“The Properties of Perpetual Light” by Julian Aguon and published by the University of Guam Press received an Independent Publisher Book Award gold medal in the category of Best Regional Non-Fiction for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Rim. Photos courtesy of University of Guam Press ()
The University of Guam Press won its third Independent Publisher Book Award for “The Properties of Perpetual Light” written by indigenous human rights lawyer and environmental activist Julian Aguon. The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also known as the IPPY awards, was established in 1996 and has served as the longest and largest running book contest for independent presses.
“The Properties of Perpetual Light” received a gold medal in the category of Best Regional Non-Fiction for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Rim — making this the first gold medal for UOG Press and the book’s second national book award. In 2021, the book also won “Best Multicultural Nonfiction” in American Book Fest’s Best Book Awards.
“It’s an honor to have helped UOG Press win another IPPY award,” Aguon said. “I’m just happy that the Press is getting the acclaim it so richly deserves, and I look forward to reading all the other authors whose books are in the works.”
Left: Julian Aguon, author of “The Properties of Perpetual Light,” is an indigenous human rights lawyer and writer from Guam. He is the founder of Blue Ocean Law, a boutique international law firm that works across Oceania at the intersection of indigenous rights and environmental justice. Right: Julian Aguon, author of “The Properties of Perpetual Light,” delivers his lecture, titled “The Art of the Love Letter,” at the 41st Presidential Lecture Series on March 4 at the University of Guam.
Aguon’s essay “To Hell With Drowning” was also selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. The essay was published in The Atlantic last November and shares the stories of Indigenous Pacific Island communities fighting against the destruction of climate change to achieve a more hopeful future.
Despite its release in March of last year, at the height of the pandemic, “The Properties of Perpetual Light” continues to receive national acclaim for its striking poetry and impactful prose that weaves together the magic of Micronesia; the wisdom of the islands; and the loss, beauty, and sacrifice that make it all worth saving. Among many things, the book provides searing political commentary on the lived realities of growing up in the Pacific Islands during the threat of the climate crisis and nuclear warfare.
“The Properties of Perpetual Light” will be republished for international distribution by Astra House in New York City under the new title, “No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies.” The book is expected for release on Sept. 13 and will include an introduction by Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy and a new afterword by Aguon.
UOG Press will continue to distribute “The Properties of Perpetual Light” on their website and in stores throughout Micronesia.
For more information or to order copies of “The Properties of Perpetual Light,” contact Via De Fant at defantv@triton.uog.edu.
