Ambassador Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 14 (1999) Winner
Edward Ball
エドワード・ボール
Edowādo Bōru
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1958-01-01 （Savannah, Georgia, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Savannah, Georgia → South Carolina → Florida → Louisiana
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Journalist, Teacher
- Active Years
- 1987-
- Affiliations
- Yale University (lecturer/visiting), State University of New York (lecturer/visiting)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University | — | — | B.A. | — | United States |
| University of Iowa | — | — | M.A. | — | United States |
Brown University
Degree:
B.A.
Year of Graduation:
1982
Country:
United States
University of Iowa
Degree:
M.A.
Year of Graduation:
1984
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | National Book Award (Nonfiction) | Slaves in the Family | ノンフィクション | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1999 | Southern Book Award | — | — | — | 受賞（出典要確認） |
| 2016 | Radcliffe Fellow (Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study) | — | フェローシップ | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University | フェロー |
| 2015 | Cullman Center Fellowship | — | フェローシップ | Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, New York Public Library | フェロー |
| 2015 | NEH Public Scholar Grant | — | 助成 | National Endowment for the Humanities | 助成 |
National Book Award (Nonfiction)
1998
Work:
Slaves in the Family
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
受賞
Southern Book Award
1999
Result:
受賞（出典要確認）
Radcliffe Fellow (Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study)
2016
Category:
フェローシップ
Organization:
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
Result:
フェロー
Cullman Center Fellowship
2015
Category:
フェローシップ
Organization:
Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, New York Public Library
Result:
フェロー
NEH Public Scholar Grant
2015
Category:
助成
Organization:
National Endowment for the Humanities
Result:
助成
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Slaves in the Family
1998 History / Family history / NonfictionA deeply reported nonfiction account tracing the Ball family's history of plantation slavery in the American South and locating descendants of the enslaved to reconstruct family histories.
SlaveryFamily historyMemory and legacyRace relations
The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the South
2001 History / BiographyTraces the history of the Harleston family, descendents of a white Southern planter and his black cook, who rose to prominence in art and music during the Jazz Age.
Racial mixingClass mobilityCulture and the arts
Peninsula of Lies: A True Story of Mysterious Birth and Taboo Love
2004 Nonfiction / BiographyThe life of English writer Gordon Hall (later Dawn Langley Simmons), one of the early sex-reassignment patients, and the complex human stories around gender transition and relationships.
Sex and genderSocial stigmaPersonal identity
The Genetic Strand: Exploring a Family History Through DNA
2007 Nonfiction / Science / Family historyDocuments using DNA analysis on a 150-year-old family collection of children's hair to reveal genetic information and illuminate family history.
GeneticsFamily reconstructionEvidence and history
The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures
2013 Biography / HistoryExplores the relationship between photographer Eadweard Muybridge and railroad magnate Leland Stanford, including a murder and the development of motion picture technology.
History of technologyCrime and trialVisual culture
Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy
2020 History / Family history / Race studiesFocuses on Ball's maternal ancestor Constant Lecorgne to examine the complex racial history of New Orleans and Louisiana and the genealogy of white supremacy within a family.
White supremacyFamily historyRacial passing
Bibliography
- Slaves in the Family
- The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the South
- Peninsula of Lies: A True Story of Mysterious Birth and Taboo Love
- The Genetic Strand: Exploring a Family History Through DNA
- The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures
- Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Thoroughly researched nonfictionNarrative that intersects family history and social historyAnalytical style that foregrounds facts and personal involvement
- Recurring Motifs
- Family secrets and inheritanceIntersection of race and classRecovery of memory and testimony
Legacy
Edward Ball has been praised for using his family's history to illuminate slavery and racism at a micro level. Winning the National Book Award and other recognition has influenced reexamination of family histories and Southern U.S. history.
Quotes
-
“The sins and stains of the past are still very much with us, not something we can dismiss by blaming them on misguided ancestors who died long ago.”
Source: Time (review, 2020) (2020) -
“I am an heir to Constant's acts of terror. I do not deny it, and the bitter truth makes me sick at the stomach.”
Source: Quoted by the author in interviews/reviews (2020)
Trivia
- Official website: edwardball.com
- Has taught at Yale University and SUNY
- Won the 1998 National Book Award (Nonfiction) for Slaves in the Family