Urrea nominated for book critics’ award
Luis Alberto Urrea’s sprawling, multigenerational novel, “The House of Broken Angels,” has been nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction. Urrea, who lives in Naperville, is among 31 finalists in six categories recognizing exemplary books of 2018.
The NBCC also nominated Adam Zagajewski’s “Asymmetry” in the poetry category. The collection was translated from Polish by Clare Cavanagh, a Northwestern University professor who won a 2010 NBCC Award for her book “Lyric Poetry and Modern Politics: Russia, Poland, and the West.”
Winners will be announced March 14. In addition to the six categories of nominees, the NBCC will present the John Leonard Prize for an outstanding first book to Tommy Orange for his debut novel, “There There.” Maureen Corrigan, perhaps best known for her contributions to NPR’s “Fresh Air,” will receive the 2018 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing.
For a full list of nominees, visit bookcritics.org.
Local book events
Jan. 28: Unwatchable. Nicholas Baer, Maggie Hennefeld, Laura Horak, W.J.T. Mitchell and Jonathan Rosenbaum will discuss what it means to proclaim something “unwatchable” in today’s media-saturated environment — a question at the center of a new collection of essays. 6 p.m., Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. semcoop.com
Jan. 28: Adam Frank. Frank will discuss the search for alien life and his new book, “Light of the Stars.” The program is part of the One Book, One Chicago season centered on Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” 6 p.m., Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. chipublib.org
Jan. 29: Tim Johnston. Johnston will discuss “The Current,” his follow-up to his best-selling debut, “Descent.” 6:30 p.m., The Book Stall, 811 Elm St., Winnetka. thebookstall.com Jan. 30: Storytelling: Am I Man Enough? A storytelling show and podcast that examines “the culture of toxic masculinity and the construction of manhood.” Features Maya Haughton, LeVan D. Hawkins, Himabindu Poroori, Anne Purky, Tony Ho Tran and Wil Whedbee. 7 p.m., Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St. $5 suggested donation. womenandchildrenfirst.com
Jan. 30: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. The two authors of “The Wife Between Us” are back to discuss their new thriller, “An Anonymous Girl.” 7 p.m., Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville. andersonsbookshop.com Jan. 30: Eboo Patel. He will discuss his book “Out of Many Faiths: Religious Diversity and the American Promise.” 7 p.m., Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave., Evanston. thebookstall.com Jan. 31: Bob Lederer. He is the author of “Beyond Broadway Joe: The Super Bowl Team that Changed Football.” 6:30 p.m., The Book Stall, 811 Elm St., Winnetka. thebookstall.com
Feb. 1: Daisy Johnson with Laura Adamczyk. Johnson will discuss her novel, “Everything Under” with Adamczyk, who was profiled in the Tribune last summer for her debut story collection, “Hardly Children.” 7 p.m., Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St. womenandchildrenfirst.com
Feb. 2: Anna-Lisa Cox. She will discuss African-American pioneers and her 2018 book, “The Bone and Sinew of the Land.” 1 p.m., Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St. chipublib.org
Feb. 2: Nisi Shawl on the Legacy of Octavia E. Butler. Shawl edited “New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color,” due out this spring. The program is part of the One Book, One Chicago season centered on Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” 2:30 p.m., Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St. chipublib.org Do you have local book news to share? Tell us about it at books@chicagotribune.com.