The Phillis Wheatley Book Awards
← Back to Main Awards Page
The Phillis Wheatley Book Award winners are announced, annually, during the Harlem Book Fair. The awards honor the best in literature by authors of African descent.
The 2015 Phillis Wheatley Book Awards Winning Books
Winner – Fiction
Land Of Love And Drowning
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781594488337Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Recipient of the 2014 American Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal FoundationAward
A major debut from an award-winning writeran epic family saga set against the magic and the rhythms of the Virgin Islands.
In the early 1900s, the Virgin Islands are transferred from Danish to American rule, and an important ship sinks into the Caribbean Sea. Orphaned by the shipwreck are two sisters and their half brother, now faced with an uncertain identity and future. Each of them is unusually beautiful, and each is in possession of a particular magic that will either sink or save them.
Chronicling three generations of an island family from 1916 to the 1970s, Land of Love and Drowning is a novel of love and magic, set against the emergence of Saint Thomas into the modern world. Uniquely imagined, with echoes of Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garca Mrquez, and the authors own Caribbean family history, the story is told in a language and rhythm that evoke an entire world and way of life and love. Following the Bradshaw family through sixty years of fathers and daughters, mothers
and sons, love affairs, curses, magical gifts, loyalties, births, deaths, and triumphs, Land of Love and Drowning is a gorgeous, vibrant debut by an exciting, prizewinning young writer.
Winner – First Fiction
Born at Dawn
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781601626752Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Thirty-four year old Cynthia Barclay knows that marriage is supposed to be for better or for worse. Unfortunately, for the last ten years of her marriage Cynthia has experienced the worst that marriage has to offer at the hands of her abusive husband Marvin Barclay. With the hope of saving herself and her family she turns to the Lord. Expecting to see God manifest himself greatly in her life sooner than later Cynthia is not content just waiting. She wants out.
Abandoning her hope, her husband, and her two young sons Cynthia boards a bus from New York City to Richmond, Virginia. She begins a new life armed with six thousand dollars on a prepaid credit card, a sketchy plan for success, and a promise to return for her sons. That is until she meets Cheo, a photojournalist with enough connections to take her where she wants to be and forget where she came from.
After six years in Richmond Cynthias dark past resurfaces. At the risk of losing it allher past and her present Cynthia returns home to right her wrongs. Has Cynthia chosen the right time to return home or is it too late for God to restore everything she has broken?
Thirty-four year old Cynthia Barclay knows that marriage is supposed to be for better or for worse. Unfortunately, for the last ten years of her marriage Cynthia has experienced the worst that marriage has to offer at the hands of her abusive husband Marvin Barclay. With the hope of saving herself and her family she turns to the Lord. Expecting to see God manifest himself greatly in her life sooner than later Cynthia is not content just waiting. She wants out.
Abandoning her hope, her husband, and her two young sons Cynthia boards a bus from New York City to Richmond, Virginia. She begins a new life armed with six thousand dollars on a prepaid credit card, a sketchy plan for success, and a promise to return for her sons. That is until she meets Cheo, a photojournalist with enough connections to take her where she wants to be and forget where she came from.
After six years in Richmond Cynthias dark past resurfaces. At the risk of losing it allher past and her present Cynthia returns home to right her wrongs. Has Cynthia chosen the right time to return home or is it too late for God to restore everything she has broken?
Winner – First Nonfiction
Regina Anderson Andrews, Harlem Renaissance Librarian
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780252081309Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
The first African American to head a branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), Regina Andrews led an extraordinary life. Allied with W. E. B. Du Bois, Andrews fought for promotion and equal pay against entrenched sexism and racism and battled institutional restrictions confining African American librarians to only a few neighborhoods within New York City. Andrews also played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance, supporting writers and intellectuals with dedicated workspace at her 135th Street Branch Library. After hours she cohosted a legendary salon that drew the likes of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Her work as an actress and playwright helped establish the Harlem Experimental Theater, where she wrote plays about lynching, passing, and the Underground Railroad. Ethelene Whitmires new biography offers the first full-length study of Andrewss activism and pioneering work with the NYPL. Whitmires portrait of her sustained efforts to break down barriers reveals Andrewss legacy and places her within the NYPLs larger history.
The first African American to head a branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), Regina Andrews led an extraordinary life. Allied with W. E. B. Du Bois, Andrews fought for promotion and equal pay against entrenched sexism and racism and battled institutional restrictions confining African American librarians to only a few neighborhoods within New York City. Andrews also played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance, supporting writers and intellectuals with dedicated workspace at her 135th Street Branch Library. After hours she cohosted a legendary salon that drew the likes of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Her work as an actress and playwright helped establish the Harlem Experimental Theater, where she wrote plays about lynching, passing, and the Underground Railroad. Ethelene Whitmires new biography offers the first full-length study of Andrewss activism and pioneering work with the NYPL. Whitmires portrait of her sustained efforts to break down barriers reveals Andrewss legacy and places her within the NYPLs larger history.
Winner – Nonfiction
A Light Shines in Harlem: New York’s First Charter School and the Movement It Led
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781613747704Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
A Light Shines in Harlem tells the fascinating story of the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, the first charter school in New York, and of the charter movement. It is a penetrating look at the host of real-world decisions that make a charter school, or any school, succeed. And it is a true-to-life inspirational tale of how a hero of the civil rights movement, a Wall Street star, educators, inner-city activists, parents, and students all joined together to create a groundbreaking school that, in its best years, far outperformed other schools in the neighborhoods in which most of its children lived. This book also looks at education reform through a broader lens. It discusses the most recent research and issues facing the charter movement, a movement which now educates more than 2.5 million students nationwide. A Light Shines in Harlem describes the strengths and weaknesses of charter schools and explains how lessons from them can be applied to other schools to make all schools better. The result is not only the gripping inside narrative of how one school fought to succeed despite the odds but also an illuminating glimpse into the future of American education.
A Light Shines in Harlem tells the fascinating story of the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, the first charter school in New York, and of the charter movement. It is a penetrating look at the host of real-world decisions that make a charter school, or any school, succeed. And it is a true-to-life inspirational tale of how a hero of the civil rights movement, a Wall Street star, educators, inner-city activists, parents, and students all joined together to create a groundbreaking school that, in its best years, far outperformed other schools in the neighborhoods in which most of its children lived. This book also looks at education reform through a broader lens. It discusses the most recent research and issues facing the charter movement, a movement which now educates more than 2.5 million students nationwide. A Light Shines in Harlem describes the strengths and weaknesses of charter schools and explains how lessons from them can be applied to other schools to make all schools better. The result is not only the gripping inside narrative of how one school fought to succeed despite the odds but also an illuminating glimpse into the future of American education.
Winner – Poetry
City of Eternal Spring (Pitt Poetry Series)
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780822963257Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Winner of the 2015 Phillis Wheatley Book Award (poetry category) This is the final book in the Plum Flower Trilogy by Afaa Michael Weaver, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The two earlier books, The Plum Flower Dance: Poems 1985 to 2005 and The Government of Nature, reveal similar themes that address the authors personal experience with childhood abuse through the context of Daoist renderings of nature as a metaphor for the human body, with an eye to recovery and forgiveness in a very eclectic spiritual life. City of Eternal Springchronicles Weavers travels abroad in Taiwan and China, as well as showing the limits of cultural influence.
Winner of the 2015 Phillis Wheatley Book Award (poetry category) This is the final book in the Plum Flower Trilogy by Afaa Michael Weaver, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The two earlier books, The Plum Flower Dance: Poems 1985 to 2005 and The Government of Nature, reveal similar themes that address the authors personal experience with childhood abuse through the context of Daoist renderings of nature as a metaphor for the human body, with an eye to recovery and forgiveness in a very eclectic spiritual life. City of Eternal Springchronicles Weavers travels abroad in Taiwan and China, as well as showing the limits of cultural influence.
Winner – Young Adult Readers
The Madman of Piney Woods
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780545156646Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Bestselling Newbery Medalist Christopher Paul Curtis delivers a powerful companion to his multiple award-winning ELIJAH OF BUXTON.
Benji and Red couldnt be more different. They arent friends. They dont even live in the same town. But their fates are entwined. A chance meeting leads the boys to discover that they have more in common than meets the eye. Both of them have encountered a strange presence in the forest, watching them, tracking them. Could the Madman of Piney Woods be real?
In a tale brimming with intrigue and adventure, Christopher Paul Curtis returns to the vibrant world he brought to life in Elijah of Buxton. Here is another novel that will break your heart and expand it, too.
Bestselling Newbery Medalist Christopher Paul Curtis delivers a powerful companion to his multiple award-winning ELIJAH OF BUXTON.
Benji and Red couldnt be more different. They arent friends. They dont even live in the same town. But their fates are entwined. A chance meeting leads the boys to discover that they have more in common than meets the eye. Both of them have encountered a strange presence in the forest, watching them, tracking them. Could the Madman of Piney Woods be real?
In a tale brimming with intrigue and adventure, Christopher Paul Curtis returns to the vibrant world he brought to life in Elijah of Buxton. Here is another novel that will break your heart and expand it, too.
Winner – Young Readers
Granny’s Helper
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780990955801Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
A warm remembrance of sharing time with grandma and the loving bond that is shared. Written for ages 7-11, but a joy for children of all ages and a special treat for grandmothers everywhere!
A warm remembrance of sharing time with grandma and the loving bond that is shared. Written for ages 7-11, but a joy for children of all ages and a special treat for grandmothers everywhere!
Finalist – Fiction
Every Day Is For The Thief: Fiction
by Teju Cole
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780812995787Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY DWIGHT GARNER, THE NEW YORK TIMES •NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY San Francisco Chronicle |NPR | The Root |The Telegraph |The Globe and Mail
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • FINALIST, PHILLIS WHEATLEY BOOK AWARD • TEJU COLE WAS NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AFRICANS OF THE YEAR BY NEW AFRICAN MAGAZINE
For readers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Michael Ondaatje, Every Day Is for the Thief is a wholly original work of fiction by Teju Cole, whose critically acclaimed debut, Open City, was the winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was named one of the best books of the year by more than twenty publications.
Fifteen years is a long time to be away from home. It feels longer still because I left under a cloud.
A young Nigerian living in New York City goes home to Lagos for a short visit, finding a city both familiar and strange. In a city dense with story, the unnamed narrator moves through a mosaic of life, hoping to find inspiration for his own. He witnesses the yahoo yahoo diligently perpetrating email frauds from an Internet café, longs after a mysterious woman reading on a public bus who disembarks and disappears into a bookless crowd, and recalls the tragic fate of an eleven-year-old boy accused of stealing at a local market.
Along the way, the man reconnects with old friends, a former girlfriend, and extended family, taps into the energies of Lagos lifecreative, malevolent, ambiguousand slowly begins to reconcile the profound changes that have taken place in his country and the truth about himself.
In spare, precise prose that sees humanity everywhere, interwoven with original photos by the author, Every Day Is for the Thieforiginally published in Nigeria in 2007is a wholly original work of fiction. This revised and updated edition is the first version of this unique book to be made available outside Africa. Youve never read a book like Every Day Is for the Thief because no one writes like Teju Cole.
Praise for Every Day Is for the Thief
A luminous rumination on storytelling and place, exile and return extraordinary.San Francisco Chronicle
Cole is following in a long tradition of writerly walkers who, in the tradition of Baudelaire, make their way through urban spaces on foot and take their time doing so. Like Alfred Kazin, Joseph Mitchell, J. M. Coetzee, and W. G. Sebald (with whom he is often compared), Cole adds to the literature in his own zeitgeisty fashion.The Boston Globe
Crisp, affecting Cole constructs a narrative of fragments, a series of episodes that he allows to resonate.The New York Times Book Review
Hugely rewarding both a celebration of one of the worlds most vibrant cities and a lament over what can be one of the most frustrating and difficult places to live. It is also a story of family breakup and an uneasy homecomingthe narrator has been away for fifteen years and must relearn how to navigate a place that was once home.NPR
[Every Day Is for the Thief has] a restraint that allows [Cole] to slip in these exquisitely rendered observations on life, love, art that leave you feeling richer and more attuned to your own reality once youve finished reading.Dinaw Mengestu, The Atlantic
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY DWIGHT GARNER, THE NEW YORK TIMES •NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY San Francisco Chronicle |NPR | The Root |The Telegraph |The Globe and Mail
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • FINALIST, PHILLIS WHEATLEY BOOK AWARD • TEJU COLE WAS NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AFRICANS OF THE YEAR BY NEW AFRICAN MAGAZINE
For readers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Michael Ondaatje, Every Day Is for the Thief is a wholly original work of fiction by Teju Cole, whose critically acclaimed debut, Open City, was the winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was named one of the best books of the year by more than twenty publications.
Fifteen years is a long time to be away from home. It feels longer still because I left under a cloud.
A young Nigerian living in New York City goes home to Lagos for a short visit, finding a city both familiar and strange. In a city dense with story, the unnamed narrator moves through a mosaic of life, hoping to find inspiration for his own. He witnesses the yahoo yahoo diligently perpetrating email frauds from an Internet café, longs after a mysterious woman reading on a public bus who disembarks and disappears into a bookless crowd, and recalls the tragic fate of an eleven-year-old boy accused of stealing at a local market.
Along the way, the man reconnects with old friends, a former girlfriend, and extended family, taps into the energies of Lagos lifecreative, malevolent, ambiguousand slowly begins to reconcile the profound changes that have taken place in his country and the truth about himself.
In spare, precise prose that sees humanity everywhere, interwoven with original photos by the author, Every Day Is for the Thieforiginally published in Nigeria in 2007is a wholly original work of fiction. This revised and updated edition is the first version of this unique book to be made available outside Africa. Youve never read a book like Every Day Is for the Thief because no one writes like Teju Cole.
Praise for Every Day Is for the Thief
A luminous rumination on storytelling and place, exile and return extraordinary.San Francisco Chronicle
Cole is following in a long tradition of writerly walkers who, in the tradition of Baudelaire, make their way through urban spaces on foot and take their time doing so. Like Alfred Kazin, Joseph Mitchell, J. M. Coetzee, and W. G. Sebald (with whom he is often compared), Cole adds to the literature in his own zeitgeisty fashion.The Boston Globe
Crisp, affecting Cole constructs a narrative of fragments, a series of episodes that he allows to resonate.The New York Times Book Review
Hugely rewarding both a celebration of one of the worlds most vibrant cities and a lament over what can be one of the most frustrating and difficult places to live. It is also a story of family breakup and an uneasy homecomingthe narrator has been away for fifteen years and must relearn how to navigate a place that was once home.NPR
[Every Day Is for the Thief has] a restraint that allows [Cole] to slip in these exquisitely rendered observations on life, love, art that leave you feeling richer and more attuned to your own reality once youve finished reading.Dinaw Mengestu, The Atlantic
Finalist – Fiction
Glorious Sunset
by Ava Bleu
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781601626707Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
African King Taka Olufemi has traveled over four hundred years to find the woman who holds the soul of his murdered queen and hes a little cranky. With a ruby brooch as his vessel, the former king is forced to grant wishes to ungrateful mortals hoping to one day find, and win, the heart of his lost love.
But it will take more than good looks and an impressive pedigree to earn the love of Violet Jackson. The ambitious interior designer doesnt remember Taka or their history. Lovewith its inevitable heartbreak chaserhas no place in Violets immediate life plan. All the handsome genie can do for her is pony up on the three wishes hes promised and try not to be a pain while hes at it.
While the arrogant king is praying for his submissive queen and the faithless object of his affection isnt praying at all, guardian angel, Aniweto, is praying for them both. With Anis help, Taka and Violets epic love will be rekindled and this royal couple-behaving-badly will finally earn their happily-ever-after through the grace of the Almighty.
African King Taka Olufemi has traveled over four hundred years to find the woman who holds the soul of his murdered queen and hes a little cranky. With a ruby brooch as his vessel, the former king is forced to grant wishes to ungrateful mortals hoping to one day find, and win, the heart of his lost love.
But it will take more than good looks and an impressive pedigree to earn the love of Violet Jackson. The ambitious interior designer doesnt remember Taka or their history. Lovewith its inevitable heartbreak chaserhas no place in Violets immediate life plan. All the handsome genie can do for her is pony up on the three wishes hes promised and try not to be a pain while hes at it.
While the arrogant king is praying for his submissive queen and the faithless object of his affection isnt praying at all, guardian angel, Aniweto, is praying for them both. With Anis help, Taka and Violets epic love will be rekindled and this royal couple-behaving-badly will finally earn their happily-ever-after through the grace of the Almighty.
Finalist – First Fiction
Adinkrahene: Fear of a Black Planet
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781499399820Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
In a world where America has elected its first Black president, a new generation of heroes must emerge to unite a divided kingdom.
When Mississippi Senator Kyle Shuler announces his bid to unseat presidential incumbent Herbert Newsom, Americas first, black president, Washington Post political reporter Jonathan Fraiser is miffed. He knows Senator Shulers dirty, little secretthat he and two of his friends murdered an elderly, black woman as teenagers. But Jonathan isnt the only person disturbed by Shulers announcement. His longtime friend Selina Giles, an FBI agent, was eleven years old when Shuler slit her grandmothers throat. Now, Jonathan and Selina must join forces as Adinkrahene agents to prevent a Jim Crow criminal from becoming the leader of the free world.
Finalist – First Fiction
Shifting Allegiances: A Nigerian’s story of Nigeria, America and Culture Shock
by Amaka Lily
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781500133795Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Shortlisted for the 2015 QBR Wheatley Book Award - First Fiction. If you had told Deka in 2005, as she sat on a plane bound for America, that she would one day wish to be in Nigeria, she would have spat in your face. Nigeria had been hell for her. She lived in a one room boys-quarter with 7 family members. She could not go to college or get a job. Poverty and Corruption were rampant. Nigerians who had the means had since fled the country. She would have left sooner, but had lacked the funds to do. She was never coming back. She was sure of it. America was going to be great. She was sure of it.
But seven years later, Deka was doing just that, trying to return to Nigeria. America had turned out to be a nightmare, and she wanted to return home.
It hadnt started out that way. When Deka first arrived, America had proven to be everything she had expected. But as America continued to unfold, she saw a side that no one had told her about. A side that she could not live with.
On her first visit back, Deka realizes that not only has Nigeria moved on without her, but that she has changed. Irrevocably. She can no longer live in Nigeria the way she had previously done. Since she does not want to live in America, she arrives at a cross road. Does she continue with her plans to return to Nigeria or does she learn to work with America?
Shortlisted for the 2015 QBR Wheatley Book Award - First Fiction. If you had told Deka in 2005, as she sat on a plane bound for America, that she would one day wish to be in Nigeria, she would have spat in your face. Nigeria had been hell for her. She lived in a one room boys-quarter with 7 family members. She could not go to college or get a job. Poverty and Corruption were rampant. Nigerians who had the means had since fled the country. She would have left sooner, but had lacked the funds to do. She was never coming back. She was sure of it. America was going to be great. She was sure of it.
But seven years later, Deka was doing just that, trying to return to Nigeria. America had turned out to be a nightmare, and she wanted to return home.
It hadnt started out that way. When Deka first arrived, America had proven to be everything she had expected. But as America continued to unfold, she saw a side that no one had told her about. A side that she could not live with.
On her first visit back, Deka realizes that not only has Nigeria moved on without her, but that she has changed. Irrevocably. She can no longer live in Nigeria the way she had previously done. Since she does not want to live in America, she arrives at a cross road. Does she continue with her plans to return to Nigeria or does she learn to work with America?
Finalist – First Nonfiction
Daffodil: A Mother’s Journey
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781941721001Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Daffodil is an emotional documentation of a mothers journey via a collection of journal entries, letters and inspirational quotes. Daffodil is full of suspense, drama, physical and emotional abuse, healing, joy and peace. Readers will yell, cheer and cry while reading Daffodil but be blessed as they are inspired, empowered, motivated and touched by Daffodil.
Daffodil is an emotional documentation of a mothers journey via a collection of journal entries, letters and inspirational quotes. Daffodil is full of suspense, drama, physical and emotional abuse, healing, joy and peace. Readers will yell, cheer and cry while reading Daffodil but be blessed as they are inspired, empowered, motivated and touched by Daffodil.
Finalist – First Nonfiction
No Doubt: The Murder(s) of Oscar Grant
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781489596291Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
No Doubt is the chilling and compelling story of the 2009 murder of 22-year-old Oscar Grant by a BART police officer. It is also the story of the ways in which racism and white privilege infect Americas criminal justice system, media and society, and encourage, perpetuate, and justify the oppression and devaluing of the lives of people of color. A breath-taking read that will break your heart, stimulate your rage, and hopefully motivate you to take action. ~ Jill Nelson, author, Volunteer Slavery, editor, Police Brutality: An Anthology Oscar Grant was murdered for the first time on Jan. 1, 2009; he would be murdered by the media and the courts soon thereafter. No Doubt: The Murder(s) of Oscar Grant by Thandisizwe Chimurenga tells the story of these murders, and names the names of those who aided and abetted these crimes. www.triplemurder.com
No Doubt is the chilling and compelling story of the 2009 murder of 22-year-old Oscar Grant by a BART police officer. It is also the story of the ways in which racism and white privilege infect Americas criminal justice system, media and society, and encourage, perpetuate, and justify the oppression and devaluing of the lives of people of color. A breath-taking read that will break your heart, stimulate your rage, and hopefully motivate you to take action. ~ Jill Nelson, author, Volunteer Slavery, editor, Police Brutality: An Anthology Oscar Grant was murdered for the first time on Jan. 1, 2009; he would be murdered by the media and the courts soon thereafter. No Doubt: The Murder(s) of Oscar Grant by Thandisizwe Chimurenga tells the story of these murders, and names the names of those who aided and abetted these crimes. www.triplemurder.com
Finalist – Nonfiction
How To Uncover, Heal & Release Painful Life Experiences: Living a Vocal, Valued and Victorious Life
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780692255551Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Author Jo Anne Meekins presents volume 1 of Living a Vocal, Valued and Victorious Life to help readers uncover, heal and release painful life experiences. This collection of How To articles includes effective tips and techniques on topics such as forgiveness, conquering internal conflict, and seasons of struggle. Additionally, Ms. Meekins transparently illustrates how she has dealt with personal pain, false beliefs and major transitions. If you want to learn how to heal your heart, free your mind and be at peace, invest in this journey of self-discovery to experience deeper levels of healing and victory in your life.
Author Jo Anne Meekins presents volume 1 of Living a Vocal, Valued and Victorious Life to help readers uncover, heal and release painful life experiences. This collection of How To articles includes effective tips and techniques on topics such as forgiveness, conquering internal conflict, and seasons of struggle. Additionally, Ms. Meekins transparently illustrates how she has dealt with personal pain, false beliefs and major transitions. If you want to learn how to heal your heart, free your mind and be at peace, invest in this journey of self-discovery to experience deeper levels of healing and victory in your life.
Finalist – Nonfiction
Breaking Ground: My Life in Medicine
by David Chanoff and Louis Sullivan
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780820349381Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
In Breaking Ground, Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. recounts his extraordinary life including his childhood in Jim Crow south Georgia and continuing through his trailblazing endeavors training to become a physician in an almost entirely white environment in the Northeast. He was the founding dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in President George H. W. Bushs administration. Throughout his extraordinary life Sullivan has passionately championed improved access to health care for all Americans and greater diversity among the nations health professionals.Sullivans life from Morehouse to the White House and his ongoing work with medical students in South Africa is the embodiment of the hopes and progress that the civil rights movement fought to achieve. His story should inspire future generations of all backgrounds to aspire to great things.
In Breaking Ground, Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. recounts his extraordinary life including his childhood in Jim Crow south Georgia and continuing through his trailblazing endeavors training to become a physician in an almost entirely white environment in the Northeast. He was the founding dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in President George H. W. Bushs administration. Throughout his extraordinary life Sullivan has passionately championed improved access to health care for all Americans and greater diversity among the nations health professionals.Sullivans life from Morehouse to the White House and his ongoing work with medical students in South Africa is the embodiment of the hopes and progress that the civil rights movement fought to achieve. His story should inspire future generations of all backgrounds to aspire to great things.
Finalist – Nonfiction
Businessman First: Remembering Henry G. Parks, Jr. 1916-1989 Capturing the Life of a Businessman Who
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781493114795Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Finalist – Poetry
Tears For My Ancestors (Volume 1)
by Malik Canty
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780692277461Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Malik Word Bird Canty presents his fourth collection of straight talk, heartfelt realism with volume 1 of this Afro-Ancestral series. Tears For My Ancestors is a compilation of works with a poetic flavor that strongly communicates authentic stories for people of African descent. Word Bird feels that because so much of Black History has been hidden or distorted, it is important that these stories be told whole. Thus he challenges readers with this question: Who, among you, has the courage to teach the children and others the TRUTH? Tears For My Ancestors serves as a stimulating resource for enlightening all age and ethnic groups about the unadulterated truth and untold stories regarding the rich heritage and enslavement of a resilient people.
Malik Word Bird Canty presents his fourth collection of straight talk, heartfelt realism with volume 1 of this Afro-Ancestral series. Tears For My Ancestors is a compilation of works with a poetic flavor that strongly communicates authentic stories for people of African descent. Word Bird feels that because so much of Black History has been hidden or distorted, it is important that these stories be told whole. Thus he challenges readers with this question: Who, among you, has the courage to teach the children and others the TRUTH? Tears For My Ancestors serves as a stimulating resource for enlightening all age and ethnic groups about the unadulterated truth and untold stories regarding the rich heritage and enslavement of a resilient people.
Finalist – Poetry
Brief Evidence of Heaven: Poems from the Life of Anna Murray Douglass
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780990867777Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Poetry. African American Studies. Womens Studies. BRIEF EVIDENCE OF HEAVEN: POEMS FROM THE LIFE OF ANNA MURRAY DOUGLASS by M. Nzadi Keita imagines how free-born, illiterate Anna Murray Douglass, wife to Frederick Douglass, the most vibrant black writer/orator of the 19th century, saw the world as an independent woman, mother, and an abolitionist in her own right. Poet Sonia Sanchez wrote the introduction.
BRIEF EVIDENCE OF HEAVEN a poetic meditation on biography joins a new tradition of African American poetry. Place Keitas name alongside A. Van Jordan, Marilyn Nelson, Brenda Marie Osbey and Nathasha Trethewey. These talented poets link history to rivers and dreams. E. Ethelbert Miller, critic and author of The Fifth Inning
This is a history deftly crafted, enhanced by the formidable skills of a poet who floods this necessary story with light. Patricia Smith, author of BLOOD DAZZLER (Coffee House Press, 2008)
Poetry. African American Studies. Womens Studies. BRIEF EVIDENCE OF HEAVEN: POEMS FROM THE LIFE OF ANNA MURRAY DOUGLASS by M. Nzadi Keita imagines how free-born, illiterate Anna Murray Douglass, wife to Frederick Douglass, the most vibrant black writer/orator of the 19th century, saw the world as an independent woman, mother, and an abolitionist in her own right. Poet Sonia Sanchez wrote the introduction.
BRIEF EVIDENCE OF HEAVEN a poetic meditation on biography joins a new tradition of African American poetry. Place Keitas name alongside A. Van Jordan, Marilyn Nelson, Brenda Marie Osbey and Nathasha Trethewey. These talented poets link history to rivers and dreams. E. Ethelbert Miller, critic and author of The Fifth Inning
This is a history deftly crafted, enhanced by the formidable skills of a poet who floods this necessary story with light. Patricia Smith, author of BLOOD DAZZLER (Coffee House Press, 2008)
Finalist – Young Adult Readers
Dear Diary, The Bullying Won’t Stop UNCUT
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780989225304Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Patricia Thomas is a soft-hearted young lady who lives with her violent mother and has no trace of a father figure. She documents the daily struggle she faces in her diary as she enters high school and falls head on into various social issues. Her story will uplift and inspire young readers as she fights to find peace and self-love amongst it all. Includes BONUS: A Collection of Poems. UNCUT Edition: Parental discretion advised.
Patricia Thomas is a soft-hearted young lady who lives with her violent mother and has no trace of a father figure. She documents the daily struggle she faces in her diary as she enters high school and falls head on into various social issues. Her story will uplift and inspire young readers as she fights to find peace and self-love amongst it all. Includes BONUS: A Collection of Poems. UNCUT Edition: Parental discretion advised.
Finalist – Young Adult Readers
Willow
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780763657697Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
In 1848, an educated slave girl faces an inconceivable choice between bondage and freedom, family and love.
On one side of the Mason-Dixon Line lives fifteen-year-old Willow, her masters favorite servant. Shes been taught to read and has learned to write. She believes her master is good to her and fears the rebel slave runaways. On the other side of the line is seventeen-year-old Cato, a black man, free born. Its his personal mission to sneak as many fugitive slaves to freedom as he can. Willows and Catos lives are about to intersect, with life-changing consequences for both of them. Tonya Cherie Hegamins moving coming-of-age story is a poignant meditation on the many ways a person can be enslaved, and the force of will needed to be truly emancipated.
In 1848, an educated slave girl faces an inconceivable choice between bondage and freedom, family and love.
On one side of the Mason-Dixon Line lives fifteen-year-old Willow, her masters favorite servant. Shes been taught to read and has learned to write. She believes her master is good to her and fears the rebel slave runaways. On the other side of the line is seventeen-year-old Cato, a black man, free born. Its his personal mission to sneak as many fugitive slaves to freedom as he can. Willows and Catos lives are about to intersect, with life-changing consequences for both of them. Tonya Cherie Hegamins moving coming-of-age story is a poignant meditation on the many ways a person can be enslaved, and the force of will needed to be truly emancipated.
Finalist – Young Readers
Tate and His Historic Dream
by Bernard C. Turner and Michelle Duster
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9780971048744Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
Tate put off writing his fourth grade history paper until the last minute and would still rather play outside with his friends than work on the paper. While staring blankly at a picture that includes a group of people who made an impact on the history of the United States, he suddenly finds himself interacting with them. Through interesting dialogue and questions, Tate learns how these historic figures worked together or influenced each other. As a result of his experience, he is motivated to learn more and feels that he, too, can make a difference.
Tate put off writing his fourth grade history paper until the last minute and would still rather play outside with his friends than work on the paper. While staring blankly at a picture that includes a group of people who made an impact on the history of the United States, he suddenly finds himself interacting with them. Through interesting dialogue and questions, Tate learns how these historic figures worked together or influenced each other. As a result of his experience, he is motivated to learn more and feels that he, too, can make a difference.
Finalist – Young Readers
Midnight and the Man Who Had No Tears
List Price: $27.95
Knopf (Jul 10, 2014)
Fiction, Hardcover, 368 pages
ISBN: 9781497560437Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
In the magical land of Shina, Midnight is the Keeper of Dreams and Protector of Children. Tonight, on her nightly journey down the River of Dreams, she meets the Red family, whose child is joining Midnight for the first time. The dark cloud of sadness that consumes their house concerns Midnight, and the entire family must embark on a journey with her to find out why an angry father can show no kindness to his only child.
In the magical land of Shina, Midnight is the Keeper of Dreams and Protector of Children. Tonight, on her nightly journey down the River of Dreams, she meets the Red family, whose child is joining Midnight for the first time. The dark cloud of sadness that consumes their house concerns Midnight, and the entire family must embark on a journey with her to find out why an angry father can show no kindness to his only child.
