2020 CDA Book Award Winners
The recipients are:
The CDA Book Awards Committee led by Chair, Past President General Audrey Svensson has named the winners:
AWARD
Title:
THE PIONEERS: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West
Author:
David McCullough
About
After the Treaty of Paris granted the U.S. its independence, Britain ceded the vast Northwest Territory—future home to five states. With vision and determination, Massachusetts minister Manasseh Cutler helped open this wilderness to Revolutionary War veterans, ensuring the region would be founded on principles of religious freedom, public education, and a ban on slavery. In 1788, General Rufus Putnam led the first settlers to what became Marietta, Ohio. Facing untamed land, natural dangers, and fraught relations with Native peoples, these pioneers built a new society from scratch. Their story is one of grit, ideals, and the making of the American frontier.
CITATION
Title:
Accidental Presidents Eight Men Who Changed America
Author:
Jared Cohen
About
Eight times in American history, the presidency has passed unexpectedly to a vice president upon the death of the incumbent. Each successor—some obscure, others iconic—left a distinct mark on the nation. From John Tyler’s defiance and Andrew Johnson’s divisive Reconstruction stance to Theodore Roosevelt’s progressive reforms and LBJ’s Civil Rights legacy, these men altered history in profound ways. Some rose to greatness; others floundered under scrutiny. Only a few earned reelection. Their stories reveal how power thrust upon the unprepared can reshape the presidency—and the country—often in ways no one could predict.
YOUNG READER
Title:
Buried Lives
Author:
Carla Killough McClafferty
Illustrator:
Ziyue Chen
About
Behind the grandeur of Mount Vernon lies a hidden history—the lives of the hundreds of enslaved people who built, sustained, and died on George Washington’s plantation. While Washington’s story is well known, those he enslaved remained largely invisible. Drawing on powerful primary sources and archaeological discoveries from the ongoing Cemetery Survey, this compelling account brings their stories to light. Through the voices of real individuals and the artifacts they left behind, this narrative explores the injustice they endured and the legacy they left. It’s a sobering and vital look at America’s past—and the truths still being unearthed today.