Books Honored by the National Book Foundation

National Book Award Medals

The mission of the National Book Foundation is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of great writing in America. National Book Awards are given five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature.

Here we highlight the winners of African descent. The first African-American writer to win a National Book Award was Ralph Ellison, in 1953, for Invisible Man.

Check Out AALBC’s Coverage of the National Book Awards:  2017 – 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013


9 Books Honored by the National Book Foundation in 2022

Winner - Nonfiction

Click for a larger image of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
by Imani Perry

Publication Date: Jan 25, 2022
List Price: $28.99
Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
ISBN13: 9780062977403
Imprint: Ecco
Publisher: HarperCollins
Parent Company: News Corporation

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Winner - Poetry

Click for a larger image of Punks: New & Selected Poems

Punks: New & Selected Poems
by John Keene

Publication Date: Dec 01, 2021
List Price: $20.00
Format: Paperback, 234 pages
Classification: Poetry
ISBN13: 9781737277521
Imprint: The Song Cave
Publisher: The Song Cave
Parent Company: The Song Cave

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Finalist - Fiction

Click for a larger image of The Birdcatcher

The Birdcatcher
by Gayl Jones

    Publication Date: Sep 13, 2022
    List Price: $24.95
    Format: Hardcover, 216 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    ISBN13: 9780807029947
    Imprint: Beacon Press
    Publisher: Beacon Press
    Parent Company: Unitarian Universalist Association

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    Finalist - Nonfiction

    Click for a larger image of His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice

    His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
    by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa

    Publication Date: May 17, 2022
    List Price: $30.00
    Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
    Classification: Nonfiction
    ISBN13: 9780593490617
    Imprint: Viking
    Publisher: Penguin Random House
    Parent Company: Bertelsmann

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    Finalist - Poetry

    Click for a larger image of Best Barbarian: Poems

    Best Barbarian: Poems
    by Roger Reeves

    Publication Date: Mar 22, 2022
    List Price: $26.95
    Format: Hardcover, 120 pages
    Classification: Poetry
    ISBN13: 9780393609332
    Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
    Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
    Parent Company: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

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    Finalist - Young People’s Literature

    Click for a larger image of Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice

    Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
    by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile, Illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile

    Publication Date: Sep 27, 2022
    List Price: $22.95
    Format: Hardcover, 208 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    Target Age Group: Middle Grade
    ISBN13: 9781324003908
    Imprint: Norton Young Readers
    Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
    Parent Company: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

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    Longlist - Poetry

    Click for a larger image of Duende: Poems, 1966—Now

    Duende: Poems, 1966—Now
    by Quincy Troupe

      Publication Date: Aug 24, 2021
      List Price: $50.00
      Format: Hardcover, 656 pages
      Classification: Poetry
      ISBN13: 9781644210451
      Imprint: Seven Stories Press
      Publisher: Seven Stories Press
      Parent Company: Seven Stories Press

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      Longlist - Young People’s Literature

      Click for a larger image of Swim Team

      Swim Team
      by Johnnie Christmas, Illustrated by Johnnie Christmas

      Publication Date: May 17, 2022
      List Price: $21.99
      Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
      Classification: Fiction
      Target Age Group: Middle Grade
      ISBN13: 9780063056770
      Imprint: HarperAlley
      Publisher: HarperCollins
      Parent Company: News Corporation

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      Longlist - Young People’s Literature

      Click for a larger image of Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution

      Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution
      by Sherri Winston

        Publication Date: Sep 06, 2022
        List Price: $16.99
        Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
        Classification: Fiction
        Target Age Group: Middle Grade
        ISBN13: 9781547608461
        Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
        Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
        Parent Company: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

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