Junot Diaz's novel titled "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" is an incredible story about desire and tragedy set amongst modern Dominican life, and has earnt the author the prize of The National Book Critics Award for best fiction.  The non fiction section went to Harriet Washington's Medical Apartheid.  There are no cash prizes, however The National Book Critics Circle which was founded in 1974 is a sought after accolade in itself.