Idaho Book of the Year Awards

Read Idaho authors awarded the 2021 Idaho Book of the Year Award in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Honorable Mention from the Idaho Library Association.

Fiction Winner: Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr

Cloud Cuckoo Land traces the history of a Greek manuscript across the world in five different storylines: from ancient Constantinople to modern-day Idaho, and even to a future place beyond the solar system. Beautifully crafted and expressive of much more than the surface interpretation of what is happening during these time periods, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a welcome addition to the body of Idaho literature.

Nonfiction Winner: Stranger Care: A Memoir of Loving What Isn’t Ours, by Sarah Sentilles

What does it mean to be a family? Sarah Sentilles bravely confronts this question as she and her husband foster a three-day-old baby for much of the young child’s early life. Sarah experiences the injustices and ambiguities inherent in the Idaho foster care system, as well as the genuine love and beauty found in witnessing a child develop. Woven throughout are passages comparing the events in the book with animal behavior, trees, and natural beauty.

Honorable Mention: What Beauty There Is, by Cory Anderson

In a bitter Idaho winter, Jack is driven by necessity to make a difficult choice. He meets a girl, Ava, who both has the key to the solution to his problems and knows the reason for them. Beautifully written, with stark descriptions and a clear sense of place, this Young Adult novel is worthy of an honorable mention.