A Tie That Nicely Binds

A perfect father-daughter story was mostly ruined last Friday. Gordon Wood and daughter Amy, both college professors and historians were also finalists in the history category of the 2009 The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes.

Wood the elder, a history professor at Brown, was nominated for his study of the turbulent first years of America, Empire of Liberty. Amy Louise, pride of Illinois State and mascot Reggie Redbird, was honored for her take on events a bit after daddy's bailiwick in Lynching and Spectacle: Witnessing Racial Violence in America, 1890-1940.

Alas, neither Wood were able to outpoll winner Kevin Starr, who writes of the glories of California (an inside job LA Times?) during glory years 1950 to 1963 in Golden Dreams. So while it would have been a glorious ending if the historians' families could have celebrated a dual win, there is perhaps some comfort to be drawn from the fact that they tied for second (along with the other nominees who didn't win).