J. Anthony Lukas Award
Nonfiction
2000 A Clearing in the Distance by Witold Rybczynski
Known above all for his design of New York City's Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) contributed to the American urban landscape with a number of notable projects. He also wrote journalistic pieces on slavery and other current issues, and felt strongly about maintaining the country's national park system. Witold Rybczynski, author of several books on architecture and urban concerns, includes creative passages as if Olmsted were speaking. A New York Times Notable Book of 1999.
2001 The Chief by David Nasaw
Newly released personal and business correspondences with Hollywood moguls, American Presidents, showgirls and European dictators made possible this comprehensive biography of William Randolph Hearst, powerful millionaire newspaperman. Here, his childhood, untiring ambition, and love life are deeply explored, culminating in a study of his modern-day castle San Simeon, and Marion Davies, the woman he kept there.
2003 A Problem from Hell by Samantha Power
This study of genocide in the 20th century examines America's pattern of reluctance to intervene--including in the Holocaust, in Cambodia, and in Bosnia. A New York Times Notable Book for 2002.
2009 The Dark Side by Jane Mayer
In her investigation into the George W. Bush administration's War on Terror and the War in Iraq, journalist Jane Mayer provides stunning behind-the-scenes accounts of the decision-making process at the White House and the effects on those caught up in the conflicts. Mayer reveals how the White House claimed extraordinary powers, and rationalized them in questionable ways; she reveals exactly what happened to prisoners, and questions the value of torture as a means of gaining intelligence; and she examines just what effects this extra-legal actions had on our Constitution, the balance of power, and our country's standing in the world. Ultimately, Mayer questions whether the Bush administration squandered opportunity, and failed, ultimately, in the president's oath to defend the people of the United States and its Constitution. THE DARK SIDE was selected as a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award in Nonfiction and was also selected by the New York Times Book Review as one of its 10 Best Books of 2008.