BETRAYING THE NOBEL

A complicated history of one of the world’s most prestigious honors.

Turrettini delves into the weird nebula of secrecy, dogma, politics, and pressure surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize, first awarded in 1901. Given the praiseworthy work of many of the laureates—e.g., Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King Jr., Linus Pauling, Jane Addams, Elie Wiesel, and Mother Teresa—one might think the honor is unassailable. But the author shows the controversial history of some of the prizewinners (see: Yasser Arafat, Henry Kissinger, or Aung San Suu Kyi) as well as the many deviations from the construct that its creator, Alfred Nobel, envisioned. Many still find it curious that Nobel was interested in awarding a prize for the amorphous concept of peace among other categories such as physics, chemistry, and medicine. Certainly, the awards have attracted much controversy, even in recent years—e.g., President Barack Obama’s 2009 award, given “in a hope for what he might accomplish.” The author, who is unafraid to point out the shortcomings of many of her subjects, admits that Nobel left significant flexibility for interpretation: The prize should go “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” In addition to examining some of the “tarnished” reputations involved with the prize, the author also explores the inherent sexism in the process—despite the fact that Nobel was influenced greatly by the peace activist Bertha von Suttner. Among the more intriguing tidbits: Five-time nominee Gandhi never won the award, and Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Putin have all been nominees. Michael Nobel, the former chairman of the Nobel Family Society, provides the foreword, and the book also includes the text of Alfred Nobel’s will.

A technically accurate, opinionated accounting of unforgettable winners and losers.