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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3 Books Honored by the National Book Foundation in 2010

Winner - Poetry

Lighthead (Poets, Penguin)
by Terrance Hayes

    Publication Date: Mar 30, 2010
    List Price: $18.00
    Format: Paperback, 112 pages
    Classification: Poetry
    ISBN13: 9780143116967
    Imprint: Penguin Books
    Publisher: Penguin Random House
    Parent Company: Bertelsmann

    Read a Description of Lighthead (Poets, Penguin)


    Finalist - Young People’s Literature

    Finalist - Young People’s Literature

    Lockdown
    by Walter Dean Myers

      Publication Date: Feb 02, 2010
      List Price: $16.99
      Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
      Classification: Fiction
      Target Age Group: Young Adult
      ISBN13: 9780061214806
      Imprint: Amistad
      Publisher: HarperCollins
      Parent Company: News Corp

      Read a Description of Lockdown