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 1998

Finalist - Fiction

The Healing
by Gayl Jones

Publication Date: Jan 01, 1999
List Price: $23.00
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9780807063255
Imprint: Beacon Press
Publisher: Beacon Press
Parent Company: Unitarian Universalist Association

Read a Description of The Healing


Finalist - Poetry

From The Devotions: Poems
by Carl Phillips

    Publication Date: Mar 02, 2002
    List Price: $12.95
    Format: Paperback, 82 pages
    Classification: Poetry
    ISBN13: 9781555972639
    Imprint: Graywolf Press
    Publisher: Graywolf Press
    Parent Company: Graywolf Press

    Read a Description of From The Devotions: Poems