See all the winners of the 2016 National Book Awards

The 67th edition of the National Book Awards, America's most prestigious award for writers/authors, a gathering where authors of fiction, nonfiction, young people’s literature and poetry convened to celebrate the art of writing was held on Nov. 16 in New York City.

Executive Director Lisa Lucas said this year's winners of the National Book Awards were better reflection of a diverse readership.

In an interview with The New York Times, Lucas said, “Look, I’m a black woman. I care a lot about racial inequity. But when I think about building a nation of readers, I don’t think it’s fair to leave anyone behind. If I say I’m going to focus only on racial inclusivity, and I don’t think about poverty or regional isolation, then I’m failing to connect people, which is what literature does.”

Lucas added in a speech made at the ceremony, “Let us remember that books give us hope, give us comfort, that they light our way, and that they bring us together. Together, we can work to make that community of readers bigger, and stronger, and more powerful.”

Below are the winners in each of the National Book Award’s four categories.

Young People’s Literature

March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

Poetry

The Performance of Becoming Human by Daniel Borzutzky

Nonfiction

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

Fiction

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

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