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National Book Critics Circle Awards 2025

The 2025 National Book Critics Circle Awards went to Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (Autobiography), A Perfect Turmoil: Walter E. Fernald and the Struggle to Care for America's Disabled by Alex Green (Biography) and Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right by Quinn Slobodian (Criticism), with winners in 5 more categories. 42 books were finalists and 78 books made the longlist across 8 categories.

Winners

Autobiography

  1. Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roysource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. A Perfect Turmoil: Walter E. Fernald and the Struggle to Care for America's Disabled by Alex Greensource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right by Quinn Slobodiansource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morrissource (opens in a new tab)

Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize

  1. Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno, translated by Natasha Lehrersource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggssource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Haosource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Night Watch by Kevin Youngsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Autobiography

  1. A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toewssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brookssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Paper Girl by Beth Macysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Shattered by Hanif Kureishisource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star by Mayukh Sensource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution by Amanda Vaillsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Queen Mother: Black Nationalism, Reparations, and the Untold Story of Audley Moore by Ashley D. Farmersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford by Carla Kaplansource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kurodasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Greyhound by Joanna Pococksource (opens in a new tab)
  3. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkadsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other by Viet Thanh Nguyensource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Audition by Katie Kitamurasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. On the Calculation of Volume (Book III) by Solvej Balle, translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russellsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Antidote by Karen Russellsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Wilderness by Angela Flournoysource (opens in a new tab)

Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize

  1. Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kurodasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthisource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Near Distance by Hanna Stoltenberg, translated by Wendy H. Gabrielsensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Frog in the Throat by Markus Werner, translated by Michael Hofmannsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitkensource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. Crown by Evanthia Bromileysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, translated by Polly Bartonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pellysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Salvage by Hedgie Choisource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Slip by Lucas Schaefersource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. America, América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandinsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins by Barbara Demicksource (opens in a new tab)
  3. King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution, a Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Andersonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harrissource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Chronicle of Drifting by Yuki Tanakasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Death of the First Idea by Rickey Laurentiissource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Other Love by Henri Colesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Unravel by Tolu Oloruntobasource (opens in a new tab)

Longlist

Autobiography

  1. Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwoodsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. I'll Tell You When I'm Home by Hala Alyansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Broken King by Michael Thomassource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Lisource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Twice Born: Finding My Father In the Margins of Biography by Hester Kaplansource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America by Sam Tanenhaussource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Constantine Cavafy: A New Biography by Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreyssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson by Claire Hoffmansource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideauxsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love by Philip Hoaresource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Algorithm of the Night: Film Writing, 2019-2025 by A.S. Hamrahsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Authority: Essays by Andrea Long Chusource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Dismantling the Master's Clock: On Race, Space, and Time by Rasheedah Phillipssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Erik Satie Three Piece Suite by Ian Penmansource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Medium Hot: Images in the Age of Heat by Hito Steyerlsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Heart the Lover by Lily Kingsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Long Distance by Ayşegül Savaşsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Sea, Poison by Caren Beilinsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Book of Records by Madeleine Thiensource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The South by Tash Awsource (opens in a new tab)

Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize

  1. Bodies Found in Various Places by Elvira Hernández, translated by Daniel Borzutzky and Alec Schumachersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Gaza: The Poem Said Its Piece by Nasser Rabah, translated by Ammiel Alcalay, Emna Zghal and Khaled Al-Hillisource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Ruins by Ye Hui, translated by Dong Lisource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Ugliness by Moshtari Hilal, translated by Elisabeth Lauffersource (opens in a new tab)
  5. We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morrissource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Wickerwork by Christian Lehnert, translated by Richard Sieburthsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. A Return to Self: Excursions in Exile by Aatish Taseersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays & Writings by Honorée Fanonne Jefferssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Sick and Dirty: Hollywood's Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness by Michael Koreskysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America by Michael Luosource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story by Brandy Schillacesource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. After You Were, I Am by Camille Ralphssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Into the Hush by Arthur Szesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Salvage by Hedgie Choisource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Stay Dead by Natalie Shaperosource (opens in a new tab)
  5. small lives by Gary Jacksonsource (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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