National Book Festival

It's been almost two weeks since my sister and I attended the Library of Congress National Book Festival in D.C. https://loc.gov/events/2019-national-book-festival/about-this-event/  My initial thoughts were negative so I'm glad that I've been on the road for a couple of weeks visiting family and have had time to temper my initial reactions. Having participated in so many reading festival in southwest Florida I do understand how important logistics are and am now surprised that I underestimated how the LOC would handle the overwhelming response to the appearance of the Notorious RBG!

Though we arrived by ten in the morning for Richard Ford's American Literature Award, planning to hang out in the four thousand seat auditorium for Ruth Ginsburg's 11:30 presentation, it was not to be. The crowd control police wouldn't even let us go up the stairs to get in line. Once I got over my disappointment I realized that I'd be able to attend smaller events and actually got to hear so many wonderful authors, many of whom I've had the pleasure of reviewing in the past, and a couple of whom I will be reviewing soon.

Within a few weeks the LOC website should be updated with video of all the speakers and you'll be able to enjoy them for yourselves. Last year, when working on the best of literary fiction for Library Journal, I read "The Incendiaries" by R.O. Kwan. She was on a panel with Valeria Luiselli whose new novel, "The Lost Children Archive," is sitting on my desk at home awaiting my return and attention. It is a potential candidate for "best of" this year. 

Initially I didn't feel that the two books had that much in common. The Luiselli is a timely take on the current immigration crisis on the southern border while Kwon's novel centers more on a crisis of faith. Still, narrator Aminata Forna whose glorious novel "Happiness" was one of my top ten choices last year, managed to correlate the two as mediations on the discomfort of so-called outsiders as they desperately try to assimilate, fly under the radar, and adjust to the often unfair assumptions of others. All three authors have international backgrounds, having been born in, raised in, and traveled through many different countries on their paths to the United States, a fact that informs their work with an enviable worldliness.

In keeping with theme of the immigrant experience of displacement was the fascinating interview with Bengali author Amitav Ghosh whose latest novel,

"Gun Island," come out this week. This is one I'm really looking forward to reading. Human trafficking, devastating climate change, the plight of the immigrant. Serious subjects wrapped up in Ghosh's inimitable combination of fantasy and history taking readers through time and across nations. Mr. Ghosh spoke passionately about the destruction of our planet and the need for writers of fiction to address this human problem, giving a shout out to Richard Powers and "The Overstory." 

More on the afternoon's presentations soon. Must go download a boarding pass now and make a last stop at my favorite bagel place before flying home tomorrow. Happy reading!