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.

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2 Books Honored by the National Book Foundation in 1973

Finalist - Fiction

Mumbo Jumbo
by Ishmael Reed

    Publication Date: Jun 11, 1996
    List Price: $16.00
    Format: Paperback, 224 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    ISBN13: 9780684824772
    Imprint: Scribner
    Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
    Parent Company: KKR & Co. Inc.

    Read a Description of Mumbo Jumbo


    Finalist - Poetry

    Conjure; Selected Poems, 1963-1970
    by Ishmael Reed

    Hardcover Unavailable for Sale from AALBC
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      Publication Date: Jun 01, 1972
      List Price: Unavailable
      Format: Hardcover
      Classification: Poetry
      ISBN13: 9780870231148
      Imprint: University of Massachusetts Press
      Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
      Parent Company: University of Massachusetts

      Read a Description of Conjure; Selected Poems, 1963-1970