Using Awards Lists as a RA Tool: Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award [w/ a Carnegie Medal Update]

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.  

The Mark Twain House announced its annual American Voice in Literature Award and this year the award went to a HORROR novel--- The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. 

Click here to go to the award announcement 

I will remind you that I was very clear at the end of 2020 that this novel was the not only the best novel in any genre that I had read last year, it was actually the best novel I read period, in many years. 

Two things form this announcement I wanted to share with you:

1. Horror can be considered literature and even the "voice" of our country. Any genre can. Genre bias, hate, and disparagement are all problematic for a variety of reasons. I hope this win allows everyone to take Horror more seriously. And don't be mistaken, this is a Horror novel. Yes it is also lyrical and though provoking, but there is terror, bloody action sequences, and a terrifying tone sustained throughout. You don't get to call it "literary" Horror. It is just Horror.
2. I had no idea about this award and now that I have learned about it, I want to make sure all of you do too, because it an awesome example of the entire thesis of this series-- that awards lists make the best RA tool.

While I am over the moon excited about this win for a great novel and an even better human, I want to focus on that second point because if I was unaware of this prize, which has been given out since 2016, I am guessing you are too.

Also, the Mark Twain House and Museum website has NO archive of past award announcements and winners, so I have finagled a link that can get you more information by running a search, here. And even that search is not comprehensive. This is probably why more people are not aware of this award. If there is not archive of past nominees and winners, it is very hard to get the word out and use it as a tool.

What is legible for this award? According to the 2021 announcement:

The MTAVL goes to the work of fiction published in the previous calendar year (in this case, 2020) that best exemplifies or expresses a uniquely American voice, much in the way that Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does. Author David Baldacci, a trustee and generous supporter of the museum, is the impetus behind and benefactor of the MTAVL and will present the award.

Here is a list of some of the titles that have won or have been long listed:

• Deacon King Kong by James McBride
• Sea Wife by Amity Gage
• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones 
• The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 
• Less by Andrew Sean Greer 
• Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekeran
• Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney 
• Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
• The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle, inaugural winner

This list is not exhaustive, but it is impressive. The popularity and critical acclaim of these titles is staggering. They also represent the breadth of experience of being an "American" as well as representing many genres. 

This list is a treasure trove of highly readable, critically acclaimed titles that you can suggest with confidence. It would make a great display. 

These titles would never be considered readalikes in the traditional sense of matching their appeal factors, but they are all united by being considered as representative of the "American Voice."

I also like this idea of "American Voice" as a display that can cross genres and identities. Play with that at your library too. 

Finally, a bonus announcement. Here is an update to my post on the long list for the Carnegie Medal. The three finalists in fiction and three in nonfiction were named here. But don't forget about the HUGE long list for your RA purposes.

Click here to access the award homepage