| 2024 | The Message | Los Angeles Times Book Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Current Interest | |
| 2024 | The Message | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | The Message | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2024 | The Message | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | The Message | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2020 | The Water Dancer | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Fiction | |
| 2020 | The Water Dancer | Locus Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · First Novel | |
| 2020 | The Water Dancer | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · First Novel | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Debut Novel | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Historical Fiction | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Fiction | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Esquire Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer: A Novel | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | New York Public Library Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books for Adults | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer: A Novel | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books: Top Ten | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Oprah's Book Club source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Book Club Selection | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer: A Novel | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | The Globe and Mail Globe 100 source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Literary Fiction | |
| 2019 | The Water Dancer | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Fiction | |
| 2018 | We Were Eight Years in Power | Dayton Literary Peace Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Nonfiction | |
| 2018 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · PEN/Jean Stein Book Award | |
| 2018 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | Los Angeles Times Book Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Current Interest | |
| 2017 | Black Panther, Volume 1: A Nation Under Our Feet | Hugo Award (book categories) source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Graphic Story | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power | Esquire Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power | Mint Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | Barnes & Noble Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | The Boston Globe Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | Between the World and Me | Alex Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Adult Books for Teens | |
| 2016 | Between the World and Me | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay | |
| 2016 | Between the World and Me | Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and Memoir or Autobiography source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · General Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | Between the World and Me | Dayton Literary Peace Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | Between the World and Me | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | Black Panther #1 | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Graphic Novels & Comics | |
| 2016 | Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Kirkus Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Criticism | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 10 Best Books | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books for Young Adults: Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Social Sciences | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Vogue Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Vulture / New York Magazine Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | BookPage Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books: Top Ten | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Entertainment Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books | |
| 2015 | Between The World And Me | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | The Economist Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Culture | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | The Globe and Mail Globe 100 source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Non-Fiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | The Boston Globe Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | The Guardian Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Politics | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Reading | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 10 | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Amazon Editors' Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 10 | |
| 2015 | Between the World and Me | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top Ten | |
| 2009 | The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood | Hurston/Wright Legacy Award source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |