Colby Buzzell, an ex-U.S. machine gunner has grabbed the second annual $10,000 Blooker prize for his cheeky journal about his fighting in Iraq. His entry My War: Killing Time in Iraq has been honored with the title of best book based on a blog.
Arianna Huffington, a Blooker judge commented that Buzzell’s book is ‘an unfiltered, often ferocious expression of his boots-on-the-ground view of the Iraq war.‘ Thirty-one years old Buzzel said that the continuous support from readers helped him write the online book he started in his free time in a war zone.
He was even stopped by U.S. Army after eight weeks since he started writing this online journal but it was more than enough time for book agents to e-mail him. His book has already been translated into seven languages. Buzzell thinks that blog writing can have unrivalled immediacy and power.
Blooker organizer Peter Freedman was astonished to see the count of this year’s nominations that came from well-known publishing companies. He said that the ‘Internet in a way is a part of a giant talent hunt for grass roots writers.‘ The Blooker prize is sponsored by electronic book Web site Lulu.
Via: GlobeAndMail
