the first story, follows the husband of a woman suffering a rare disease. To cope, he creates a hologram of the United States President, who was recently assassinated. The next piece, “Interesting Facts,” focuses on the mental struggles of a woman living with cancer. Then there’s "George Orwell Was a Friend of Mine," “Hurricanes Anonymous,” and the title story, “Fortune Smiles.” Neal Shusterman was the winner for Young People’s Literature with his YA novel Challenger Deep. Inspired by his son’s struggles, Challenger Deep realistically portrays the awfulness of mental illnesses while still captivating readers with its plot. Following the role of black women in society throughout history, Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis took the poetry title. Despite Benjamin not winning the overall title, the fact that she reached the shortlist is an incredible achievement. Congratulations, Ali Benjamin!!
The Paris Attacks
by Rose Gotlieb
You’ve probably heard about the tragedy in Paris, either from our update or other sources. If you haven’t, here’s a glance:
Last Friday, at least 128 people were killed in Paris, France, after numerous terrorist attacks. These attacks included suicide bombings, gunmen openly shooting, hostage situations, and an attempted assassination of the French president… along with the 80,000 people watching a soccer match with him. Luckily, the last catastrophe was stopped - but France and the rest of the world still mourns 128 deaths.
What happened to the hostages? The French President declared a state of emergency and closed the borders. President Obama said he would support “our oldest ally” (France). The french police attacked the concert hall in which the hostages were being kept. Later, a french police official reported that there were at least 100 deaths. The terrorists were finally overpowered and the hostages released. ISIS, an islamic terrorist group, then claimed responsibility.
What’s happened since then? Well, simply put… a lot. Obama offered to take in Syrian refugees, though many governors don’t agree. Europe’s divide over the migrant crisis is becoming deeper after passport discovered next to a terrorist’s body suggested that the terrorist had come in with one of the waves of migrants. It is, however, unclear if it was dropped there, or if ISIS deliberately placed it there to create suspicions against the refugees. The French launched multiple airstrikes against ISIS following the attacks.
Who do they think did it? Well, ISIS. Abdelhamid Abaaoud is believed to have been the ringleader of the Paris attacks. He was killed on Wednesday in a hail of bullets. But nobody is quite sure if he was the only chief operative. A few of the terrorists were French citizens, even born and raised there.
It has been said that this is the most serious terrorist attack in Paris since World War II. The president has declared France in a state of war. Keep Paris and all of Europe in your thoughts.
To read more about the attacks themselves, read our mid-week post titled “Paris.”
Excellent coverage!
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