Christiane Scarpino memoir wins NYC Big Book Award

Christiane Scarpino’s memoir Missing Pieces won the NYC Big Book Award in New New Nonfiction (First time published), giving new visibility to a survivor account of the 1977 Mobil Oil Building bombing in New York City. The recognition spotlights a book centered on trauma, PTSD and long-term recovery, with winners announced from a global field of submissions.

Why it matters: - The award puts a survivor memoir about terrorism, trauma and PTSD in front of a wider readership. - The recognition also underscores growing interest in books about mental health, resilience and victim advocacy. - The book revisits a 1977 attack that shaped Christiane Scarpino’s life for decades.

What happened: - The NYC Big Book Award named Missing Pieces: A Terrorist Attack Survivor's Memoir of Trauma, Resilience and Healing by Christiane Scarpino a winner in the New Nonfiction (First time published) category. - The announcement came from Ringwood, New Jersey, on September 15, 2026. - The memoir centers on Scarpino’s survival of the 1977 terrorist bombing of the Mobil Oil Building in New York City, when she was 21. - The book recounts her later PTSD symptoms, including flashbacks, dissociation, memory loss and nightmares. - Scarpino also writes about three years of FBI and NYPD interrogations and testimony in a federal murder trial against a terrorist.

The details: - The NYC Big Book Award says expert judges from across the book industry review entries, including publishers, writers, editors, designers, booksellers, librarians and professional copywriters. - Winners and distinguished favorites are selected based on overall excellence. - The competition received submissions from around the world, including authors, entrepreneurs, historians, journalists and first-time indie authors. - Entries came from countries including Australia, Canada, China, Dubai, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. - Cities represented included Auckland, Baltimore, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hollywood, Johannesburg, Manhattan Beach, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Sydney and West Palm Beach. - Publishers in the field included Press 49, Beacon Press, Berrett-Koehler, Casemate, Edinburgh University Press, Forbes Books, Kiplinger Books, NYU Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Rizzoli, Routledge, The White House Historical Association, University of California Press, University of Nebraska Press, Weaving Influence Press and Wiley. - Awards sponsor Gabby Olczak said she was excited to share the books with a worldwide readership. - Printed Word Reviews described the book as a powerful memoir about the four-decade aftermath of a 1977 FALN terrorist attack. - The same review said the memoir examines invisible trauma, institutional failures and recovery. - The review called the book important for readers of mental health nonfiction, true crime, modern American history and victim advocacy, with the full review available online. - Joseph Connor, author and counter-terror advocate, called the memoir raw and deeply personal. - Elena Breese, a Boston Marathon bombing survivor, said the book resonated with her own experience of flashbacks, anxiety and disconnection. - Tim Brown, a retired NYC firefighter and 9/11 survivor, said the memoir shows how PTSD can shape a life long before the condition had a name. - Kathy Santo said the book highlights the role of Scarpino’s dogs, especially her Toller Turner, in her healing. - Tricia Thompson said the memoir could help people who have experienced trauma. - Susan Lynch said the book offers hope to people suffering from PTSD.

Between the lines: - The award and the praise from reviewers position the memoir as both a personal account and a broader critique of how society expects survivors to move on quickly. - The fact that judges and entries came from across industries and countries adds to the award’s claim of broad reach. - Scarpino’s story also reflects how some trauma survivors turned to coping strategies outside traditional mental health systems, especially in earlier eras when PTSD was poorly understood.

What's next: - NYC Big Book Award will hold its awards dinner on April 10, 2027, at the BookCAMP event on April 9-10, 2027. - The award program says recipients from the NYC Big Book and Independent Press Award programs will walk on stage at the event. - Scarpino continues to focus on PTSD awareness. - Scarpino lives in New Jersey with her husband and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, and she trains and competes with the dogs in performance events.

The bottom line: - The award turns a long-running survivor memoir into a broader public conversation about terrorism, PTSD and recovery.