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Los Angeles Times Book Prizes 2007

The 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes went to The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu (Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction), Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore (Biography) and Soldier’s Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point by Elizabeth D. Samet (Current Interest), with winners in 6 more categories. 45 books were finalists across 9 categories.

Winners

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

  1. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestusource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefioresource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. Soldier’s Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point by Elizabeth D. Sametsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Be Near Me by Andrew O’Hagansource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weinersource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. The Indian Bride by Karin Fossum, translated by Charlotte Barslundsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Old Heart: Poems by Stanley Plumlysource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadtersource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. A Darkling Plain (The Hungry City Chronicles) by Philip Reevesource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

  1. Skylark Farm by Antonia Arslan, translated by Geoffrey Brocksource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories by Ellen Litmansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Understory by Pamela Erenssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Twenty Grand: And Other Tales of Love and Money by Rebecca Curtissource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Boone: A Biography by Robert Morgansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr by Nancy Isenbergsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa’s Greatest Explorer by Tim Jealsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War by Michael J. Neufeldsource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beahsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam by Tom Bissellsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America by Ronald Brownsteinsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Kleinsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Out Stealing Horses: A Novel by Per Pettersonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díazsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Shadow Catcher: A Novel by Marianne Wigginssource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Nixon and Mao: The Week that Changed the World by Margaret Macmillansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The First Total War: Napoleon’s Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It by David A Bellsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow that Changed the Course of World War II by Andrew Nagorskisource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England by Lynne Olsonsource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. Christine Falls: A Novel by Benjamin Blacksource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Frozen Tracks: An Inspector Erik Winter Novel by Åke Edwardsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner, translated by John Brownjohnsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. In The Woods by Tana Frenchsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Little Boat by Jean Valentinesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Mars Being Red by Marvin Bellsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Ripple Effect: New and Selected Poems by Elaine Equisource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Kitchen Sink: New and Selected Poems, 1972-2007 by Albert Goldbarthsource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. Animal Architects: Building and the Evolution of Intelligence by James L. Gould and Carol Grant Gouldsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Faust in Copenhagen: A Struggle for the Soul of Physics by Gino Segrèsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. On Deep History and the Brain by Daniel Lord Smailsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language by Christine Kenneallysource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. Darkwing by Kenneth Oppelsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexiesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughreansource (opens in a new tab)
  4. What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myerssource (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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