A Literary Feast: The 2024 National Book Awards Finalists

The literary world is abuzz with anticipation as the National Book Foundation unveils its esteemed finalists for the 2024 National Book Awards. These five categories—Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature—showcase the pinnacle of storytelling and thought-provoking exploration.

A diverse tapestry of voices and styles has been selected, each offering a unique lens through which to view the human experience. From the lyrical prose of poets to the immersive narratives of fiction writers, these finalists have captured the hearts and minds of readers across the nation.

You can shop the amazing selection of finalists here.

This year’s finalists for the 2024 National Book Awards are:

Fiction:

• ’Pemi Aguda - Ghostroots

• Kaveh Akbar - Martyr!

• Percival Everett - James

• Miranda July - All Fours

• Hisham Matar - My Friends

Nonfiction:

• Jason De León - Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling

• Eliza Griswold - Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church

• Farrar - Straus and Giroux  

• Kate Manne - Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia

• Salman Rushdie - Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder

• Deborah Jackson Taffa - Whiskey Tender

Poetry:

• Anne Carson - Wrong Norma

• Fady Joudah - […]

• m.s. RedCherries - mother

• Diane Seuss - Modern Poetry

• Lena Khalaf Tuffaha - Something About Living

Translated Literature:

• Bothayna Al-Essa - The Book Censor’s Library

          Translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain

• Linnea Axelsson - Ædnan

          Translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel

• Fiston Mwanza Mujila - The Villain’s Dance

          Translated from the French by Roland Glasser

• Yáng Shuāng-zǐ - Taiwan Travelogue

          Translated from the Mandarin Chinese by Lin King

• Samar Yazbek - Where the Wind Calls Home

Translated from the Arabic by Leri Price

Young People's Literature:

• Violet Duncan - Buffalo Dreamer

• Josh Galarza - The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky

• Erin Entrada Kelly - The First State of Being

• Shifa Saltagi Safadi - Kareem Between

• Angela Shanté - The Unboxing of a Black Girl

Join us in celebrating the power of words as we eagerly await the announcement of the winners.