A good way to know that a book is good is seeing a sticker on the novel that says that the novel won an award. Thousands of novels are considered but one (or two) novels end up being selected as the winner. We have created a list of award winning books of the 2020’s that you should read. Keep reading to find out which novels made our list!
Winning an award can change the trajectory of a book as well as an author. Now, the author’s name will always be followed by “award winning author.” Writing a novel is a difficult and stressful job that takes authors months or even years to publish. Receiving a prominent award validates all that hard work for them and helps them sell more books. You can see the full list below!
Award Winning Books of the 2020’s That You Should Read
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- Trust by Hernan Diaz
- Himawari House by Harmony Becker
- When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar
- Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
- Seven Empty Houses by Samantha Schweblin
- The Rabbit Hutch, by Tess Gunty
- The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- The Promise by Damon Galgut – Man Booker Prize
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell – National Book Critics Circle Award
- Harrow by Joy Williams – Kirkus Prize
- Further News of Defeat by Michael X. Wang – PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction
- Deacon King Kong by James McBride – Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
- At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop, tr. by Anna Moschovakis – Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Man Booker International Prize
- Network Effect by Martha Wells – Hugo Award, Nebula Award
- The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones – Bram Stoker Award
- The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu – National Book Award
- Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat – National Book Critics Circle Award
- Luster by Raven Leilani – Kirkus Prize, Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
- The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell – Los Angeles Times Book Prize
- Miracle Creek by Angie Kim – Edgar Award: Best First Novel
- Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis – PEN/Faulkner Award
- Last of Her Name by Mimi Lok – PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction
Amazing Award Winning Books
Demon Copperhead and Trust
The co-winners of the Pulitzer Prize Award 2022 were the novels Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and Trust by Hernan Diaz. One tackles an opioid addiction while the other focuses on the 1929 financial stock market crash. Writing about these topics is not easy and a lot of research goes into it. And to write amazing stories that let us experience these moments deserves recognition.
Deacon King Kong
One of the novels on the list that I’ve seen on a bunch of lists is Deacon King Kong by James McBride. As a fellow New Yorker, I enjoy reading novels about my city and the endless stories that take place in this magical city. It won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction which is given to “the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S.”
The Nickel Boy
A standout book on this list for me is The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; the second time Whitehead’s novel accomplished that achievement. He has become a favorite author over the years and this is one of the books that made me a fan.
Conclusion
This wraps up our list of the award winning books of the 2020’s that you should read. How many of these have you read or plan to read? What award winning novel should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below!
1 thought on “Award Winning Books of the 2020’s That You Should Read ”