Malaysian author bags Freeman Book Awards win

Malaysian author Hanna Alkaf has scored a winner in the Freeman Book Awards 2019 with her novel The Weight of Our Sky.  

The 34-year-old's novel came up tops in the awards' Young Adult/High School Literature category.

The announcement of the winners was made this morning by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA).

The awards are organised by the NCTA, Committee on Teaching about Asia of the Association for Asian Studies and Asia for Educators at Columbia University.

It recognises quality books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to an understanding of East and Southeast Asia.

Following her win, Hanna, who was interviewed by Mashable SEA, said she was humbled by the award.

"The first Malaysian to win a Freeman honour was Shamini Flint if I’m not mistaken, so those are some big footsteps to follow.

"It’s always exciting and humbling to have your work recognised and I’m grateful that the judging committee saw something worth that recognition in my book," she was quoted as saying.

The novel is set during the 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur. It follows a teen with obsessive-compulsive disorder who tries to find her way back to her mother.

Hanna's novel was already making waves in September last year when it was chosen to be featured on Webtoon, a digital comic platform founded in S Korea in 2004 and launched in the US in 2014.

The Weight of Our Sky published by US-based Simon & Schuster.