Every November, the National Book Foundation celebrates the best of American literature, honoring winners across five categories.
Though the awards were established in 1936 by the American Booksellers Association, the nonprofit National Book Foundation was established in 1988 to administer and enhance the awards.
Each winner receives $10,000 and a bronze sculpture. In this post, we’ll introduce you to the 2021 winners so you can update your reading list.
Books That Won the 2021 National Book Award
Below are the winners of the 2021 National Book Awards for each of the five categories, along with the finalists. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!
Fiction: Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
Mott’s novel follows an unnamed Black author who begins a cross-country publicity tour to promote his novel, but it also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, whom the author may or may not be imagining throughout his tour.
Meanwhile, a tragic police shooting is playing over and over again in the news, and it is interwoven with stories of family, love, art, and race in America.
Finalists:
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
- Matrix by Lauren Groff
- Zorrie by Laird Hunt
- The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.
Nonfiction: All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
Award-winning author, historian, and Harvard professor Tiya Miles traces a single object through three generations of Black women.
In 1850s South Carolina, an enslaved woman named Rose faced the imminent sale of her daughter, Ashley. Rose packed a small cotton bag with a few precious items as a token of love, and to try to ensure her daughter’s survival.
Decades later, Ashley’s granddaughter, Ruth, embroidered this history on the bag, documenting Rose’s wish that “It be filled with my Love always.” Miles brings the women’s story to the surface so that we may remember just one of so many experiences that have been lost in the archives.
Finalists:
- A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
- Running Out by Lucas Bessire
- Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
- Covered with Night by Nicole Eustace
Poetry: Floaters by Martín Espada
Floaters is named for the term used by some Border Patrol agents to describe migrants who drown trying to cross into the United States. The book’s title poem reflects on the viral photograph of a Salvadoran father and daughter who drowned in the Río Grande.
Through his eloquent verses, Espada shows that in times of hate we need poems of love, whether celebrating visionaries or condemning bigotry.
Finalists:
- What Noise Against the Cane by Desiree C. Bailey
- Sho by Douglas Kearney
- A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure by Hoa Nguyen
- The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us from the Void by Jackie Wang
Translated Literature: Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin
In Sokcho, a tourist town on the border between South and North Korea, a young French Korean woman works as a receptionist in a tired guesthouse. The harsh winter has slowed operations, but one evening, she meets an unexpected guest: a French cartoonist determined to find inspiration in the desolate surroundings.
As the two form an uneasy relationship, she agrees to accompany him on trips to discover an “authentic” Korea, and even cross into the North. Along the way, she discovers more about Sokcho, but also a new way to finally be seen.
Finalists:
- Peach Blossom Paradise by Ge Fei
- The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández
- When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut
- Planet of Clay by Samar Yazbek
Young People’s Literature: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu finds herself falling for Kathleen Miller, but 1954 America isn’t a safe place for two girls to fall in love—especially not in Chinatown, in the middle of the Red Scare.
With her father on the verge of deportation (despite his being a citizen) and Red-Scare paranoia threatening everyone, Lily and Kathleen must risk everything to give their love a chance.
Finalists:
- The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
- Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
- Revolution in Our Time by Kekla Magoon
- Me (Moth) by Amber McBride
Who Won the Most National Book Awards?
Three authors have won three National Book Awards: Saul Bellow, Peter Matthiessen, and Lewis Thomas.
More Book Awards
To learn more about book awards and famous winners, check our list of the most prestigious literary awards.
You can also enter TCK Publishing’s very own awards contest, our 2022 Readers Choice Awards.
Have you read any of the National Book Award winners? Tell us what you thought in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- List of Book Awards Contests (Updated 2021)
- Your Guide to the Most Prestigious Literature Awards
- Literary Trivia: 40 Fun Facts About Your Favorite Books and Authors
- 2022 TCK Publishing Reader’s Choice Book Awards Contest
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
