91´«Ã½

Seattle- The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2019 , an annual honor bestowed by the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) at 91´«Ã½’s Midwinter Meeting today in Seattle.

This year’s winner is Michael David Lucas, author of “” published by David, M. L. Spiegel & Grau (2018). Spanning time and place, Lukas weaves together three compelling life stories. Joseph, whose father was the last watchmen of the Old Cairo synagogue, embarks on a journey to discover his late father’s gift. Lukas merges history and fiction to help a son understand his heritage.

Honorable mentions include Ronen Bergman, author of “ published by Random House and Jeremy Dronfield, author of “, published by Chicago University Press.

The Sophie Brody Medal is given to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish Literature. Works for adults published in the United States in the preceding year are eligible for the award.

This year's winner and honor books were selected by the Sophie Brody Medal committee; Jo Schofield, Cuyahoga County Public Library, chair; Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland Public Library, retired; Erin Fishman, Loudoun County Public Library; Howard Fuller, Whatcom Community College; Stacey J. Hayman, Rocky River Public Library; Isabel Gordon Klein, Cuyahoga County Public Library; Eve A. Nyren, Placer County Library; and Patrick J. Wall, University City Public Library.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the 91´«Ã½, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services and collection materials they need. Learn more at