The 2007 NBCC awards ceremony celebrated the endurance of literature and literacy in America. Books already highly praised, such as Junot Diaz's long awaited second book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and Edwidge Danticat's memoir, Brother, I'm Dying, received awards. Other winners, like Mary Jo Bang's poetry collection, Elegy, received significant recognition for the first time.