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American Library Association · award year

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence 2025

The 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence went to James by Percival Everett (Fiction) and A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko (Nonfiction). 6 books were finalists and 46 books made the longlist across 2 categories.

Winners

Fiction

  1. James by Percival Everettsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarkosource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Fiction

  1. Cinema Love by Jiaming Tangsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbarsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbothamsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaumsource (opens in a new tab)

Longlist

Fiction

  1. A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowellsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morrissource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spuffordsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Colored Television by Danzy Sennasource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Limasource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Early Sobrieties by Michael Deaglersource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Enlightenment by Sarah Perrysource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Fire Exit by Morgan Taltysource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Float Up, Sing Down by Laird Huntsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennonsource (opens in a new tab)
  11. God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomassource (opens in a new tab)
  12. My Friends by Hisham Matarsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliversource (opens in a new tab)
  14. Shanghailanders by Juli Minsource (opens in a new tab)
  15. Swift River by Essie Chamberssource (opens in a new tab)
  16. The History of Sound by Ben Shattucksource (opens in a new tab)
  17. The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinozasource (opens in a new tab)
  18. There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr.source (opens in a new tab)
  19. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orangesource (opens in a new tab)
  20. You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmersource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Naglesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Cold Crematorium: Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz by József Debreczeni, translated by Paul Olchvárysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hullssource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Hip-Hop Is History by Questlove and Ben Greenmansource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman by Callum Robinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York by Ross Perlinsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Milessource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blancosource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity by Ellen van Neervensource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China's New Social Order by Yuan Yangsource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water by Amorina Kingdonsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbssource (opens in a new tab)
  14. The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R. Cechsource (opens in a new tab)
  15. The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  16. There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqibsource (opens in a new tab)
  17. This Part Is Silent: A Life between Cultures by SJ Kimsource (opens in a new tab)
  18. Thunder Song by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointesource (opens in a new tab)
  19. When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion by Julie Satowsource (opens in a new tab)
  20. Whiskey Tender by Deborah Jackson Taffasource (opens in a new tab)

About the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence

Winners, finalists (the shortlist) and longlists from ALA's per-year Carnegie Medals pages. The medals began in 2012. Winners also appear on their year's shortlist; each book is stored once per year at its highest level. No nonfiction medal was awarded in 2018 after Sherman Alexie declined it, so that year has three nonfiction finalists and no winner.

Organization: American Library Association. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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