Industry & Advocacy News

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2024 National Book Awards!

Literary Culture

November 22, 2024

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The National Book Foundation has announced the 2024 recipients of the prestigious National Book Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in American literature. This year’s ceremony, hosted by Kate McKinnon, showcased works that challenged conventional narratives and addressed pressing contemporary issues. Despite moments of levity and celebration, the evening carried a weight of purpose as writers reflected on literature’s role during times of war, political division, racial inequality, and increasing book removals across the country.

Percival Everett claimed the Fiction prize for James (Doubleday), a powerful reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic from the perspective of Jim, the escaped slave, demonstrating literature’s ability to reframe historical narratives and challenge our understanding of American literary canon.

“Two weeks ago, I was feeling quite down, and honestly, I still feel rather low,” Everett remarked, referencing the recent election. Despite this, he expressed a glimmer of optimism, stating, “I do feel some hope,” as he observed the enthusiasm surrounding books at the event.”

Jason De León won the Nonfiction category for Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling (Viking Books), offering a groundbreaking examination of human migration along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Lena Khalaf Tuffaha secured the Poetry award for Something About Living (University of Akron Press), a profound meditation on Palestinian diaspora and cultural memory.

Shifa Saltagi Safadi received the Young People’s Literature prize for Kareem Between (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers), a coming-of-age novel about a Syrian American boy navigating identity and belonging.

The Translated Literature award went to Yáng Shuāng-zǐ’s Taiwan Travelogue (Graywolf Press), translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King, a lyrical novel chronicling the journey of a Japanese novelist to Taiwan in 1938 and her complex relationship with her young female interpreter.

The evening was further distinguished by the presentation of lifetime achievement honors to Barbara Kingsolver, celebrated author of The Poisonwood Bible and Pulitzer Prize-winning Demon Copperhead. In her acceptance speech, Kingsolver championed literature’s role as a disruptive force that confronts social inequality and injustice, asserting that writers “are at our best when we’re disruptors… We get to crack people open.”

W. Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press and BCP Digital Printing, received the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. Accepting the honor, Coates articulated his press’s vital mission of “recovery, and making Black self-narrating voices known to the world.”

McKinnon’s comedic timing was on full display as she tackled serious topics with a humorous twist. She playfully addressed the encroachment of artificial intelligence in literature, stating, “Robots do not know what it is like to be certain you’re going to die one day. Robots do not experience racism or food insecurity.”

This year’s National Book Awards not only celebrated literary excellence but also highlighted literature’s vital role in advocating for change and elevating silenced voices. Throughout the evening, winners used their platform to address current political climates and emphasize the importance of solidarity against oppression.

The National Book Awards are among the most prestigious honors in American literature. Winners receive $10,000, a statue, and a bronze medal, while finalists receive $1,000 and a bronze medal.