| 2022 | Orwell’s Roses | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography | |
| 2022 | Orwell’s Roses | The Orwell Prize (book prizes) source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Political Writing | |
| 2021 | Orwell's Roses | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | Recollections of My Nonexistence | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | Recollections of My Non-Existence | The Orwell Prize (book prizes) source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Political Writing | |
| 2021 | Orwell's Roses | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2021 | Orwell's Roses | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | Orwell's Roses | Vogue Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | Orwell's Roses | The Telegraph Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | Orwell’s Roses | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Literary non-fiction | |
| 2020 | Recollections of My Non-Existence | James Tait Black Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Biography | |
| 2020 | Recollections of My Nonexistence | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2020 | Recollections of My Nonexistence | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Biography & Memoir | |
| 2020 | Recollections of My Nonexistence | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2018 | Call Them by Their True Names | Kirkus Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Nonfiction | |
| 2018 | Call Them by Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays) | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2018 | Call Them by Their True Names | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2017 | The Mother of All Questions | Mint Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | The Mother Of All Questions | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2014 | The Faraway Nearby | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay | |
| 2014 | The Faraway Nearby | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | Men Explain Things to Me | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2013 | The Faraway Nearby | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Autobiography | |
| 2013 | The Faraway Nearby | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2013 | The Faraway Nearby | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2013 | The Faraway Nearby | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | A Paradise Built in Hell | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | A Paradise Built in Hell | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Nonfiction | |
| 2007 | Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |