From the National Book Award site: “The National Book Awards were established in 1950 to celebrate the best writing in America. A panel of judges selects a Longlist of ten titles per category, which is then narrowed to five Finalists, and a Winner is announced at the Awards Ceremony in the fall. Each Finalist receives a prize of $1,000, a medal, and a Judge’s citation. Winners receive $10,000 and a bronze sculpture.”
Click on the highlighted titles for more information about the books. The winners were divulged on November 16, indicated in red.
Fiction
Tess Gunty, The Rabbit Hutch
Gayl Jones, The Birdcatcher
Jamil Jan Kochai, The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories
Sarah Thankam Mathews, All This Could Be Different
Alejandro Varela, The Town of Babylon
Nonfiction
Meghan O’Rourke, The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness
Imani Perry, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
David Quammen, Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus
Ingrid Rojas Contreras, The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir
Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
Translated Literature
A New Name: Septology VI-VII, by Jon Fosse, trans. from the Norwegian by Damion Searls
Kibogo, by Scholastique Mukasonga, trans. from the French by Mark Polizzotti
Jawbone, by Mónica Ojeda, trans. from the Spanish by Sarah Booker
Seven Empty Houses, by Samanta Schweblin, trans. from the Spanish by Megan McDowell
Scattered All Over the Earth, by Yoko Tawada, trans. from the Japanese by Margaret Mitsutani
Young People’s Literature
Kelly Barnhill, The Ogress and the Orphans
Sonora Reyes, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School
Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand!
Sabaa Tahir, All My Rage
Lisa Yee, Maizy Chen’s Last Chance
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Great job to you all!