Every year, The National Book Award Foundation’s mission is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture. Scroll through for a complete list of the 2020 National Book Award Finalists and read some of the titles before the winners are announced in November.

Young People’s Literature

KING AND THE DRAGONFLIES by Kacen Callender

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WE ARE NOT FREE by Traci Chee

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EVERY BODY LOOKING by Candice Illoh

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WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

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THE WAY BACK by Gavriel Savit

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Translated Literature

HIGH AS THE WATERS RISE by Anja Kampmann (translated by Anne Posten)

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THE FAMILY CLAUSE by Jonas Hassen Khemiri (translated by Alice Menzies)

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TOKYO UENO STATION by Yu Miri (translated by Morgan Giles)

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THE BITCH by Pilar Quintana (translated by Lisa Dillman)

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MINOR DETAIL by Adania Shibli (translated by Elisabeth Jaquette)

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Poetry

A TREATISE ON STARS by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

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FANTASIA FOR THE MAN IN BLUE by Tommye Blount

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DMZ COLONY by Don Mee Choi

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BORDERLAND APOCRYPHA by Anthony Cody

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POSTCOLONIAL LOVE POEM by Natalie Diaz

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Nonfiction

THE UNDOCUMENTED AMERICANS by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

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THE DEAD ARE ARISING by Les Payne and Tamara Payne

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UNWORTHY REPUBLIC by Claudio Saunt

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MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CARSON MCCULLERS by Jenn Shapland

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HOW TO MAKE A SLAVE AND OTHER ESSAYS by Jerald Walker

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Fiction

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam

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