Dr. Radway, Will Nash, and the Parrott Library Honor Award

We are reviewed, in this life, by professional critics, by the Amazon anonymous, by the Goodreads communities, by the whispers we'll never hear, by the book clubs that decide yes or no, by the bloggers, by our friends.

Now and again, we hear from younger readers.

This morning I heard from Will Nash, a student in the St. Albans Lower School of Washington, DC., who had some glorious things to say about Dr. Radway, which was one of three books given the 2014 Parrott Library Honor Award (the other two being The Kill Order and Wonder).

I was finishing work on the Florence novel when the news of this generous honor came in. I was, in fact, fixing some of the book's many details. And so you will appreciate how much I loved Will's immaculate review, especially these words:

If you enjoy envisioning scenes in your head, it is a great book because Beth Kephart loves to go crazy with details.

I hereby declare, for now and forever, that I will always go crazy with details—and think of Will Nash when I do.

For more on Dr. Radway—and much more from Will—please click on this link. Thank you, St Albans Lower School, for choosing to read a book about my own city, Philadelphia.