The lead-up to the National Book Awards was fraught with tension, including rumors of a planned 'disruption' to protest the war in Gaza, which led to sponsors pulling out.
This year, despite an impending second Trump administration and a rash of book bans, the mood is looser, reflected in the deeply funny and brilliant nominated works.
Percival Everett emphasizes the current need for irony, stating 'I don't know if it's humor so much in James - it's irony. We need irony right now.'
Among conversations at the ceremony, one can hear excitement for the nominated works, where the consensus suggests that Percival Everett's book might be the clear favorite for the fiction award.
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