The Thursday Book Beat: Wonder Woman’s “Secret History” Wins American History Book Prize

Photograph by Ardo Omer. Books. Reading. Thursday Book Beat.

Jill Lepore’s “The Secret History of Wonder Woman” awarded American History Book PrizeWonderWoman-77-Nicola Scott DC Comics 2014

Lepore’s in-depth look at the well-loved character’s history and influence was lauded by the New York Historical Society for its work in pushing “forward the frontiers of knowledge around the story of women’s rights as it retrieves crucial but forgotten history,” as society president Louise Mirrer explains. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s about time I bump this book up my reading list.

Algerian writer Assia Djebar dies at 78 in Paris

The lives of Arab women found a voice in Assia Djebar’s work, which included novels, poetry and plays. In 1996, she was awarded the Neustadt Prize for contributions to world literature, and her 1957 novel La Soif (The Mischief) was the first novel by an Algerian woman to be published outside Algeria.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine passes away

Levine was known for his poetry on the lives of the working class, capturing their experiences with vibrancy and understanding. While I have not read his work extensively, I do remember the day I read “A Woman Waking,” and it remains an excellent example of the careful solid way Levine would craft his poetry, reflecting the people it depicted.

Pharrell Williams signs deal for “Happy” picture books

Clap along: Williams’ first children’s book will be out on September 22 from Putnam Books for Young Readers (Penguin). It will feature photographs of children worldwide “celebrating what it means to be happy.”

Princeton University gifted 2,500 rare books valued at close to $300 million

A Gutenberg Bible and four Shakespeare folios? I might have to take a trip down to New Jersey just to flail over the generous gift William H. Scheide granted to Princeton after his death last November. This set of rare books also includes music written by Schubert, Wagner, and Bach, and will be kept and digitized in its new permanent home.

Karyn L. Freedman granted 2015 BC National Award for Canadian non-fiction

“…it’s a book about our collective failure to address the ways in which sexual violence shames and silences its victims and taints our society as a whole.”

Freedman accepted the award from the British Columbia Achievement Foundation and B.C. Minister of Education Peter Fassbender in Vancover on February 13. The honor given to One Hour in Paris: A True Story of Rape and Recovery is inspiring, a testament to the growing discussion about sexual violence and how society can work to remove that stigma.

Advertisements
Angel Cruz

Angel Cruz

Angel Cruz is a writer and boy band scholar. You can also find her at Book Riot for endless discussion and flailing over all things literature. Ice cream, Broadway musicals, and Arashi are her lifeblood.

One thought on “The Thursday Book Beat: Wonder Woman’s “Secret History” Wins American History Book Prize

  1. I just started Jill Lepore’s Wonder Woman book and I am loving it so far. The early chapters deal with lots of info regarding early American feminism. I love seeing how it ties in to Wonder Woman’s origin.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Close
Menu
WP Twitter Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com