Greg Dawson wins Christopher Award for “Alias Anna"

Maitland, Fla.-based author Greg Dawson has been honored with a Christopher Award for the nonfiction book he wrote with Susan Hood: Alias Anna: A True Story About Outwitting the Nazis (Ages 10 and up, Harper Collins Publishers). Dawson’s mother Zhanna’s alias was Anna.

“Alias Anna” is one of 12 books for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 74th year.

The nonfiction novel-in verse about sisterhood, survival, and music, takes place during the Holocaust. Zhanna/Anna and her sister Frina—piano proteges--hid in plain sight when the Germans invaded Ukraine. The Jewish children with their parents are forced on a long, cold death march. When a guard turns a blind eye, Zhanna flees with nothing more than her musical talent, her beloved sheet music, and her father’s final plea: “I don’t care what you do. Just live.”

Dawson has been a print journalist for 55 years, starting at 17 when he was in high school in Bloomington, Ind., the son of classical musicians. He has been a local columnist, TV critic and consumer advocate for a host of publications including the Boston Herald, Orlando Sentinel and Indianapolis Star. He currently writes for Winter Park Magazine. In addition to “Alias Anna,” Dawson has published two books on the Holocaust and a third, co-authored with his wife Candy, about coming of age in the 60s. His first book, “

Hood is the award-winning author of many books for young readers.

The Christopher Awards celebrate authors, and illustrators as well as writers, producers, and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

Christopher Awards were also given to the creators of 10 TV/Cable shows and feature films.

Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, said, “The stories we’re honoring acknowledge that the struggles we endure in life coexist with beauty and hope when we work together, despite our differences, to add love and healing to our world.”

The Christophers, a nonprofit 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.