Naomi Klein has been named as the winner of an American Book Award by the California-based Before Columbus Foundation. She has been named  for environmental work This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. The annual prize, now in its 36th year, recognizes excellent books “from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community.”

Other Winners

• Carlos Santana and co-authors Ashley Kahn and Hal Miller were cited for the memoir The Universal Tone.
• Marlon James won the award for his nearly 700-page novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, based in part on the attempted assassination of Bob Marley.
• Poet Anne Waldman, whose books include The Iovis Trilogy, was honoured for lifetime achievement.

Before Columbus Foundation is a non-profit educational and service organisation founded in 1976 by author-playwright Ishmael Reed.

Ishmael Reed

• Ishmael Scott Reed is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, playwright, editor and publisher.
• Reed is known for his satirical works challenging American political culture, and highlighting political and cultural oppression.