Winners and librarians (OHNO Naomine, the Grand Prize winner, in the center of the front row)
The award ceremony for the Library Book Review Contest was held on February 6 at the Central Library on the Surugadai Campus.
The contest is held every year to encourage Meiji students to become more interested in reading and to actively use University Libraries. A total of 47 submissions were received this year. OHNO Naomine (4th-year, School of Law) won the Grand Prize for his review of Flowers for Algernon (New Edition) by Daniel Keyes. In addition, OKUBO Haruna (3rd-year, School of Commerce) and ODANAGA Kokoro (2nd-year, School of Law), received Excellence Awards. Including the Special Award and other prizes, a total of 12 students were honored.
At the award ceremony, each winner was presented with a certificate and a supplementary prize by MURAKAMI Kazuhiro, Professor at the School of Law and Director of the Meiji University Library, and representatives from the three supporting bookstores, Kinokuniya, Sanseido, and Maruzen-Yushodo.
In his remarks, MIURA Taro, Vice Director of the University Library and Professor in the School of Arts and Letters, addressed the difference between a book review and a book introduction, explaining that “a book review goes beyond merely summarizing the content; it requires a critical perspective and one’s own point of view.” He praised the award-winning works for presenting clear arguments and demonstrating strong originality, and expressed his hope that this experience would prove valuable in the recipients’ future academic pursuits and professional lives.
Next, representing the award recipients, Grand Prize winner OHNO Naomine took the podium. He said, “After finishing Flowers for Algernon (New Edition), I was so deeply moved that I was at a loss for words. Determined to give expression to that powerful emotion, I carefully refined my writing—paying close attention to particles, word order, and sentence endings. I revised my review repeatedly so that it would truly resonate with readers.” Speaking about the appeal of reading, he highlighted two key aspects: “its ability to open the door to imagined worlds” and “the opportunity it provides to quietly deepen one’s thoughts,” elaborating on each in turn.
The award-winning work will be compiled into a booklet and widely made available through distribution at libraries and publication on library websites.