UofM’s Hooks Institute Announces 2019 Hooks National Book Award Finalists
February 26, 2020 - The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis has selected the following finalists for the 2019 Hooks National Book Award:
* Biased: Uncovering The Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think and Do by Dr. Jennifer L. Eberhardt
* The Fire is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley, Jr. and the Debate over Race
in America by Dr. Nicholas Buccola
* Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White by Dr. William Sturkey
* Occupied Territory: Policing Black Chicago from Red Summer to Black Power by Dr. Simon Balto
* Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
The award winner will be chosen this summer by a panel of judges representing various disciplines and academic institutions in Memphis. The book award winner will speak at an event on the UofM campus.
“There were 30 nominees for the 2019 Hooks National Book Award,” said Aram Goudsouzian, UofM professor of history and Hooks Institute National Book Award chair. “It was an exceptionally deep pool of quality books this year, including many books from some of the top university presses in the United States, as well as from prominent trade publishing houses. They were based in many different genres, including history, social science, memoir, biography, political science, African American studies, religious studies and literary analysis. Reflecting the breadth of the impact of the civil rights movement, they covered a huge range of subjects from policing to intellectual history, sports to politics, activism to faith. Though it was exceptionally difficult to choose five finalists, these books distinguished themselves for their scholarly rigor, intellectual impact and wide accessibility.”
About the Hooks National Book Award
The Hooks Institute’s National Book Award is presented to a non-fiction book published in the calendar year that best furthers understanding of the American civil rights movement and its legacy.
Hooks National Book Award Committee
The Hooks Institute extends its gratitude to the 2019 Hooks National Book Award committee. In addition to Goudsouzian, it includes Beverly Cross, Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence in Urban Education at the UofM; Charles McKinney, associate professor of History at Rhodes College; Ladrica Menson-Furr, UofM associate professor of English and director of African and African American Studies; Sharon Stanley, UofM professor of Political Science; and Terrence Tucker, UofM associate professor of English and coordinator of African American Literature.
For more information, visit memphis.edu/benhooks/programs/book-award.php.
About the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change
The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute implements its mission of teaching, studying and promoting civil rights and social change through research, education and direct intervention programs. Institute programs include community outreach; funding faculty research initiatives on community issues; implementing community service projects; hosting conferences, symposiums, and lectures; and promoting local and national scholarship on civil and human rights. The Hooks Institute is an interdisciplinary center at the University of Memphis. Contributed revenue for the Hooks Institute, including funding from individuals, corporations and foundations, is administered through the University of Memphis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.
CONTACT
Nathaniel C. Ball l 901.678.3655 | ncball@memphis.edu