Marcus Rashford Among Winners At Books Are My Bag Readers Awards

England footballer Marcus Rashford has been crowned breakthrough author of the year at the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards.

The striker, 24, took home the prize for his book You Are A Champion, co-written with journalist Carl Anka.

The inspirational guide for young people includes advice on how to achieve your potential and find success.

The annual event, which is curated by bookshops and voted for by reader, is now in its sixth year and was hosted at Foyles in London’s Charing Cross Road by Claudia Winkleman.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, a Sunday Times number one bestseller, was named reader’s choice.

The Pointless presenter said:

“I’m absolutely thrilled beyond words to win this award.

“Thank you Booksellers Association, thank you Books Are My Bag.

“To win an award voted for by readers is the absolute dream. It means a great deal.”

American poet Amanda Gorman won in the poetry category with The Hill We Climb, the poem she recited at the inauguration of US President Joe Biden.

She said:

“Thank you so much booksellers and readers for voting The Hill We Climb as BAMB’s winner of its Poetry award.

“This means so much to me as booksellers and readers really are the guardians of literature.

“You all help keep stories alive, so thank you so much for the support – it means so much to me.”

Also among this year’s winners were Sarah Winman’s Still Life, a historical fiction set in Italy during the Second World War, which won the fiction prize, and I Belong Here by Anita Sethi, a memoir that claimed the non-fiction prize.

The shortlists for the prizes were selected by booksellers, while the winners are chosen by the public.