One of the challenges of writing a book that is at least partly tied to current events is how fast those events change.

Michael Petrou has won the Ottawa Book Award, with his book Is This Your First War in the English Nonfiction category. The awards were given out last night in Ottawa.

The jury had this to say:

Leading journalist Michael Petrou has been shortlisted for the Ottawa Book Award in the non-fiction category for his book, Is This Your First War? Travels Through the Post-9/11 Islamic World. Petrou was nominated alongside Donna Naughton, Robert Sibley, Jefferey Simpson, and Lane Tanguay. The award is presented by the City of Ottawa to the best English and French language books written each year by an Ottawa-based author.