The Coretta Scott King (CSK) Award, instituted in 1969 and recognized as an official award by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1982, is conferred annually to an African American author and an illustrator for their outstanding contributions to literature about the Black experience for children and young adults. A partial impetus for the award's creation was the fact that no African American author had won the prestigious Newbery Medal and only twice had an African American writer received a Newbery Honor. The selection criteria for the CSK Award states that books receiving the award "promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream of a pluralistic society." The award criteria further states "particular attention will be paid to titles which seek to motivate readers to develop their own attitudes and behaviors as well as comprehend their personal duty and responsibility as citizens in a pluralistic society." These criteria beg several questions: (1) What is the American dream?; (2) What effect does living in a pluralistic society have on the construction and attainment of the American dream?; (3) How is the American dream expressed by the characters in these award-winning books?; (4) What are the political and moral implications of the dreams presented by CSK characters?; and (5) When and how is institutionalized racism implicated in these characters' dreams? Using content analysis and the lens of critical race theory, this study examines the American dreams of protagonists in CSK award-winning books. (Contains 1 figure.)