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National Book Critics Circle Awards 2024

The 2024 National Book Critics Circle Awards went to Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny, translated by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel (Autobiography), Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar by Cynthia Carr (Biography) and There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib (Criticism), with winners in 5 more categories. 42 books were finalists and 78 books made the longlist across 8 categories.

Winners

Autobiography

  1. Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny, translated by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalzielsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar by Cynthia Carrsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqibsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. My Friends by Hisham Matarsource (opens in a new tab)

Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize

  1. A Last Supper of Queer Apostles by Pedro Lemebel, translated by Gwendolyn Harpersource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hullssource (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)

Poetry

  1. Wrong Norma by Anne Carsonsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Autobiography

  1. Little Seed by Wei Tchousource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Mother Archive: A Dominican Family Memoir by Erika Morillosource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History by Manjula Martinsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Minotaur at Calle Lanza by Zito Madusource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution: A History from Below by Jane Kamenskysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Family Romance: John Singer Sargent and the Wertheimers by Jean Strousesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Milessource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at The New Yorker by Amy Readingsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Black Meme: A History of the Images that Make Us by Legacy Russellsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Disordered Attention: How We Look at Art and Performance Today by Claire Bishopsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Intervals by Marianne Brookersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Blue Period: Black Writing in the Early Cold War by Jesse McCarthysource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertinosource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Godwin by Joseph O'Neillsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. James by Percival Everettsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Us Fools by Nora Langesource (opens in a new tab)

Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize

  1. Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai, translated by Ottilie Mulzetsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Melvill by Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhydensource (opens in a new tab)
  3. O by Judith Kiros, translated by Kira Josefssonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Children of the Ghetto: Star of the Sea by Elias Khoury, translated by Humphrey Daviessource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Traces of Enayat by Iman Mersal, translated by Robin Mogersource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight For Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Naglesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Great Expectations by Vinson Cunninghamsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood's Hidden Genius by Carrie Courogensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Ward Toward by Cindy Juyoung Oksource (opens in a new tab)
  5. When The Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s by John Ganzsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood by Gretchen Sissonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq by Steve Collsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture by Tricia Romanosource (opens in a new tab)
  4. We're Alone by Edwidge Danticatsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. An Authentic Life by Jennifer Changsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Consider the Rooster by Oliver Baez Bendorfsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Instructions for the Lovers by Dawn Lundy Martinsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Scattered Snows, to the North by Carl Phillipssource (opens in a new tab)

Longlist

Autobiography

  1. Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hullssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Like a Sky Inside by Jakuta Alikavazovic, translated by Daniel Levin Beckersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Manboobs: A Memoir of Musicals, Visas, Hope, and Cake by Komail Aijazuddinsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. My Good Bright Wolf: A Memoir by Sarah Mosssource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Women Surrounded by Water: A Memoir by Patricia Coralsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. John Lewis: A Life by David Greenbergsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Monet: The Restless Vision by Jackie Wullschlägersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Bootsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Rebel's Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon by Adam Shatzsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. True Believer: Hubert Humphrey's Quest for a More Just America by James Traubsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by Vanessa Angélica Villarrealsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life by Sofia Samatarsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative by Isabella Hammadsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. When The Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s by John Ganzsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Write like a Man: Jewish Masculinity and the New York Intellectuals by Ronnie A. Grinbergsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Colored Television by Danzy Sennasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Great Expectations by Vinson Cunninghamsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzottisource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Small Rain by Garth Greenwellsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaşsource (opens in a new tab)

Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize

  1. A Muzzle for Witches by Dubravka Ugrešić, translated by Ellen Elias-Bursaćsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Holy Winter 20/21 by Maria Stepanova, translated by Sasha Dugdalesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Like a Sky Inside by Jakuta Alikavazovic, translated by Daniel Levin Beckersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Mourning a Breast by Xi Xi, translated by Jennifer Feeleysource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel by Yoko Tawada, translated by Susan Bernofskysource (opens in a new tab)
  6. V13: Chronicle of a Trial by Emmanuel Carrère, translated by John Lambertsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery by Lawrence Ingrassiasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Kent State: An American Tragedy by Brian VanDeMarksource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Slaveroad by John Edgar Widemansource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlangersource (opens in a new tab)
  5. There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqibsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. A Gaze Hound That Hunteth by the Eye by V. Penelope Pelizzonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Cloud Missives by Kenzie Allensource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Sturge Town by Kwame Dawessource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Palace of Forty Pillars by Armen Davoudiansource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Yard Show by Janice N. Harringtonsource (opens in a new tab)

About the National Book Critics Circle Awards

Year is the NBCC award year as the Circle labels it: the publication year of the books, with prizes presented the following March (the 2023 awards were presented in March 2024). From bookcritics.org past-awards pages. Category names follow each year's page: General Nonfiction through 2016, Nonfiction from 2017; Autobiography covers the Autobiography/Memoir category. Longlists appear on those pages only from 2024. Reviewing, lifetime, institutional, and service awards are excluded.

Organization: National Book Critics Circle. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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