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


10 Books Honored by the National Book Foundation in 2022

Winner - Nonfiction

Click for a larger image of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
by Imani Perry

Publication Date: Jan 25, 2022
List Price: $28.99
Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
ISBN13: 9780062977403
Imprint: Ecco
Publisher: HarperCollins
Parent Company: News Corp

Winner - Poetry

Click for a larger image of Punks: New & Selected Poems

Punks: New & Selected Poems
by John Keene

Publication Date: Dec 01, 2021
List Price: $20.00
Format: Paperback, 234 pages
Classification: Poetry
ISBN13: 9781737277521
Imprint: The Song Cave
Publisher: The Song Cave
Parent Company: The Song Cave

Finalist - Fiction

Click for a larger image of The Birdcatcher

The Birdcatcher
by Gayl Jones

    Publication Date: Sep 13, 2022
    List Price: $24.95
    Format: Hardcover, 216 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    ISBN13: 9780807029947
    Imprint: Beacon Press
    Publisher: Beacon Press
    Parent Company: Unitarian Universalist Association

    Read Our Review of The Birdcatcher


    Finalist - Nonfiction

    Click for a larger image of His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice

    His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
    by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa

    Publication Date: May 17, 2022
    List Price: $30.00
    Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
    Classification: Nonfiction
    ISBN13: 9780593490617
    Imprint: Viking
    Publisher: Penguin Random House
    Parent Company: Bertelsmann

    Read Our Review of His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice


    Finalist - Poetry

    Click for a larger image of Golden Ax

    Golden Ax
    by Rio Cortez

      Publication Date: Aug 30, 2022
      List Price: $18.00
      Format: Paperback, 80 pages
      Classification: Poetry
      ISBN13: 9780143137139
      Imprint: Penguin Books
      Publisher: Penguin Random House
      Parent Company: Bertelsmann

      Finalist - Poetry

      Click for a larger image of Best Barbarian: Poems

      Best Barbarian: Poems
      by Roger Reeves

      Publication Date: Mar 22, 2022
      List Price: $26.95
      Format: Hardcover, 120 pages
      Classification: Poetry
      ISBN13: 9780393609332
      Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
      Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
      Parent Company: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

      Finalist - Young People’s Literature

      Click for a larger image of Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice

      Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
      by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile, Illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile

      Publication Date: Sep 27, 2022
      List Price: $22.95
      Format: Hardcover, 208 pages
      Classification: Fiction
      Target Age Group: Middle Grade
      ISBN13: 9781324003908
      Imprint: Norton Young Readers
      Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
      Parent Company: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

      Longlist - Poetry

      Click for a larger image of Duende: Poems, 1966—Now

      Duende: Poems, 1966—Now
      by Quincy Troupe

        Publication Date: Aug 24, 2021
        List Price: $50.00
        Format: Hardcover, 656 pages
        Classification: Poetry
        ISBN13: 9781644210451
        Imprint: Seven Stories Press
        Publisher: Seven Stories Press
        Parent Company: Seven Stories Press

        Read Our Review of Duende: Poems, 1966—Now


        Longlist - Young People’s Literature

        Click for a larger image of Swim Team

        Swim Team
        by Johnnie Christmas, Illustrated by Johnnie Christmas

        Publication Date: May 17, 2022
        List Price: $24.99
        Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
        Classification: Fiction
        Target Age Group: Middle Grade
        ISBN13: 9780063056770
        Imprint: HarperAlley
        Publisher: HarperCollins
        Parent Company: News Corp

        Longlist - Young People’s Literature

        Click for a larger image of Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution

        Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution
        by Sherri Winston

          Publication Date: Sep 06, 2022
          List Price: $16.99
          Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
          Classification: Fiction
          Target Age Group: Middle Grade
          ISBN13: 9781547608461
          Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
          Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
          Parent Company: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC