The 74th Annual Christopher Awards are recognizing 12 books for adults and young people that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit,” the organization announced on Wednesday. Among the award winners is cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux whose memoir Wild Ride (Convergent) depicted her journey into space.
Another religion publisher, Orbis Books, also won a Christopher Award with Dawn Eden Goldstein’s Father Ed. The book examines the life of Jesuit priest Father Ed Dowling, S.J., the spiritual sponsor of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson who helped grow the recovery program among Catholics. Loyola's children's book, Remember us with Smiles, also earned a Christopher Award.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Books for Adults
American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard (Hachette)
And There Was Light by Jon Meacham (Random House)
Father Ed by Dawn Eden Goldstein (Orbis)
The Other Side of Yet by Michelle D. Hord (Atria)
Sisters of Mokama by Jyoti Thottam (Viking)
Wild Ride by Hayley Arceneaux’s (Convergent)
Books for Young People
Feathers From Above by Kathleen Davis, illustrated by Martyna Nejman (Davis Books)
Wolves Aren’t Welcome by Cheryl Benner, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler (Wild Iris Publishing),
Remember Us with Smiles by Grace and Gary Jansen, illustrated by Barbara Bongini (Loyola)
Growing an Artist by John Parra (A Paula Wiseman Book)
Alias Anna by Susan Hood with Greg Dawson (Harper Collins)
Devotion, YA edition by Adam Makos (Delacorte)
