The winner of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award goes to a writer who, for over the course of half a century, has painstakingly documented our racial history while the world readied itself to listen—Nell Irvin Painter.
It is certain that Nell Irvin Painter’s work has left an indelible mark on our understanding of race, race relations, and diversity. It is with great reverence that Painter joins the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards canon as the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Winner.
Book Discussion Questions
Whether you are hosting your next book club or would simply like some questions to guide your reading, program director of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Kortney Morrow, has curated a selection of questions to consider while you read Nell Irvin Painter’s work.
Recommended Reading
Did you enjoy exploring Nell Irivin Painter’s work? If so, we recommend the following books to add to your reading list!
Playing in the Dark, Toni Morrison
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself, Harriet Jacobs, edited by Nell Irvin Painter
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots, John Swanson Jacobs, edited by Jonathan D.S. Schroeder
Faith Ringgold: American People
The Black Woods, Amy Godine