National Book Award In Fiction
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."
WINNERS
2022
 
The Rabbit Hutch
by Tess Gunty

"A debut novel about an odd assortment of residents living in a crumbling apartment building in the post-industrial Midwest"-- Provided by publisher.
2021
 

Hell of a Book : Or the Altogether Factual, Wholly Bona Fide story of a Big Dreams, Hard Luck, American-Made Mad Kid
by Jason Mott

"From a New York Times bestselling author, 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.
 2020
 
 
Interior Chinatown
by Charles Yu

A stereotyped character actor stumbles into the spotlight before uncovering surprising links between his family and the secret history of Chinatown. By the award-winning author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe.
2019 
 
 
Trust Exercise 
by Susan Choi

Falling 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.
2018
 
 
The Friend
by Sigrid Nunez

Becoming 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.
2017
 
 
Sing, Unburied, Sing
by Jesmyn Ward

Living 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.
2016
 
The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead

The 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.
 2015
 
Fortune Smiles : Stories
by Adam Johnson

This 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.
 
2014
 
Redeployment
by Phil Klay

A 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
2013
 
The Good Lord Bird
by James McBride

Fleeing her violent master at the side of legendary abolitionist John Brown at the height of the slavery debate in mid-19th-century Kansas Territory, Henry pretends to be a girl to hide his identity throughout the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.
2012
 
The Round House
by Louise Erdrich

When his mother, a tribal enrollment specialist living on a reservation in North Dakota, slips into an abyss of depression after being brutally attacked, 14-year-old Joe Coutz sets out with his three friends to find the person that destroyed his family.
Ask a librarian for more reading suggestions!
Get Reading Recommendations
Forsyth County Public Library | #WeKnowBooks