Books Honored by the National Book Foundation
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
4 Books Honored by the National Book Foundation in 1983
Winner - Children’s Books
Marked By Fire
by Joyce Carol Thomas
Publication Date: Oct 30, 2007
List Price: $15.99
Format: Hardcover, 192 pages
Classification: Fiction
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
ISBN13: 9781423101437
Imprint: Hyperion Book CH
Publisher: Disney Publishing Worldwide
Parent Company: The Walt Disney Company
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Winner - Fiction
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
- A Top 10 Book in the “Fiction Books from the 20th Century” Category
- Voted #1 of the Top 100 Books of the 20th Century
- 2 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
Publication Date: Dec 10, 2019
List Price: $17.00
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9780143135692
Imprint: Mariner Books
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Parent Company: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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Read a Description of The Color Purple
Winner - First Novel
The Women of Brewster Place
by Gloria Naylor
Publication Date: Jun 30, 1983
List Price: $16.00
Format: Paperback, 192 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9780140066906
Imprint: Penguin Books
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Parent Company: Bertelsmann
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Finalist - Children’s Books
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush
by Virginia Hamilton
Publication Date: Jan 09, 2001
List Price: $8.99
Format: Paperback, 224 pages
Classification: Fiction
Target Age Group: Young Adult
ISBN13: 9780380651931
Imprint: Amistad
Publisher: HarperCollins
Parent Company: News Corp