Ta-Nehisi Coates Wins 2015 National Book Award For Nonfiction for Riveting Book on Race

Ta-Nehisi Coates won the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction for “Between the World and Me,” a raw look at life as a black man in America, styled as a letter to his adolescent son.

The book came out this summer, at a time when race in the United States was at the center of national attention, especially concerning violence against blacks by police and others in power.

“Every day you turn on the TV and see some kind of violence being directed at black people,” Coates said during his acceptance speech. “Over and over and over again. And it keeps happening.”

It’s the latest in a string of accolades and recognition for Coates, a journalist and national correspondent for the Atlantic, who in September was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.”

“Between the World and Me” currently holds a 4.42 out of 5 score on Goodreads.

Other 2015 National Book Award winners include:

• Adam Johnson, “Fortune Smiles: Stories” (fiction)
• Robin Coste Lewis, “Voyage of the Sable Venus: and Other Poems” (poetry)
• Neal Shusterman, “Challenger Deep” (young people’s literature)

Pick up “Between the World and Me” at your local bookseller, or buy “Between the World and Me” on Amazon here.