Pulitzer prize winning autobiography featuring
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10 Pulitzer Prize-Winning History Books
First awarded in 1917, the Pulitzer Prize is named in honor of Joseph Pulitzer, the groundbreaking Hungarian-born newspaper magnate who left money in his will to establish an award recognizing outstanding achievements in American journalism, arts and letters. Today, the Pulitzer Prize is regarded as a benchmark of literary excellence and is highly coveted by writers in all genres.
The Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded annually ever since the awards were first established over a century ago. Over the years, historical works have also featured heavily in the Biography and General Nonfiction categories, meaning that there is plenty of choice for anyone looking to create a reading list based around history-themed Pulitzer winners. Here are ten of our own Pulitzer Prize-winning favorites, specially chosen to cover a range of different historical periods and topics.
Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom (1940–1945)
By James Ma
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Congratulations to three 2024 Pulitzer Prize winners featured on Book Breaks!
Congratulations to Jacqueline Jones, Jonathan Eig, and Ilyon Woo!
On May 6, 2024, Columbia University announced the 108th Pulitzer Prizes, awarded on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board. Among the winners were Jones, Eig, and Woo—all of whom appeared on our weekly interview series, Book Breaks, to discuss their Pulitzer Prize–winning books.
The significant works by Jones, Eig, and Woo will undoubtedly shape public discourse and leave a lasting impact on society. We’re honored to have had the opportunity to learn directly from the authors about their books’ historical content, themes, and lasting legacy.
Learn more about the prize-winning books below, then check out each author’s Book Breaks session to review the insightful discussions.
Jacqueline Jones for History
Jacqueline Jones won for her book No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War • Join us on January 18 at 7 PM at the Town ingångsrum Auditorium. Don't miss a conversation with Lillian Rembert and pris Prize winner Erin inom. Kelly
Lillian Rembert and Erin I. Kelly, in conversation with one another, will discuss Winfred Rembert’s memoir, Chasing Me To My Grave: An Artists’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South, as told to Erin inom. Kelly (Bloomsbury, 2021). In 2022 Chasing Me To My Grave was awarded a pris Prize in the category of biography. This special event will feature Lillian and Erin’s reflections about the book and Winfred’s life. They will also present slides of his remarkable paintings on leather.
Winfred Rembert (1945-2021) grew up in Cuthbert, Georgia, where he picked cotton as a child. As a teen-ager, he got involved in the civil-rights movement and was arrested in the aftermath of a demonstration. He later broke out of jail, survived a near-lynching, and spent seven years in prison, where he was forced to labor on chain gangs. Following his