The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards given by writers to American authors. 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 good writing in America." |
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2024 Jamesby Percival EverettA retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of the enslaved Jim, who decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island after learning he is to be sold to a man in New Orleans. |
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2023 Blackoutsby Justin TorresA young man tends to the dying soul of a person he knew only briefly and the pair trade stories as they wait for the end, in the new novel from the author of We the Animals. |
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2022 Set in the post-industrial Midwest, this story of loneliness and community, entrapment and freedom, follows Blandine, who lives with three other teens in a run-down apartment building known as the Rabbit Hutch, as she embarks on a quest for transcendence that culminates in a shocking act of violence. |
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2021
"An astounding work of fiction, both incredibly funny and heartfelt, asking readers to embrace the fantastical in order to get to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon not only Black Americans, but America as a whole" -- Provided by publisher.
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2019 Trust Exercise by Susan ChoiFalling in love while attending a competitive 1980s performing arts high school, David and Sarah rise through the ranks before the realities of their family dynamics and economic statuses trigger a spiral that impacts their adult lives. |
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2018 The Friend by Sigrid NunezBecoming the guardian of her late best friend's enormous Great Dane, a grieving woman is evicted from her no-pets apartment and forges a deep bond with the equally distraught animal in ways that initially disturb her friends. |
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2017 Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn WardLiving with his grandparents and toddler sister on a Gulf Coast farm, Jojo navigates the challenges of his tormented mother's addictions and his grandmother's terminal cancer before the release of his father from prison prompts a road trip of danger and hope. |
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2016 The Underground Railroad by Colson WhiteheadThe award-winning author of The Noble Hustle chronicles the daring survival story of a cotton plantation slave in Georgia, who, after suffering at the hands of both her owners and fellow slaves, races through the Underground Railroad with a relentless slave-catcher close behind. |
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2015 Fortune Smiles: Stories by Adam JohnsonThis major story collection by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son includes two previously unpublished pieces and explores themes of love, loss and the consequences of decisions made in the face of tragedy. |
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2014 Redeployment by Phil KlayA collection of short stories by a former Marine captain and Iraq veteran focuses on the complexities of life for soldiers on the front lines and after, exploring themes ranging from brutality and faith to guilt and survival |
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