Congratulations to Heather Smith and Leanne Simpson whose books BARRY SQUIRES, FULL TILT (Penguin Teen) and NOOPIMING (House of Anansi) have been longlisted for the 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award!
Sponsored by the Dublin City Council and now in its 27th year, books are nominated for the award by libraries from around the world. The Dublin Literary Award recognizes excellence in world literature. The shortlist will be unveiled on 22nd March and the winner will be announced by Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland, on 19th May 2022, as part of the opening day of International Literature Festival Dublin, which is also funded by Dublin City Council.
Librarian’s Comments about BARRY SQUIRES:
“Barry Squires has a port wine birthmark on his face. This both marks him as special but also foreshadows the cruelty of a random and indifferent universe. Barry Squires: Full Tilt by Heather Smith is a rare young adult book which deals with a riotously funny yet sensitive teenaged boy. This novel follows Barry as he copes (or doesn’t) with family strife, bullying, class and racial divisions, and even greater tragedy. A well-drawn community surrounds and supports Barry and his family as they get knocked down and struggle back up again in a story that refuses to give up its optimistic bent, even in the very darkest of times. Barry Squires is a kid you will never forget.
Barry Squires: Full Tilt by Heather Smith has been longlisted for the 2020 Winterset award and is a CBC Best Book (Young Adult) among many other accolades. Through this and previous works, Heather Smith has established herself as one of the leading young adult authors in Canada.”
St. John’s Public Libraries (Provincial Resources Division), Canada
Heather Smith is represented by Amy Tompkins.
Librarian’s Comments about NOOPIMING:
Noopiming: a Cure for White Women by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a beautiful and important story about Indigenous life in the urban settler world, colonialism, climate change and connection. This is a challenging book, both in content and form, that presents timely and vital topics in a way that defies the reader’s expectations of how to read a novel. Simpson sketches out a cast of characters with deft, spare strokes—her confidence and control of language is exemplified in the minimalism of her prose. Noopiming is otherworldly, serious and often funny; this is a book that will break your heart and make you think.
Ottawa Public Library, Canada
Leanne Simpson is represented by Marilyn Biderman.
See the full list of nominees here: https://dublinliteraryaward.ie/book-category/2022/