Carlos Santana is now an award-winning author.
The legendary guitarist’s memoir “The Universal Tone,” co-written with Ashley Kahn and Hal Miller, was among the winners of the 36th annual American Book Awards celebrating diversity in publishing.
The memoir, published in 2014, tells Santana’s journey from his earliest days playing in the strip bars of Tijuana as a teenager to making it big with his signature guitar sounds. Santana also delves into his life as a husband, father and legendary rock star.
Novelist Marlon James and author and activist Naomi Klein were also among the winners. James won for his nearly 700-page novel “A Brief History of Seven Killings” and Klein for her environmental work “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate.”
Poet Anne Waldman was honored with the lifetime achievement award.
More than a dozen recipients were announced for the American Book Awards, which have no individual categories. The awards are presented by the Before Columbus Foundation, a nonprofit “educational and service organization” founded in 1976 by author-playwright Ishmael Reed.
Based on reporting by The Associated Press.
