Award-Winning Black Novels

James

A Novel

by Everett, Percival

Book - 2024

Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction, Percival Everett’s reimagining of Huckleberry Finn centers on the story of the enslaved Jim. While man...Show more Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction, Percival Everett’s reimagining of Huckleberry Finn centers on the story of the enslaved Jim. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place, Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. (provided by publisher) Show less

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Invisible Man

by Ellison, Ralph

Book - 1995

Ellison’s searing 1953 National Book Award-winning novel follows the nameless narrator from his teenage years in a small Southern town to his allegiance with a group called “the Brotherhood” that claims to be working to better conditions in Harlem. Ellison’s searing 1953 National Book Award-winning novel follows the nameless narrator from his teenage years in a small Southern town to his allegiance with a group called “the Brotherhood” that claims to be working to better conditions in Harlem. Show less

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The Known World

by Jones, Edward P.

Book - 2003

Set on a Virginia plantation, Jones’ 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel looks at slavery from an unusual viewpoint. Henry Townsend is a former slave who no...Show more Set on a Virginia plantation, Jones’ 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel looks at slavery from an unusual viewpoint. Henry Townsend is a former slave who now owns his own land and slaves—but he is dying, and he worries what will happen to his holdings upon his death. Show less

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The Good Lord Bird

by McBride, James

Book - 2013

As seen through the eyes of an orphaned young slave named Henry Shackleford, McBride recreates the story of abolitionist John Brown in his 2013 National Book Award-winning historical novel. As seen through the eyes of an orphaned young slave named Henry Shackleford, McBride recreates the story of abolitionist John Brown in his 2013 National Book Award-winning historical novel. Show less

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Afterlives

by Gurnah, Abdulrazak

Book - 2022

A young man returns home years after being kidnapped to find his parents gone and his sister basically a slave in a multi-generational saga set during the colonization of east Africa that won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. (provided by Novelist) A young man returns home years after being kidnapped to find his parents gone and his sister basically a slave in a multi-generational saga set during the colonization of east Africa that won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. (provided by Novelist) Show less

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Beloved

A Novel

by Morrison, Toni

Book - 1987

Set in Cincinnati after the Civil War, Morrison’s powerful 1988 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells the story of a former slave whose home is haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter. Set in Cincinnati after the Civil War, Morrison’s powerful 1988 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells the story of a former slave whose home is haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter. Show less

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Hell of A Book

Or the Altogether Factual, Wholly Bona Fide Story of A Big Dreams, Hard Luck, American-made Mad Kid

by Mott, Jason

Book - 2021

Mott’s 2021 National Book Award-winning novel follows the protagonist, a nameless Black author on his first book tour, and The Kid, a 10-year-old Black bo...Show more Mott’s 2021 National Book Award-winning novel follows the protagonist, a nameless Black author on his first book tour, and The Kid, a 10-year-old Black boy who mysteriously keeps showing up at the author’s events. Is The Kid real or a product of the author’s imagination? Show less

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Song of Solomon

by Morrison, Toni

Book - 1977

Awarded the 1977 National Book Critics Circle Award, Song of Solomon follows the protagonist, Macon “Milkman” Dead III, a Black man living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood. Awarded the 1977 National Book Critics Circle Award, Song of Solomon follows the protagonist, Macon “Milkman” Dead III, a Black man living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood. Show less

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The Women of Brewster Place

by Naylor, Gloria

Book - 1982

Winner of the National Book Award for 1st Novel in 1983, Naylor’s compelling debut weaves together the stories of seven Black women living in Brewster Place, a housing project in an unidentified inner city. Winner of the National Book Award for 1st Novel in 1983, Naylor’s compelling debut weaves together the stories of seven Black women living in Brewster Place, a housing project in an unidentified inner city. Show less

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The Color Purple

A Novel

by Walker, Alice

Book - 1982

Walker’s celebrated novel, which won both the 1983 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, follows the suffering and eventual triumph of Celie, a Blac...Show more Walker’s celebrated novel, which won both the 1983 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, follows the suffering and eventual triumph of Celie, a Black woman abused by her father and husband, who eventually finds courage and comfort through her relationships with other Black women. Show less

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Salvage the Bones

A Novel

by Ward, Jesmyn

Book - 2011

Pregnant 14-year-old Esch Batiste helps her family, who live in extreme poverty in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, prepare their home for Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in 2011 National Book Award-winning Ward’s second novel. Pregnant 14-year-old Esch Batiste helps her family, who live in extreme poverty in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, prepare their home for Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in 2011 National Book Award-winning Ward’s second novel. Show less

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Sing, Unburied, Sing

A Novel

by Ward, Jesmyn

Book - 2017

Ward’s third novel, winner of the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction, follows the story of three generations of a Mississippi family: grandparents Pop ...Show more Ward’s third novel, winner of the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction, follows the story of three generations of a Mississippi family: grandparents Pop and Mam; drug addict daughter Leonie, longing for her lover, who’s in prison; and Leonie’s children, teenage Jojo and toddler Kayla. Show less

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The Nickel Boys

A Novel

by Whitehead, Colson

Book - 2019

Whitehead’s blistering novel, which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize, is the story of the Nickel Academy, a Florida reform school which committed racist and sometimes fatal crimes against the Black boys living there during the final years of Jim Crow. Whitehead’s blistering novel, which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize, is the story of the Nickel Academy, a Florida reform school which committed racist and sometimes fatal crimes against the Black boys living there during the final years of Jim Crow. Show less

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The Underground Railroad

A Novel

by Whitehead, Colson

Book - 2016

When Caesar asks Cora to escape with him to the North via the Underground Railroad, their journey is continually fraught with danger in Whitehead’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. When Caesar asks Cora to escape with him to the North via the Underground Railroad, their journey is continually fraught with danger in Whitehead’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Show less

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