See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
The finalists for the National Book Awards were announced for 2021, with Lauren Groff, Anthony Doerr and Hanif Abdurraqib among the nominees for the prestigious literary prizes.
Featuring stories about a woman defying the medieval patriarchy, two enslaved Black men finding love and a young girl who finds freedom in books and art during the Syrian civil war, 25 works were chosen by the National Book Foundation in five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature and young people’s literature.
Among the finalists are five authors and two translators previously recognized by the organization. All the poetry finalists are first-time honorees, and four of the 25 nominees are debut authors.
The winners will be announced at the 72nd National Book Awards virtual ceremony on Nov. 17.
Karen Tei Yamashita and Nancy Pearl will also be recognized, respectively, with the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book AwardsAmazon
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience.
Find it on Amazon.
AmazonReasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience.
Find it on Amazon.
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book AwardsAmazon
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity.
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AmazonReasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity.
Find it on Amazon.
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book AwardsAmazon
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now.”
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AmazonReasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now.”
Find it on Amazon.
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book AwardsAmazon
Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people.
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AmazonReasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people.
Find it on Amazon.
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book AwardsAmazon
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community.”
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AmazonReasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community.”
Find it on Amazon.
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See the list of finalists for 2021 National Book Awards
Book images courtesy of Amazon.com.