We are thrilled to announce that Ana Maria Spagna is the winner of this year’s River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Book Prize. Her winning manuscript, Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus: A Daughter’s Civil Rights Journey, will be published by the University of Nebraska Press in Spring 2011. All entries were screened by the editors and our guest judge chose a winner from among the exceptional finalists. River Teeth is grateful to the many writers who submitted their books to this year’s competition.
“Spagna’s remarkable generosity to her readers . . . makes her latest effort the best type of memoir or narrative history. Never self-congratulatory or maudlin, often brutally honest, always deeply personal, Spagna’s story goes well beyond the facts of her late father’s role in the Tallahassee bus boycott of 1957.”—Marc Covert, Oregonian
“A beautifully written account.”—Teresa Scollon, ForeWord
“Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus stands as a magnificent testament and tribute to the lives of many people—Ana Maria Spagna’s parents, the many patriots of the civil rights movement, and the citizens of communities far and wide, large and small. Her surprising story renewed my awe in the interconnectedness of all of our lives and affirmed that the current championing of hope in our country is a hope deserving of all its fervor.”—Kathleen Finneran, author of The Tender Land: A Family Love Story
“Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus is an absorbing story of a daughter’s search to understand her father’s involvement in the civil rights movement. While Ana Maria Spagna’s ability to capture the nuances of her father’s life is impressive, it is the wonder and persistence she brings to her tale that make this such an engaging book. Any daughter who has puzzled over the mystery of her heritage will love Spagna from the get-go.”—Danielle Trussoni, author of Falling Through the Earth
