Torrey Maldonado wins Christopher Award for “Tight”

Brooklyn-based author Torrey Maldonado will receive a Christopher Award for Tight, written for young adults. It is one of 11 books for adults and young people to be honored on May 23rd at the 70th annual Christopher Awards in New York. The Christophers will also recognize creators of 9 feature films and TV/Cable programs.

Maldonado delivers a fast-paced, insightful, dynamic story capturing urban community life. Readers will connect with Bryan’s journey as the central character in “Tight”—an expression meaning wound up-- navigates a tough world with a heartfelt desire for a different life.

Maldonado teaches in the Brooklyn neighborhood where he was born and raised and uses his students’ and his experiences to write what readers say "don't feel like books." Voted a "Top 10 Latino Author" and best Middle Grade & Young Adult novelist for African Americans, he was spotlighted as a top teacher by NYC’s former Chancellor. His writing is praised for its current-feel, realness, and universal themes.

The Christopher Awards were created in 1949 to celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.” The Christophers, a nonprofit organization founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.