It’s one embarrassment after another for this year’s National Book Awards.
First, they name the wrong book in the shortlist for the Young People’s Literature award, announcing “Shine” by Lauren Myracle as a nominee instead of “Chime” by Franny Billingsley.
Soon after the announcement, they put out a statement adding “Chime” to the shortlist, saying that there would be six titles instead of five in that category this year.
Today, one week after that debacle, Lauren Myracle has withdrawn her book from the awards, citing pressure from the National Book Foundation, who manage the awards, as her reason for doing so.
Myracle, whose book is about the discrimination of gay youth in schools, voiced her support for the shortlisted authors, and added that “When I received the initial call about Shine being a finalist, I was humbled and honored to be in the company of such amazing authors.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/17/lauren-myracle-withdraws-national-book-awards_n_1015649.html