Pulitzer Book Club Inclusion Guide
INCLUSION MILESTONES
1977
• Janet Guthrie first woman to race in Indianapolis 500
• Andrew Young America's first African American UN ambassador
AUTHOR INSPIRATIONS
Alex Haley wins a Pulitzer Special Citation “for Roots, the story of a black family from its origins in Africa through seven generations to the present day in America.”
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Featured Reader
No Pulitzer Fiction Award. Alex Haley wins Citation for “Roots.”
Roots was promoted as “faction.”
“Roots” is 704 pages; 30 listening hours.
"Richard T. Baker, who administers the prizes on behalf of Columbia University, said that no prizes were given in these two categories because no recommendation “was clearly leading the pack.” - New York Times, April 19, 1977
“There was speculation that one of the reasons no prize had been awarded was that one of the three fiction jurists, Jean Stafford the novelist, suffered a stroke during the period that the jury was studying entries.” - New York Times, April 19, 1977
Serve multiple versions of the same thing and vote for the winner. Next, serve completely different things and try to identify the winner.
“He described it as a ‘thin year, not a banner year’ for both fiction and international reporting.” - New York Times, April 19, 1977
The campus of Columbia University where the Pulitzer Prize Committee votes.
Talk about America’s winner/loser culture.
Cruise to nowhere.
“Roots” TV Mini-series 1977, 2016
“According to sources, the fiction jury's first recommendation went to “A River Runs Through It,” a collection of short stories by Norman Maclean published by the University of Chicago Press. The second choice was “October Light” by John Gardner.” - New York Times, April 19, 1977