MAAH Stone Book Award Announces Short List
Short List from 94 submissions in African American history & culture book award showcase the Black experience through music, revolution, and modern struggles
(Boston, MA) July 22, 2021 – The Museum of African American History (MAAH) today revealed the Stone Book Award’s ten-book short list for exceptional adult non-fiction books written in a literary style.
The following ten books were chosen from 94 eligible submissions. Books are judged based on their scholarship and accessibility, with an eye toward identifying exceptional works that spark dialogue within and across social and racial groups. The books chosen also reflect the core values of the Museum, showcasing powerful stories of black families, individuals, and institutions, and serving to expand cultural understanding and promote dignity and respect for all.
Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound by Daphne A. Brooks
The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States by Walter Johnson
Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones
The Meaning of Soul: Black Music and Resilience since the 1960s by Emily J. Lordi
Black Diamond Queens: African American Women and Rock and Roll by Maureen Mahon
Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction by Kate Masur
At the Threshold of Liberty: Women, Slavery, and Shifting Identities in Washington, D.C. by Tamika Y. Nunley
To Make the Wounded Whole: The African American Struggle against HIV/AIDS by Dan Royles
Sun Ra’s Chicago: Afrofuturism and the City by William Sites
Brick City Vanguard: Amiri Baraka, Black Music, Black Modernity by James Smethurst
Since 2017, the MAAH Stone Book Award has recognized the finest contemporary scholarship and writing within the field of African American history and culture. This year, MAAH Stone doubled the winner and finalists’ prizes from $25,000/$5,000 to $50,000/$10,000 and received 94 submissions, versus 54 literary works that were submitted for consideration in 2020.
“We were overwhelmed with not only the number of submissions for this year’s MAAH Stone Book Award, but also the exquisite scholarship and storytelling about important moments in African American history,” said Leon Wilson, President and CEO of MAAH. “This year’s short list is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the Black experience in America, from the founding of this country through modern-day movements.”
“At a time in American history when the world seems, all at once, to be interested in rediscovering black history and suppressing it, these books become all the more important. The attention to detail they offer and the recovery work these authors do will help us to learn so much more about the people and topics they discuss,” said Dana A. Williams, PhD, Professor of African American Literature and Dean of the Graduate School at Howard University, who is one of five jurors for this year’s award. “These ten books are wonderful examples of how rich black culture has always been and how important scholarship is to help us understand things we think we know with far more depth. The ways these authors make connections between places and movements and people will inevitably help us see the inter-relatedness of being, how culture cannot emerge from, nor does it exist, in a vacuum.”
Submissions opened March 1 and were due on April 15. To be eligible for consideration, books must be non-fiction works written by a single author, submitted by publishers and literary agents only, and have a publication date between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. You can find the full list of 2021 submissions here: https://www.maahstonebookaward.org/full-lists
The winner of the 2021 MAAH Stone Book Award will be revealed in early fall in advance of the 2021 MAAH Stone Book Award virtual event on October 14.