Percival Everett, Barbara Kingsolver wow at National Book Awards: ‘Truth is like gravity’

Hundreds attended the 2024 National Book Awards, but despite the tuxedos, gowns and lofty gilded ceilings, the 75th annual ceremony felt more intimate than stuffy. Booklovers and publishers sang in unison to performer Jon Batiste, clinking their glasses as the Grammy-winning musician tickled the ivories.

Literature’s biggest night was celebrated appropriately – the Empire State Building lit up in National Book Foundation blue while attendees dressed in their finest to carry drinks and hardcovers.

The foundation announced five winners across genres on Wednesday. Percival Everett, author of Huckleberry Finn retelling “James,” won the coveted National Book Award for fiction.

In the wake of record book bans and challenges, there was a clear – but sobering – theme of hope.

Host Kate McKinnon wore a pair of glasses “to feel smarter” as she quipped in her usual "Saturday Night Live" fashion. But between jokes, she offered a tribute to the writers of the world:

“Until we have solved the problems of death and loneliness and their byproducts, war and climate change, sensitive souls will continue to offer their theses of how to make the most of our fragile and fleeting time on this burning planet surrounded by other frightened hearts,” McKinnon told the audience. “And in that way, writing a book is nothing short of an act of kindness.”

National Book Awards winners: Full list

The National Book Foundation awards winners in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature and young people’s literature. This year, publishers submitted a total of 1,917 books. The judges decide the winners just hours before the ceremony begins.

Here’s who took home a medal, statue and $10,000 at this year’s event:

“James” by Percival Everett won the National Book Award for fiction. Remarking on “feeling low” in the past two weeks, Everett began his speech with a note of optimism after seeing the crowds of book enthusiasts. “But it’s important to remember … hope really is no substitute for strategy,” he said.

“Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” by Jason De León won the award for nonfiction. De León said he wished the migrant voices featured in his book were on stage with him to see that “people are listening.” “I will not accept the dystopian American future of unchecked corruption, border walls, misogyny, mass deportations, transphobia, climate change denial,” he said.

“Something About Living” by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha won the poetry prize. The poet spoke against the ongoing war in Gaza and honored “the deeply beautiful Palestinians that this world has lost” and “the miraculous ones who endure.”

“Taiwan Travelogue” by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King, won the National Book Award for translated literature. The authors spoke about Taiwanese identity: “I write about Taiwan’s past as a step into its future,” Shuāng-zǐ said, translated by King.

“Kareem Between” by Shifa Saltagi Safadi won the prize for young people’s literature. The author condemned ongoing crises and wars in Gaza, Sudan, Congo and Syria and credited the Muslim authors who came before her. “So often I saw books where Muslims were the villains, and I’m glad I finally got to write a story where we’re the heroes,” she said.

Barbara Kingsolver, W. Paul Coates honored with lifetime achievement awards

Barbara Kingsolver, the author of dozens of fiction, nonfiction and poetry books, received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Her 2022 David Copperfield retelling, “Demon Copperhead,” won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Kingsolver’s speech was a testament to the power of writers as disrupters who can illuminate injustices and uncomfortable pressure points through literature.

“Truth and love have been struck down so many times in history before now. Truth because it’s often inconvenient and love because it’s vulnerable,” Kingsolver said. “But truth is like gravity and the sun behind the eclipse – it doesn’t matter what rules people make up, it’s still there. And love stays alive if you tend it.”

W. Paul Coates, the founder of Black Classic Press and father of author Ta-Nehisi Coates, won the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. For nearly 50 years, Coates has republished obscure and significant works by and about people of African descent. As a former member of the Black Panther Party, he led the establishment of the Black Panther Archives at Howard University.

“My ancestors … cherished the fundamental rights of free people everywhere, the right to speak in our own voice, in our own style without the permission of others, especially those who sought to keep us enslaved, ban our aspirations, our books and our humanity,” Coates said.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See all 2024 National Book Awards winners for fiction and more