| 2025 | Bread of Angels | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2025 | Bread of Angels | The New Yorker Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Also Recommended | |
| 2025 | Bread of Angels | The Guardian Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Biography and memoir | |
| 2025 | Bread of Angels: A Memoir | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2025 | Bread of Angels | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2025 | Bread of Angels | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Must-Read Books: Biography & Memoir | |
| 2025 | Bread of Angels | BookPage Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2024 | Before Easter After | Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Photography | |
| 2019 | Year of the Monkey | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Memoir & Autobiography | |
| 2019 | Year of the Monkey | The Telegraph Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2019 | Year Of The Monkey | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2019 | Year of the Monkey | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2016 | M Train | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | M Train | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Memoir & Autobiography | |
| 2015 | M Train | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Arts & Literature | |
| 2015 | M Train | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | M Train | The Telegraph Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | M Train | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2015 | M Train | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2015 | M Train | The Observer Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Memoir | |
| 2015 | M Train | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | M Train | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | M Train | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Pop | |
| 2011 | Just Kids | Stonewall Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Honor · Nonfiction | |
| 2011 | Just Kids | Lambda Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Bisexual Nonfiction | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Nonfiction | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Autobiography | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | Los Angeles Times Book Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Current Interest | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 10 Best Books | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 10 | |
| 2010 | Just Kids | Amazon Editors' Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 100 | |