Oct. 3, 2024 – On Oct. 1, the National Book Award announced 25 finalists in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people's literature. The winners will be announced Nov. 20. In the meantime, we have several of the books on the finalist list in our collection for you to enjoy. Find the books we have below by scrolling their covers. The complete list is also printed below.
Finalists for Fiction:
"Ghostroots" by 'Pemi Aguda
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the cast of characters in ’Pemi Aguda’s debut short story collection, "Ghostroots," are haunted by regrets while searching for freedom from the ghosts of their ancestors.
"Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar
Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel "Martyr!" contemplates grief, addiction, and the work of finding meaning in art through the story of the newly sober and orphaned poet Cyrus Shams.
"James" by Percival Everett
In "James," Percival Everett considers authorial intent and the possibilities of agency through a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that centers Jim, an enslaved runaway who was relegated to the role of a mild-mannered companion in Mark Twain’s original telling.
"All Fours" by Miranda July
In "All Fours," Miranda July tells the story of an unnamed 45-year-old female artist’s — at times desperate — desire to reinvent her life and to create art in the face of monotony, menopause, and mortality.
"My Friends" by Hisham Matar
"My Friends" by Hisham Matar follows Khaled Abd al Hady and two friends living in exile in Britain as they come together and apart over decades, wrestling with revolution, war, and their loyalties to themselves and to their homeland.
Finalists for Nonfiction:
"Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling" by Jason De León
In "Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling," anthropologist Jason De León embedded himself within a group of human smugglers to document the trauma, violence, and poverty that fuels both one intimate group, and the larger mass movement north of undocumented immigrants.
"Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church" by Eliza Griswold
Drawing on deep reporting, Eliza Griswold examines the progressive Christian church, Circle of Hope — from its founding in 1996 through its rapid expansion and eventual collapse — in :Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church."
"Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia" by Kate Manne
Blending lived experience with meticulous research, Kate Manne asserts that weight stigma and discrimination play a part in all aspects of society, including healthcare, education, and employment in "Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia."
"Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder" by Salman Rushdie
In his memoir, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," Salman Rushdie candidly recounts the 2022 attack on his life, its immediate aftermath, and his ongoing journey of physical rehabilitation and healing.
"Whiskey Tender" by Deborah Jackson Taffa
Deborah Jackson Taffa explores her family’s history of displacement within the United States and considers how she came to understand and claim her mixed-tribe Native identity in her memoir, "Whiskey Tender."
Finalists for Poetry:
"Wrong Norma" by Anne Carson
Anne Carson reflects on the ordinary and the everyday in "Wrong Norma," and interspersed with images hand-drawn by Carson, the 25 prose poems feature glimpses at the inner workings — and often disjointed nature — of the human mind.
"[…]" by Fady Joudah
Fady Joudah’s collection of poems — "[…]" — is a rumination on the unspeakable atrocities of war; the present and ongoing erasure of Palestinian people, history, and culture; and a dedication to a people’s everyday desires and humanity.
"mother" by m.s. RedCherries
Through poetry and prose, m.s. RedCherries’s debut collection, "mother," tells the story of an Indigenous child adopted by a non-Native family and her journey, as an adult, to return to her tribe.
"Modern Poetr"y by Diane Seuss
"Modern Poetry" by Diane Seuss examines contemporary poetry with irreverence and love — interrogating which voices are enshrined in textbooks, anthologies, and publishing, and which are left out.
"Something About Living" by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
In the face of displacement, grief, and the ongoing horrors of war, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha’s "Something About Living" scrutinizes language and the obfuscation of Palestinian history, both in Palestine and across the diaspora.
Finalists for Translated Literature:
"The Book Censor’s Library" by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain
Set in a dystopian future headed by an all-powerful government, Bothayna Al-Essa’s unnamed narrator is hired as a book censor and tasked with identifying books not fit for publication in "The Book Censor’s Library, translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain.
"Ædnan" by Linnea Axelsson, translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel
Linnea Axelsson’s "Ædnan," translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel, is an epic that relates the experiences of two Indigenous Sámi families over the course of three generations and one hundred years in a tale of displacement, cultural erasure, and resistance in the face of colonial oppression.
"The Villain’s Dance" by Fiston Mwanza Mujila, translated from the French by Roland Glasser
In Fiston Mwanza Mujila’s "The Villain’s Dance," translated from the French by Roland Glasser, readers traverse timelines, perspectives, and borders, following a cast of characters whose quests for survival amidst political, environmental, and financial uncertainty somehow, ultimately, converge.
"Taiwan Travelogue" by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from the Mandarin Chinese by Lin King
Yáng Shuang-zi’s "Taiwan Travelogue," translated from the Mandarin Chinese by Lin King, follows a fictional Japanese writer and her relationship with the charming yet closed-off Taiwanese woman who serves as her interpreter.
"Where the Wind Calls Home" by Samar Yazbek, translated from the Arabic by Leri Price
In "Where the Wind Calls Home," translated from the Arabic by Leri Price, Samar Yazbek recounts the history of a country’s cultural richness and religious traditions through the eyes of a wounded 19-year-old soldier fighting to survive in the Syrian Civil War.
Finalists for Young People’s Literature:
"Buffalo Dreamer" by Violet Duncan
In "Buffalo Dreamer," a story inspired by Violet Duncan’s own family history, 12-year-old Summer eagerly anticipates summer vacation until she begins to have vivid, unnerving dreams about an Indigenous girl attempting to escape a real-life residential school.
"The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky" by Josh Galarza
"The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky," Josh Galarza’s debut novel, follows Brett as he grapples with his peers’ scrutiny and judgement after his journal goes viral on social media, and — with the help of unexpected friends — faces his own internalized fatphobia and disordered eating.
"The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
In Erin Entrada Kelly’s "The First State of Being," while Michael Rosario is preparing for the impending Y2K crisis by stockpiling supplies and catastrophizing, his life is forever altered by the arrival of Ridge, a mysterious, disoriented teenage boy from the year 2199.
"Kareem Between" by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Shifa Saltagi Safadi’s novel-in-verse, "Kareem Between," chronicles the story of Kareem, a Syrian American Muslim teen stuck in the middle of cultures, parents, and countries as he courageously forges his own moral compass.
"The Unboxing of a Black Girl" by Angela Shanté
Angela Shanté reflects on the personal and the political in her ode to Black girlhood — told in vignettes and poems influenced by the author’s upbringing in New York City, "The Unboxing of a Black Girl" serves as a reminder to be gentle with your heart and your mind in defiance of a society that insists on boxing you in.