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Los Angeles Times Book Prizes 2006

The 2006 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes went to Whiteman by Tony D’ Souza (Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction), The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate (Biography) and The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley (Current Interest), with winners in 6 more categories. 45 books were finalists across 9 categories.

Winners

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

  1. Whiteman by Tony D’ Souzasource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegatesource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkleysource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Black Swan Green: A Novel by David Mitchellsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 by Taylor Branchsource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. Echo Park: A Novel by Michael Connellysource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Black Box by Erin Belieusource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius by Joyce E. Chaplinsource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Andersonsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

  1. Golden Country: A Novel by Jennifer Gilmoresource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Mary: A Novel by Janis Cooke Newmansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Skinner’s Drift: A Novel by Lisa Fugardsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. White Ghost Girls by Alice Greenwaysource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew across the Middle East Divide by Jeffrey Goldbergsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Librettist of Venice: The Remarkable Life of Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart’s Poet, Casanova’s Friend, and Italian Opera’s Impresario in America by Rodney Boltsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohnsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gablersource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaransource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance by Ian Burumasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentzsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris by Alicia Drakesource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. A Million Nightingales by Susan Straightsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. A Woman in Jerusalem by A.B. Yehoshua, translated by Hillel Halkinsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo: A Novel by Peter Ornersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Winter’s Bone: A Novel by Daniel Woodrellsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbricksource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Colony by John Taymansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wrightsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West by Niall Fergusonsource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. City of Tiny Lights by Patrick Neatesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Night Gardener: A Novel by George Pelecanossource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslowsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Zero: A Novel by Jess Waltersource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Burning Wyclif by Thom Satterleesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Darling Vulgarity by Michael Waterssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Logorrhea by Adrian C. Louissource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Ooga-Booga by Frederick Seidelsource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind by Eric R. Kandelsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth by Edward O. Wilsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors by Ann Gibbonssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitinsource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Greensource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Just in Case by Meg Rosoffsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlinsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Tyrell by Coe Boothsource (opens in a new tab)

About the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes

Year is the prize year as the LA Times labels it (books of that year, announced the next April). Source is the official Book Prizes history page. The 2019 Ray Bradbury Prize is missing there: the winner comes from the LA Times 2019 winners article and the finalists from Wikipedia. The 2012 Shine Shine Shine is moved from Fiction to First Fiction, where it was a finalist. The science fiction prize is one category across its names. Skipped: Robert Kirsch Award and Innovator's Award (people), and Achievement in Audiobook Production (2023-2025), whose entries name narrators and producers but not the book's author.

Organization: Los Angeles Times. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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