Books by popular Catholic author and Jesuit priest James Martin and biographer Eric Metaxas were among those honored at the 62nd Christopher Awards given at a banquet in New York on May 19.
The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything (HarperOne) earned Martin a second Christopher Award. Metaxas’s Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Thomas Nelson) earned yet another honor; that book has also been named Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and the author won the 2011 Canterbury Medal, awarded by the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom. Other Christopher-winning books for adults include: Thea’s Song: The Life of Thea Bowman (Orbis Books) by Charlene Smith and John Feister; Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House); and Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow (Penguin Press).
Four books for young readers on subjects from history to angels also were awarded Christophers: Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion by acclaimed author Mo Willems(Balzer & Bray/Harper Collins); Would You Still Love Me If… by writer Wendy LaGuardia and illustrator Patricia Keeler (Summit Capital Group); Brother Jerome and the Angels in the Bakery written by PBS cooking show host Father Dominic Garramone and illustrated by Richard Bernal (Reedy Press); and Lafayette and the American Revolution by Russell Freedman (Holiday House Books).
The nonprofit Christophers organization is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. Its awards program recognizes works that spotlight positive contributions to humanity.
