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 2002

Finalist - Poetry

Sleeping with the Dictionary (New California Poetry)
by Harryette Mullen

    Publication Date: Feb 22, 2002
    List Price: $23.95
    Format: Paperback, 85 pages
    Classification: Poetry
    ISBN13: 9780520231436
    Imprint: University of California Press
    Publisher: University of California Press
    Parent Company: University of California

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    Finalist - Young People’s Literature

    Hush
    by Jacqueline Woodson

      Publication Date: Jun 23, 2003
      List Price: $5.99
      Format: Mass Market Paperback, 180 pages
      Classification: Fiction
      Target Age Group: Middle Grade
      ISBN13: 9780142500491
      Imprint: Speak
      Publisher: Penguin Random House
      Parent Company: Bertelsmann

      Read a Description of Hush