This is a selection of the 2020 award winners in Yakima Valley Libraries’ physical and/or digital collections – and just some of the many wonderful prizes that honor literature. If you’re an OverDrive fan, we’ve compiled a list there as well, just scroll down to “2020 Award Winners.” Keep in mind, many of these awards have been around for decades, and the American Library Association announces many of their annual awards (Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, Carnegie, etc.) around the end of January – so don’t limit yourself to this year!
Please note: Not all of these titles are available in all formats, and some may be available only digitally because that is the only way they have been published.
Pulitzer Prizes for Letters and Drama (Previous years)
- History: Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America by W. Caleb McDaniel
- Biography: Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser
- Poetry: The Tradition by Jericho Brown
- General Nonfiction:
- The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
- The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
- Fiction: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
National Book Awards (Previous years)
- Fiction: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
- Nonfiction: The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne & Tamara Payne
- Poetry: DMZ Colony by Don Mee Choi
- Translated Literature: Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri, translated by Morgan Giles
- Young People’s Literature: King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (more information & previous years)
- Fiction: Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
- Nonfiction: Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham
Booker Prize (Previous years): Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Booker International Prize: The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated from Dutch by Michele Hutchison
Pen / Faulkner Award for Fiction: Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis
Pen America Literary Awards
- Pen/Jean Stein Book Award: Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li
- Pen/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection: Last of Her Name by Mimi Lok
- Pen Open Book Award: The Grave on the Wall by Brandon Shimoda
- Pen Translation Award: The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell
- Pen/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award: Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves by Frans de Waal
Women’s Prize for Fiction: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (This prize has previously been the Orange Prize and the Bailey’s Prize. For more information, visit their website.)
PNBA Book Awards (Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association) included:
- The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story by Aaron Bobrow-Strain
- Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang
- Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
- The Cassandra by Sharma Shields
Washington State Book Awards included:
- Books for Young Adult Readers: Slay by Brittney Morris
- Biography / Memoir: The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story by Aaron Bobrow-Strain
- Fiction: Deep River by Karl Marlantes
Kirkus Prize
- Fiction: Luster by Raven Leilani
- Nonfiction: Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream by Michael Denzel Smith
- Young Readers: I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
- Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
- Biography: Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century by George Packer
- Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose: Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
- Current Interest: Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration by Emily Bazelon
- Fiction: The Topeka School by Ben Lerner
- History: They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
- Mystery / Thriller: Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
- Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
- Science & Technology: Figuring by Maria Popova
- Young Adult Literature: When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, which promotes Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit by the Asian-Pacific American Librarians Association.
- Adult Fiction: The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi Laskar
- Adult Nonfiction: The Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Gordon H. Chang
- Young Adult Literature: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker
- Children’s Literature: Stargazing by Jen Wang
Arab American Book Awards
- Fiction: The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
National Jewish Book Award Winners
- Lifetime Achievement Award: The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter (3 volumes)
- JJ Greenberg Memorial Award Michael for Fiction: Fly Already: Stories by Etgar Keret
- Miller Family Book Club Award in Memory of Helen Dunn Weinstein and June Keit Miller: The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
- Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction: Naamah by Sarah Blake
- Jewish Education and Identity Award in Memory of Dorothy Kripke: Antisemitism: Here and Now by Deborah Lipstadt
- Krauss Family Autobiography & Memoir Award: Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
- 2019 Holocaust Award in Memory of Ernest W. Michel: The Unwanted: America, Auschwitz, and a Village Caught in Between by Michael Dobbs
- Gerrard and Ella Berman Memorial Award for History: The Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants Out of America by Daniel Okrent
2020 Bancroft Prizes in American History and Diplomacy
- Saving America’s Cities: Ed Logue and the Struggle to Renew Urban America in the Suburban Age by Lizabeth Cohen
- Illusions of Emancipation: The Pursuit of Freedom and Equality in the Twilight of Slavery by Joseph P. Reidy
Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Awards
- First Novelist: The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Fiction: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
- Nonfiction: Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem: A Memoir by Daniel R. Day
Christy Awards for Christian Fiction
- First Novel: A Long Time Comin’ by Robin W. Pearson
- Contemporary Romance: Now and Then and Always by Melissa Tagg
- General Fiction: Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes
- Historical Romance: The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron
- Mystery / Suspense / Thriller: The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker
Stonewall Book Award
- Barbara Gittings Literature Award: Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis
- Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award: How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir by Saeed Jones
- Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience: The Black Flamingo written by Dean Atta with illustrations by Anshika Khullar & When Aidan Became a Brother written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
Lambda Literary Awards
- Lesbian Fiction: Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
- Gay Fiction: Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington
- Bisexual Fiction: Exquisite Mariposa by Fiona Alison Duncan
- LGBTQ Nonfiction: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
- Lesbian Memoir / Biography: We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib
- Gay Memoir / Biography: How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones
- Children’s / Middle Grade: Hazel’s Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow
- Young Adult: The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
- LGBTQ Science Fiction / Fantasy / Horror: The Deep by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes
Locus Awards, presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus. Often presented in Seattle.
- Science Fiction Novel: The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
- Fantasy Novel: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
- Horror Novel: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
- Young Adult Novel: Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
- First Novel: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
- Best Novella: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Anthology: New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color edited by Nisi Shawl
Hugo Awards, given at the annual World Science Fiction Convention (previous years)
- Best Novel: A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
- Best Novella: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Best Series: The Expanse by James. S.A. Corey
Nebula Awards, presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (more information)
- Best Novel: A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
- Best Novella: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: Riverland by Fran Wilde
Bram Stoker Awards, presented by the Horror Writers Association (more information)
- Superior Achievement in a Novel: Coyote Rage by Owl Goingback
- Superior Achievement in a First Novel: The Bone Weaver’s Orchard by Sarah Read
- Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction: Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson
Silver Spur Awards, presented by the Western Writers of America (more information)
- Best Contemporary Novel: On Swift Horses by Shannon Pufahl
- Historical Novel: A Forgotten Evil by Sheldon Russell
- Historical Nonfiction: Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power by Pekka Hämäläinen
- Mass-Market Paperback Novel: Hawke’s Target by Reavis Z. Wortham
- Traditional Novel: Cherokee America by Margaret Verble
Edgar Awards, presented by the Mystery Writers of America (more information)
- Best Novel: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
- Best First Novel: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
- Best Paperback Original: The Hotel Neversink by Adam O’Fallon Price
- Best Fact Crime: The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity by Axton Betz-Hamilton
The Romance Writers of America is the process of transitioning to a new award, the Vivians, which will be given in 2021.
The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
- The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker
- Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole
- Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon
- A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole
- An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole
- American Love Story by Adriana Herrera
- Trashed by Mia Hopkins
- Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan
International Thriller Writers Awards (more information and previous years)
- Best Hardcover Novel: The Chain by Adrian McKinty
- Best First Novel: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
- Best Paperback Original Novel: The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan
- Best Young Adult Novel: Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
- Best Continuing Series: Bitter Root by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene
- Best New Series: Invisible Kingdom by G. Willow Wilson & Christian Ward
- Best Publication for Kids: Guts by Raina Telgemeier
- Best Publication for Teens: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
- Best Graphic Album (New): Are You Listening? by Tillie Walde
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults: Dig by A.S. King
William C. Morris Award (debut author for teens): The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: New Kid by Jerry Craft
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:
- Young Children: Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Rafael López
- Middle Grade: Song For A Whale by Lynne Kelly
- Teen: Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein
Coretta Scott King Awards, given for outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values
- Author Winner: New Kid by Jerry Craft
- Illustrator Winner: The Undefeated by Kadir Nelson
Pura Belpré Awards honor a Latinx writer and illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
- Author Award: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
- Illustrator Award: Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln, illustrated by Rafael López, written by Margarita Engle
American Indian Youth Literature Awards
- Best Picture Book: Bowwow Powwow: Bagosenjige-niimi’idim by Brenda J. Child (Red Lake Ojibwe), translated into Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain (Lac La Croix First Nation), and illustrated by Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe)
- Best Middle Grade Book: Indian No More written by Charlene Willing McManis (Umpqua/Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde) with Traci Sorell (Cherokee)
- Young Adult Book: Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee)
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults: Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience by the Association of Jewish Libraries.
- Picture Book: The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature for Generations to Come by Sue Macy, illustrated by Stacy Innerst
- Middle Grade: White Bird: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio
- Young Adult: Someday We Will Fly by Rachel DeWoskin
Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, awarded by the We Need Diverse Books organization
- Teen: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
- Younger Readers: The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman