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The Independent Publisher Book Award for Fiction

The Independent Publisher Book Awards were established in 1996 to bring increased recognition to the deserving but often unsung titles published by independent authors and publishers.
 

2008

The Folded World The Folded World by Amity Gaige

Review
"Exquisitely written... The bitterness and disillusion of marriage have been thoroughly plumbed in contemporary fiction; Gaige is one of the rare novelists who is more interested in its potential for happiness and grace." Entertainment Weekly (read more)

2007

What Is the What What Is the What by Dave Eggers

Review
"A startling act of literary ventriloquism that...remind[s] us just how eloquently the author can write about loss and mortality and sorrow. A devastating and humane account of one man's survival against terrible odds..." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times (read more)

2006

Rocks That Float Rocks That Float by Kathy B. Steele

Synopsis
In the tradition of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, Steele's debut novel populates an entire community within the page of a book, telling the story of a recently divorced man--and the choices his new neighbors force him to make. (read more)

2005

Meritocracy: A Love Story Meritocracy: A Love Story by Jeffrey Lewis

Publisher Comments
A tragic coming of age story as a group of recent Yale graduates deal with the repercussions of the Vietnam War. (read more)

2004

The Sleeping Father The Sleeping Father by Matthew Sharpe

Review
"Sharpe's arch tone is charmingly at odds with the sprawling, inclusive structure of The Sleeping Father....He's a rare find: an ironist who actually seems to like other people." Claire Dederer, New York Times Book Review (read more)

2003

The God File The God File by Frank Turner Hollon

Powells.com Staff Pick
A quest for God while sleeping in the devil's bed? Gabriel Black is a man who made a choice that cost him his physical freedom for the rest of his life. Charming anger, as beautiful as it is horrific. Recommended by Donna (read more)

2002

Peace Like a River Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Powells.com Staff Pick
"A lean and lovingly told story, drawn from Midwestern life, sparked with moments of the miraculous." Recommended by Mark Ingraham (read more)

2001

The Beast God Forgot to Invent The Beast God Forgot to Invent by Jim Harrison

Review
"Rich and exuberant...extraordinary...Reading Jim Harrison is about as close as one can come in contemporary fiction to experiencing the abundant pleasures of living." Boston Globe (read more)

2000

Between the Flowers Between the Flowers by Harriette Simpson Arnow

Synopsis
Written in the 1930s but unpublished until now, Between the Flowers is the second novel by the renowned author of Hunter's Horn and The Dollmaker. (read more)

1999

Lucky Man, Lucky Woman Lucky Man, Lucky Woman by Jack Driscoll

Synopsis
When his marriage starts to fail, a probation officer becomes recklessly infatuated with the pretty, beleaguered wife of a parolee who has a young child. His own confusion endangers them, as well as a nephew under his care, in this novel of a man's headlong — and just possibly redemptive — leap into chaos. (read more)

1998

The Last Jewish Shortstop in America The Last Jewish Shortstop in America by Lowell B. Komie

About the Author
Lowell B. Komie is a Chicago attorney and writer. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1951 and his J.D. from Northwestern University in 1954. (read more)

1997

Winona's Web Winona's Web by Priscilla Cogan

Publisher Comments
To the surprise of her family, Winona Pathfinder, an elderly Lakota Sioux medicine woman, announces she intends to die in two months. For counseling, Winona is referred to psychologist Dr. Meggie O'Connor — Caucasian, middle-aged, and divorced. A reluctant client, the feisty Winona decides to turn the tables and teach Dr. O'Connor a thing or two about life, while steadfastly refusing to renounce her plans to die. (read more)


 
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