Press Releases
| For Immediate Release July 7, 2004 |
Contact: Elisabeth Irwin (202) 277-2034 |
2004 JAMES MADISON BOOK AWARD WINNER
$10,000 Award Goes to Book on Philadelphia’s 1793 Yellow Fever Epidemic and the Heroes Who Confronted the Crisis
PHILADELPHIA – Lynne Cheney announced today that An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 would receive the second annual James Madison Book Award. Mrs. Cheney presented author Jim Murphy the $10,000 prize in the sanctuary of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, an institution founded by one of the book’s heroes, Richard Allen. Youth from the summer program of Mother Bethel AME Church and the School Districtof Philadelphia attended the award presentation.
“Jim Murphy knows how to tell an important story in a compelling way,” said Mrs. Cheney. “An American Plague will help young readers see how fascinating the American past can be.”
Published in 2003 by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Company, An American Plague tells the story of an epidemic that devastated 18th century Philadelphia and the heroes who emerged to meet it. Among these individuals were members of the Free African Society, led by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, who cared for the sick and helpless when others abandoned them; Mayor Matthew Clarkson, who stayed to manage the distressed city; and Dr. Benjamin Rush, who put himself in danger to minister to the ill. Filled with a wealth of historical information, An American Plague teaches middle schoolers the everlasting importance of good will and courage.
Mrs. Cheney established the James Madison Book Award in April 2003 to present an annual prize of $10,000 to the book that best represents excellence in bringing knowledge and understanding of American history to children ages five to 14. To underwrite the award, Mrs. Cheney donated $100,000 from the profits of her children’s books, America: A Patriotic Primer and A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women. All of her net proceeds from these books go to charity.
The James Madison Book Award Selection Committee chose An American Plague from hundreds of submissions received from publishers for books copyrighted in 2003. The Selection Committee also named four outstanding children’s books as “Honor Books.” They are: Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life (author: Candace Fleming; publisher: Simon & Schuster); Duel of the Ironclads: The Monitor vs. the Virginia (author & illustrator: Patrick O’Brien; publisher: Walker and Company); Mack Made Movies (author & illustrator: Don Brown; publisher: Roaring Brook Press) and Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York 1880-1924 (author: Deborah Hopkinson; publisher: Scholastic, Inc.).
An American Plague author Jim Murphy has written more than twenty-five books for young people. His books have won many prominent awards, including the Newberry Honor, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Nonfiction Award, and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. Murphy resides in Maplewood, New Jersey with his family.
Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is the mother church of the nation’s first independent African-American denomination. The church was founded in 1794 by Richard Allen, who, together with Absalom Jones, led the Free African Society.
The James Madison Book Award Selection Committee is comprised of members of the sitting Advisory Council, a 38-member group made up of scholars, teachers, authors, parents and grandparents. The 2004 Selection Committee members were Lynne Cheney, Celeste Colgan of Denver, CO; Henry Higuera of Annapolis, MD; Christine Parker of Bethesda, MD; and Hugh Sidey of Potomac, MD. Mrs. Colgan chaired the committee.
“The committee members were struck by this story of an event that had great impact on young America,” said Mrs. Colgan. “Middle schoolers will be captivated by the anxiety and suspense as they learn about the living and health conditions of 18th century America.”
The James Madison Book Award Fund is a separate fund of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, a Wyoming 501(c)(3) public foundation. For more information about the James Madison Book Award Fund, please visit www.jamesmadisonbookaward.org.
Lynne Cheney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC whose work has long emphasized the importance of knowing American history and teaching it well. She is author or co-author of seven books, including America: A Patriotic Primer, an alphabet book of the principles on which our nation was founded. She is married to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Learn more about the 2004 Award Winner.