| 2025 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Criticism | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Barnes & Noble Book of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Book of the Year | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Memoir | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2024 | There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Vulture / New York Magazine Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year | New York Public Library Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books for Adults | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Favorite Books | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Must-Read Books: Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | The Boston Globe Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There’s Always This Year | BookPage Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There’s Always This Year | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Our Favorite Books | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Our Favorite Books: Top 10 | |
| 2024 | There’s Always This Year | The Guardian Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Sport | |
| 2024 | There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Reading | |
| 2024 | There’s Always This Year | BookPage Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 10 | |
| 2022 | A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Nonfiction | |
| 2022 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay | |
| 2022 | A Little Devil in America | Rathbones Folio Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Literature | |
| 2022 | Respect the Mic | New York Public Library Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books for Teens | |
| 2022 | A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Reading | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes In Praise Of Black Performance | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Autobiography | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance | James Tait Black Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Biography | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Arts & Literature | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Arts & Humanities | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | Esquire Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books: Top 10 | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America | The Boston Globe Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America | BookPage Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Pop music | |
| 2021 | A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 10 | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead in the Rain | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Criticism | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead in the Rain | Kirkus Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2019 | A Fortune for Your Disaster | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Poetry | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Arts & Humanities | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2019 | Go Ahead in the Rain | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us | Esquire Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |