2016 National Book Award Finalists Announced

October 6, 2016 | 15 books mentioned 3 2 min read

Book award season enters high gear as the National Book Award finalists have been released. Winners will be announced in New York City on November 16.

The short list includes the big fall book by Colson Whitehead and Jacqueline Woodson’s first novel for adults in 20 years. It’s a great time to be a reader.

You read about nearly all of the books on the Fiction list here first, of course, as they appeared in our indispensable first-half and second-half previews.

Here’s a list of the finalists in all four categories with bonus links and excerpts where available:

Fiction:

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Nonfiction:

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Poetry:

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Young People’s Literature:

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