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.

Check Out AALBC’s Coverage of the National Book Awards:  2023 – 2017 – 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013


9 Books Honored by the National Book Foundation in 2017

Winner - Fiction

Click for a larger image of Sing, Unburied, Sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing
by Jesmyn Ward

Publication Date: Sep 07, 2017
List Price: $27.00
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9781501126062
Imprint: Scribner
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Parent Company: KKR & Co. Inc.

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Finalist - Nonfiction

Click for a larger image of Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge

Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge
by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

    Publication Date: Feb 07, 2017
    List Price: $26.00
    Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
    Classification: Nonfiction
    ISBN13: 9781501126390
    Imprint: Atria / 37 Ink
    Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
    Parent Company: KKR & Co. Inc.

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    Finalist - Poetry

    Click for a larger image of Don’t Call Us Dead: Poems

    Don’t Call Us Dead: Poems
    by Danez Smith

    Publication Date: Sep 05, 2017
    List Price: $16.00
    Format: Paperback, 96 pages
    Classification: Poetry
    ISBN13: 9781555977856
    Imprint: Graywolf Press
    Publisher: Graywolf Press
    Parent Company: Graywolf Press

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    Finalist - Young People’s Literature

    Click for a larger image of Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

    Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
    by Rita Williams-Garcia, Illustrated by Frank Morrison

    Publication Date: May 09, 2017
    List Price: $16.99
    Format: Hardcover, 176 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    Target Age Group: Middle Grade
    ISBN13: 9780062215918
    Imprint: Amistad
    Publisher: HarperCollins
    Parent Company: News Corp

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    Finalist - Young People’s Literature

    Click for a larger image of American Street

    American Street
    by Ibi Zoboi

    Publication Date: Feb 14, 2017
    List Price: $17.99
    Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    Target Age Group: Young Adult
    ISBN13: 9780062473042
    Imprint: Balzer + Bray
    Publisher: HarperCollins
    Parent Company: News Corp

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    Longlist - Fiction

    Click for a larger image of A Kind of Freedom: A Novel

    A Kind of Freedom: A Novel
    by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

    Publication Date: Aug 15, 2017
    List Price: $26.00
    Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    ISBN13: 9781619029224
    Imprint: Counterpoint
    Publisher: Counterpoint
    Parent Company: Counterpoint

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    Longlist - Nonfiction

    Click for a larger image of Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News

    Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News
    by Kevin Young

    Publication Date: Nov 14, 2017
    List Price: $30.00
    Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
    Classification: Nonfiction
    ISBN13: 9781555977917
    Imprint: Graywolf Press
    Publisher: Graywolf Press
    Parent Company: Graywolf Press

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    Longlist - Young People’s Literature

    Click for a larger image of The Hate U Give

    The Hate U Give
    by Angie Thomas

    Publication Date: Feb 28, 2017
    List Price: $18.99
    Format: Hardcover, 464 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    Target Age Group: Young Adult
    ISBN13: 9780062498533
    Imprint: Balzer + Bray
    Publisher: HarperCollins
    Parent Company: News Corp

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    Longlist - Young People’s Literature

    Click for a larger image of Long Way Down

    Long Way Down
    by Jason Reynolds

    Publication Date: Oct 17, 2017
    List Price: $17.99
    Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    Target Age Group: Young Adult
    ISBN13: 9781481438254
    Imprint: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
    Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
    Parent Company: KKR & Co. Inc.

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