colson whitehead

Whitehead says his latest novel was inspired by his love of heist movies. The story centers on a furniture store owner who has a side hustle trafficking in stolen goods.

Colson Whitehead and Marlon James headline the longlists of names in contention for the literary prize. Altogether, 50 books across five categories stand a chance at winning in November.

Six writers emerged with the literary prize: Whitehead in fiction; Ibram X. Kendi in nonfiction; Daniel Borzutzky in poetry; and Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell in young people's literature.

Colson Whitehead, Jacqueline Woodson and Rita Dove are just three of the authors on the shortlists for the National Book Awards. The 20 books still in contention for the prizes were unveiled Thursday.

But they're not the only ones. Eighteen books got the nod when Kirkus Reviews released shortlists for its literary prize on Tuesday.