From the lingering sins of a nation's snarled roots to the complexities of mental illness and even to the colorful quest for a name of one's own, the books that round out this year's Kirkus Prize shortlists won't let you easily forget history — on whatever scale it's defined.
In fact, many of them place it squarely at the center of their narratives. Award-season favorites Annie Proulx and Colson Whitehead plumb the depths of America's past, dredging drama from some of its least admirable eras. Meanwhile, Michael Eric Dyson's take on President Obama seeks to seat today's politics firmly in the context of its forebears. For that matter, even the picture books have their fair share to say (and portray) about history, both personal and public.
On Nov. 3, these 18 books will be winnowed to just three — the winners in the categories of fiction, nonfiction and young readers' literature. Each winner will receive a purse of $50,000.
Find the list of finalists — with links to NPR's coverage — below.
Kirkus Prize Shortlists
Fiction
Adam Haslett, Imagine Me GoneJoe McGinniss Jr., Carousel CourtC.E. Morgan, The Sport of KingsAnnie Proulx, BarkskinsAmor Towles, A Gentleman in MoscowColson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad
Nonfiction
Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist CafeMatthew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American CityMichael Eric Dyson, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in AmericaSusan Faludi, In the DarkroomBeth Macy, TruevineJ.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Young Readers' Literature
Sherman Alexie (writer) and Yuyi Morales (illustrator), Thunder Boy Jr.Ashley Bryan, Freedom Over Me:Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to LifeRussell Freedman, We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement that Defied Adolf HitlerJason Reynolds, As Brave as YouTraci Chee, The ReaderMeg Medina, Burn Baby Burn
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