Debut Book from Adin Dobkin '20 among the “Coups de Cœur” for the 2022 American Library in Paris Book Award

Sprinting Through No Man’s Land, the debut work from narrative nonfiction alumnus Adin Dobkin ’20, has been named among the six “coups de cœur” in the run-up to the announcement of the 2022 American Library in Paris Book Award winner. 

By
Jessie Shohfi
October 13, 2022

Sprinting Through No Man’s Land, the debut work from narrative nonfiction alumnus Adin Dobkin ’20, has been named among the six “coups de cœur” in the run-up to the announcement of the 2022 American Library in Paris Book Award winner. 

Selected by the award’s screening committee from 59 submissions, the coups de cœur are finalists for the American Library’s $5,000 literary prize, which is now celebrating its tenth year. This award is given to a title originally published in English that best realizes new and intellectually significant ideas about France, the French people, or encounters with French culture. 

Selected as an Amazon Best Book of the Month, Sprinting Through No Man’s Land (Little A, 2021) is a novelistic look at the especially grueling 1919 Tour de France–the first race after World War I necessitated a five-year hiatus of the yearly competition. This race, which opened just one day after the Treaty of Versailles, proved to be a test of human endurance–69 competitors, many of whom were military men still on active duty, cycled around the country’s perimeter, passing the sites of recent bloodshed at the Somme, Verdun, and other battlefields. Only 11 riders would make it to the finish line a month later. Through profiles of the athletes, vivid descriptions of the arduous competition, and accounts of the enthusiastic crowds, Dobkin’s work shows the impact of the 1919 race on a war-torn country, and the reignited patriotism it inspired. Sprinting Through No Man’s Land is available for purchase now.

In an interview with Real Clear Defense, Dobkin detailed the interesting story of the book’s conception. “Actually, I was working on a novel about the aftermath of the First World War.  My interest was the juxtaposition of post-war devastation with cultural growth, along with labor relations and other big issues, all of which affected the whole of France. I found that some parts of the country were devastated, where people were trying to get the bare minimum of shelter, food, and work. In other places, the War's effects were not represented in the landscape, but people were wondering what the next France would look like and along comes this unique race that seemingly crossed all boundaries and wove together many different issues. The Tour de France touched the ideas that interested me, and so I followed that story.” 

The Wall Street Journal called the book “an epic tale,” and Publishers Weekly said, “Journalist Dobkin debuts with a novelistic blow-by-blow account of the first Tour de France run after WWI, shining light on the wartime experiences of its racers, organizers, and observers...  [He] vividly describes arduous ascents, rubble-strewn streets, and the crowds that lined the route, waving flags and shouting encouragement. The result is an immersive look at the mythical power of sports to unite and inspire.” Read an excerpt from Sprinting Through No Man’s Land here

An independent jury will select the winning title from the six coups de cœur. This year’s jury chair is Charles Trueheart, the founder of the Book Award and a former Director of the Library. Trueheart is joined by Thomas Chatterton Williams, a writer and cultural critic; and Alexandra Schwartz, a staff writer for The New Yorker. The winner of the 2022 award will be announced at a ceremony on November 3. 

Adin Dobkin's work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. When he isn't writing, he works as a freelance writing instructor and co-hosts a podcast called War Stories.