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The Sophie Brody AwardThe Reference and User Services Association and Arthur Brody and the Brodart Foundation have established the Sophie Brody Medal, an award for the U.S. author of the most distinguished contribution to Jewish literature for adults. The award, which consists of a medal for the winner and citations for honor books, is funded by Arthur Brody and the Brodart Foundation, and is given to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature. Works of fiction and non-fiction for adults published in the United States in the preceding year will be eligible for the award. The first award was announced in January 2006 at the CODES Award Reception at Midwinter in San Antonio.
Current Medal Recipient
The award is named for Sophie Brody, a philanthropist and community volunteer who held major leadership positions in the Jewish community. She served as a member of the Executive Board and Board of the Women's Division of United Jewish Federation. With her husband Arthur, she created the Sophie Brody Leadership Development Fund to enable the United Jewish Federation to train future leaders for the Jewish community.
"By beginning the Brody Medal, Mr. Brody has not only honored his wife, Sophie, in a truly lovely way, he has established an award that recognizes the best writing in Jewish literature selected by librarians and intended for general readers," Neal Wyatt, chair of the RUSA Awards Coordinating Committee, stated. "This important award will bring attention to Jewish literature in a new way and allow readers and librarians to find more remarkable books to both read and suggest."
Criteria for SelectionIn the context of this award, Jewish literature will be defined as fiction, nonfiction, or poetry that has as its central purpose the exploration of the Jewish experience. The religious affiliation of the author will not be considered in the awarding of the medal or the honor books. In support of the stated purpose, the following criteria will be used to determine and select the winning title and any honor books:
- A book may be selected for at least one, and preferably more than one, of the following reasons:
- It possesses exceptional literary merit.
- It presents the many aspects of the Jewish experience through a lens that expands the reader's understanding.
- It explores Jewish characters, settings, themes, philosophies, or other identifiably Jewish aspects through a literary context.
- It broadens the understanding of the reader in regards to Jewish history, culture, and identity.
- Each book will be considered in relation to the general adult reader. Books requiring highly specialized knowledge for their use will not be eligible. Books will not be excluded on the basis of their unsuitability for younger readers. Books intended for a younger audience but which hold wide appeal for adults and meet the selection criteria may also be considered.
- Guidelines for Awarding Honor Books--The Sophie Brody Medal committee must award the Brody Medal to at least one book annually. There are no requirements for honor books to be awarded if the committee decides that honor books are not appropriate in a given year. Honor books should be chosen based on the same criteria used for the medal winner.
Each committee member is provided a manual that goes into further detail regarding the selection process.
SubmissionsThe Sophie Brody Medal committee is a standing committee of the CODES section of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) and is authorized by the CODES Executive committee. Its members are drawn from all types of libraries serving adults. The committee is made up of 12 librarians serving terms of two years. Each member's appointment may be renewed once with the agreement of the CODES vice-chair and the chair of the Sophie Brody Medal committee. Members are therefore eligible to serve for a total of four years. During the inaugural year of its work, the committee term will only run from August 2005 through January 2006. Once the first list has been created, the committee will be reorganized and formal terms will be established.
The chair of the Sophie Brody Medal committee is first appointed as vice-chair/chair elect of the committee and takes over as chair at the close of the Midwinter Conference. The chair serves a one-year term.
While ALA's committee and officer year begins at the end of the Annual Conference, because of the timing of the selection of the Sophie Brody Medal, members of the Sophie Brody Medal committee begin their term at the close of the Midwinter Conference. Committee members' terms end two years later, at the close of the Midwinter Conference, and upon completing the selection of their second winning title.
Please send any questions to: Sophie Brody Medal Committee, c/o Barbara M. Bibel, Reference Librarian, Oakland Public Library Main Library, 125 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612-4310.
Click here for the complete committee roster .
Recipients2006--Avner Mandelman, Talking to the Enemy, Seven Stories Press. Honorable Mentions: Michael Wex, Born to Kvetch, St. Martin's; Michael Lavigne, Not Me, Random House; and Tom Reiss, The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life, Random House.
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