Teens

And the winner for Young People's Literature is . . . 1919: The Year That Changed America by Martin W. Sandler! 

"1919 was a world-shaking year. America was recovering from World War I and black soldiers returned to racism so violent that that summer would become known as the Red Summer. The suffrage movement had a long-fought win when women gained the right to vote. Laborers took to the streets to protest working conditions; nationalistic fervor led to a communism scare; and temperance gained such traction that prohibition went into effect. Each of these movements reached a tipping point that year.

Now, one hundred years later, these same social issues are more relevant than ever. Sandler traces the momentum and setbacks of these movements through this last century, showing that progress isn’t always a straight line and offering a unique lens through which we can understand history and the change many still seek."

I have read all of the finalists and all but one of the longlist titles, and they were all truly amazing.  Read as many of them as you can!

FINALISTS
1919: The Year That Changed America by Martin W. Sandler
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby
LONGLIST
Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable & Ellen T. Crenshaw
Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve
A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata
Shout by Laure Halse Anderson
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander & Kadir Nelson
 

See the winners in all categories on the National Book Awards website.