The Vine National Canadian Jewish Book Awards are given each year to celebrate the best in Canadian Jewish literature. A $10,000 prize is given to each winner in the categories of Fiction, History, Non-Fiction, and Young Adult/Children’s Literature.
A professional independent jury of three individuals working in the arts and media oversee the Vine Awards' selection process, picking both the shortlist and winners. This year’s jury comprised of: Cynthia Good, Josh Knelman, and Tim Wynne Jones. The jury read nearly 60 books this year.
“The 2024 submissions for the Vine National Canadian Jewish Book Awards presented an exciting challenge for the jury. Each category exhibited such excellence, revealing a world of great storytelling, profound thought, surprising discoveries and unexpected insights. Through fiction, non-fiction, history and children’s books, we found that the writers grappled with important themes and ideas through skilful, often beautiful writing, while exploring the Canadian Jewish experience, or expertise. The jury was delighted by the range and diversity of the books, leading to lively discussions and ultimately complete agreement in selecting a shortlist and winners that represent the best of Canadian Jewish writing and writers today” – 2024 Vine Award Jurors: Cynthia Good, Joshua Knelman, Tim Wynne-Jones
The authors named to the 2024 shortlist are:
Fiction
The Great Goldbergs by Daniel Goodwin
“With generous storytelling, and biblical allusions, the author brings us into the world of the wealthy Goldberg family from the point of view of the outsider ‘Young Mr. McFall’ as he rises in the family business. With a touch of Mordecai Richler and notes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the novel introduces the reader to the international mining business, as family tensions complicate McFall’s relationships. Large in scope, intimate in tone The Great Goldbergs brilliantly portrays Montreal, a Jewish family and the coming of age of a naïve, but ultimately ambitious protagonist.” – Vine Awards Jury
Let it Destroy You by Harriet Alida Lye
“Drawing on letters and other documents of the time, the author invites us into the marriage of August and June Snow, as they await August’s trial at the International War Crimes Court. August has been accused of patenting a more lethal variation of the atomic bomb. His reason for developing this terrifying technology is not for the destruction it could unleash but as a desperate attempt to save his child. This compelling novel speaks of power: of individual pride, of gender roles, of world-wide destruction. Both utterly intimate and terrifyingly vast, with gorgeous prose and luminescent intelligence, Harriet Alida Lye challenges the reader to ask the deeply ethical questions about the choices we make in life.” – Vine Award Jury
Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels
“An extraordinary intellectual and emotional reading experience. Do You Remember Being Born? is both of its time and timeless, as it explores a remarkable collaboration. 75-year-old poet Marian Ffarmer and an AI program named Charlotte, are ‘matched’ to write an original poem. One of the best things about this novel, filled as it is with unexpected shots of brilliance, is that it is about poetry – poetry as metaphor and as itself, in all its expressiveness and wonder. Through flashbacks and as she evolves, a compelling portrait of Marian Ffarmer is revealed. And if Marian is a brilliant, believable and vivid character, so is Charlotte. She can surprise the reader and no less surprise Marian, as a creative and trusting relationship between the two is forged. A novel of extraordinary courage and ingenuity Do You Remember Being Born? is also a stunning exploration of creativity and what it is, or maybe, that makes us human.” – Vine Awards Jury
History
Cracking the Nazi Code by Jason Bell
“A masterfully crafted WWII non-fiction narrative forged from ground-breaking international research. Jason Bell unearths a trove of secret documents and has spun them into a WWII spy thriller that contributes startling and original perspectives on the rise of the Nazis. This is a uniquely Canadian-born story— tracing the transatlantic journey of Wynthrop Bell from Halifax to Berlin and chronicling his transformation from academic to secret agent. In doing so, the author reveals how the world was first alerted to Hitler’s Final Solution; the intriguing and important story serves as a powerful reminder that in the right place at the right time individuals with moral determination can change the course of history.” – Vine Awards Jury
Ilse Koch on Trial by Tomaz Jardim
“An unflinching re-examination of convicted war criminal Ilse Koch, deeply researched and deftly written. Tomaz Jardim delves fearlessly into the highly publicized prosecution of the wife of a concentration camp commandant, revealing how she became the ultimate scapegoat for a post-WWII world grappling with the aftermath of Nazi atrocities. Koch’s decades long incarceration and trials force the reader to confront complex questions related to gender identity, violence, and perceptions of justice. As Jardim’s story reminds us, Koch became an infamous figure in the global media, partially because she veered so far outside the era’s accepted gender behavior. An invaluable investigation and re-framing of a notorious public trial that astutely challenges entrenched historical perspectives and notions of equity.” – Vine Awards Jury
The Autumn Ghost by Hannah Wunsch
“A historical medical mystery reported with authority and style, focused on the hunt for a cure for polio. Dr. Hannah Wunsch elegantly assembles the story of a courageous group of doctors and medical researchers racing against time to create a defence against the pernicious epidemic that ravaged the world, and in doing so, reveals the foundations for what we now think of as modern medical care. Captivating prose, incisive interviews, testimony and research combine for a gripping tale that has deep resonance and implications for how our world pivoted to combat COVID-19. This is an inspiring tale focused on human creativity, innovation and courage prevailing over the specter of a terrifying and deadly virus that at first seemed unstoppable.” – Vine Awards Jury
Non-Fiction
Prophets of Love by Matthew Anderson
“Matthew Anderson creates some magical literary alchemy here, by comparing a pair of vastly different Jewish thinkers from two distinct historical eras. Who else would write an entire book that draws parallels between the contemporary poet and legend Leonard Cohen, and The Apostle Paul? Anderson pulls it off, using his two subjects, separated by millennia, to explore a range of subjects including mysticism, religious beliefs, sex, love and coming of age. Curious thinkers and readers with a philosophical bent will revel in the joys and contractions of Anderson’s findings, while uncovering new dimensions of the two celebrated personalities at the core of this imaginative and insightful work.” – Vine Awards Jury
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
“A quirky coincidence of mistaken identity provides the starting point for what becomes an essential exploration of our increasingly polarized world. Naomi Klein takes an absurd happenstance—being erroneously identified as author Naomi Wolf— and converts it into a riveting existential investigation of contemporary identity, posing poignant questions related to increasingly divisive politics, shifting allegiances, and the real-world consequences of digital avatars. Cleverly peeling away at the layers of narrative that bind our society together, Klein steps into the role of Alice, taking us on an enthralling journey through the looking glass of the internet’s conspiracy-theory-laden rabbit holes. This is an entertaining, thought provoking and insightful tale of our time, and a sure-fire conversation starter at any dinner party.” – Vine Awards Jury
The Survivor by Joesf Lewkowicz
"The unique and powerful life story of a soul who endured multiple concentration camps and then transformed into an international Nazi-hunter. At the close of The Holocaust, Josef Lewkowicz was the sole survivor of an extended family of 150 members, and had faced torment after torment at the hands of his captors. Instead of opting for a quiet life in a peaceful corner of the world, though, he embarks on a remarkable journey, searching out those who had inflicted so much pain. This is a remarkable narrative about the human spirit, 10 and the search for meaning, hope, justice and solace after confronting the total horror of the Holocaust.” – Vine Awards Jury
Children’s and YA
The Stars by Jacques Goldstyn
“Yakov loves outer space, plans on trips to the Moon, to Mars. Meanwhile, he shepherds his sisters to the park to play, while he reads and dreams. His father rails at his dreams, expecting Yakov to take over the family grocery store, one day. Then Yakov meets Aicha who also loves everything celestial. People start to gossip, the fathers step in, walls go up. But it’s not the end for these two. In this beautiful book, Jacques Goldstyn’s delightful swirling illustration provides a robust narrative to elaborate upon the simple words on the page.” – Vine Awards Jury
Mixed Up by Gordon Korman
“Gordon Korman may have outdone himself with a novel that features his usual action-packed pacing and crazy ending, but which also has a mysterious sci-fi element in what is otherwise a realistic story. In alternating chapters, we meet Reef Moody and Theo Metzinger, two young teens who begin sharing each other’s memories, until those memories become more real than the things that really happen to them. It’s a complicated idea, astutely handled and accessible, that lends the book a serious edge, making it all the more compelling: a story about family and memory and loss.” – Vine Awards Jury
A Bucket of Stars by Suri Rosen
“Noah Cooper speaks “Constellation” but he’s not all that sure of his place in the universe. He, his brother, and a father who’s become distant and unreachable have moved to small town Ontario. Apart from excellent star gazing, things are not going well for Noah in this new home. Enter junior filmmaker Tara Dhillon. Stir in a potential environmental disaster and you have a mystery to solve, and two quirky kids on the case. In sprightly prose, smart and delightful, Suri Rosen writes a story about recovering family and taking on the powers that be to save a community.” – Vine Awards Jury