2026 Womens Prize for non-fiction discussion > Likes and Comments
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i'm absolutely pumped for this list! i know the early buzz is a little negative but i think so many of these titles (99% which i hadn't heard of) sound fascinating! i've preordered a few that my library doesn't have and the rest i've put on hold
No North American authors? The three that I am most interested in have not been released yet here in the USA: Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran - I have it pre-ordered for May 19, 2026.
Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain by Zakia Sewell - Pre-ordered for March 2026.
Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The lives and loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell - August 2026 release in USA
I won't read the four relating to law, crime, death, or medical issues. I will aim to read the other nine titles as they become available at my library. The first year of this award was the best for my tastes - but I am older and more apt to read straight history or science/nature. Seems tailored for a younger and UK based group of readers this year.
I'm looking forward to the Lea Ypi, I loved Free: Coming of Age at the End of History. The Sarah Perry I've seen mentioned several times and also won the Nero I think?
I am glad to hear rachel x comment on how pumped she is about the list. I have been in the camp of the less enthusiastic finding the list more curious than inviting so I welcome any comments that inspire me to read books on the list I hadn't already planned. My copy of Mother Mary Come to Me finally was made available by my library so that will be my first read followed by Indignity. I own the two books previously listed for the Baillie-Gifford so they are possibilities, otherwise I have no inkling. I will be looking to this topic for further inspiration. Cindy praised Death of an Ordinary Man in the speculation topic so that book has my interest and also fits with the multiple memoirs by women authors I read last year that focus on loss. But on the whole the list appeared to me to be made of books that could have easily been any other book with little to distinguish them from the crowd. A number seem to have been picked to fit categorical slots. The three books Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health, Ask Me How It Works: Love in an Open Marriage, and With the Law on Our Side: How the Law Works for Everyone and How We Can Make It Work Better interest me because I would never buy them based on the title but appearances and titles can be deceiving. I look forward to what members say.
Mother Mary Comes to Me, Indignity: A Life Reimagined, and Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins were already on my radar and I'll probably get to them.Have to say the rest don't immediately pique my interest - maybe the tree one would if I hadn't already read two Peter Wohlleben books; even from the synopsis it sounds like it's covering familiar ground. So I guess I'll just wait to hear if any of them get amazing raves...
Karen wrote: "No North American authors? The three that I am most interested in have not been released yet here in the USA: Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by [author:..."
I haven’t looked closely at the rest of the books but Barabara Demick is American.
Rachel wrote: "Karen wrote: "No North American authors? The three that I am most interested in have not been released yet here in the USA: Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran s -- I read her book How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship some years back and thought is was a great explanation of our current political crisis in the US - 5 stars - so am quite excited to read her latest. The Barbara Demick title is the first coming to me from the library, so I will start there.
Sam wrote: "I am glad to hear rachel x comment on how pumped she is about the list. I have been in the camp of the less enthusiastic finding the list more curious than inviting so I welcome any comments that i..."i'm not super into non-fiction so i use this prize to build my tbr! i'm pretty open to reading about most topics - always eager to learn - so i think i'm less critical than other readers. i hope everyone has fun with whatever titles they choose to read!
At first look I wasn’t super excited by this list but I think im coming around to it.I am going to start with Mother Mary Comes to Me, Indignity: A Life Reimagined,
And The Genius of Trees: How They Mastered the Elements and Shaped the World (hoping it’s not too technical).
A few of the ones I was most interested in haven’t released in the US yet, mostly Don't Let it Break You, Honey: Longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain.
I also want to read Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins and the two hotel books, but Hotel Exile is not available at my library (maybe not released in thebUS yet?) I’m on the fence about Death of an ordinary man. I don’t think I’m in the right headspace right now for a grief book. (But I’ll be looking for feedback here on how sad / depressing it is.)
I'm looking forward to reading or listening to those on the list that I will have access to. As with rachel x, the list will be my NF tbr for the year. I just finished the 2025 list.Recently I listened to Mother Mary Comes to Me and I picked up Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins a few months ago when the Kindle version was very cheap.
As I think GY and others have mentioned elsewhere, it strikes me that Mother Mary Comes to Me is a strong frontrunner to win the whole thing, and certainly a great read. And as Sam mentioned, I am quite partial to the Perry memoir Death of an Ordinary Man, which was my personal favorite nonfiction read of 2025. Otherwise I remain a bit let down by this list. I am going to read the books that are available at my library, including the ones scheduled for publication in the U.S. over the next several months and otherwise see what's on the shortlist. I started with the Demick, which I expected to like more than I did. The topic was fascinating and appalling, and her investigative reporting was excellent, but she told the story at such a detached remove that I found her execution dry and unengaging. I am turning to the Rix book on trees next.
Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi is 99p in the UK in today's kindle daily deal. If people are kindle readers. I am in part as things are often cheaper and my ereader is a good way to fall asleep with a backlight lowly lit (insomnia...) but my heart belongs to paper.
Lea Ypi is on tour in Europe at the moment. I saw her last week in Barcelona, to a packed hall (plus another hall with a live streaming for the overflow). She was amazing.
The shortlist has been announced:The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet (published by Hutchinson Heinemann, Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK)
Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt (published by Cornerstone Press, Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK)
Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The lives and loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell (published by Picador, Pan Macmillan)
Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska (published by Allen Lane, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House UK)
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (published by Hamish Hamilton, Penguin General, Penguin Random House UK)
Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran (published by Canongate)
Thanks Hugh! I am a bit disappointed Ask Me How It Works didn't make it as I really liked that one. Enjoyed the Kabul one as well so pleased to see that one.
Pre longlist I thought this was a Roy vs Parry battle (and I think many others through the same) - feels like Roy is a big favourite now.
I was not particularly interested in the list. I read the Roy and felt the need to read any more though eventually I'll probably get to the Ypi. But Mother Mary Comes to Me for its faults seems the book that best fits here. I can't see why the judges would choose to not acknowledge it.
Lyse Doucet is very well respected as a BBC journalist, so I wouldn't count her out, though I haven't read the book.
Oh I forgot the Sarah Perry, I liked that too.Lyse Doucet's Kabul Hotel one was good but perhaps more of an intro to the issues in Afghanistan, too wide a time period to have any depth, the first period of Taliban rule for e.g. is quite high level and if you have read any other book about it, fiction or non fiction, you probably know more than that chapter. But telling it from the perspective of the hotel / employees is a good method. Good intro to sign post for further reading. And she is of course the BBC Chief International Correspondent so in the news a lot with the Iran / Middle East stories right now.
Bit surprised not to see Daughters of the Bamboo Grove in as author has other well know books but I shall probably read it anyway.
Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Pre longlist I thought this was a Roy vs Parry battle (and I think many others through the same) - feels like Roy is a big favourite now."Completely agree and quite surprised and disappointed not to see the Perry here. I have read the three books on the shortlist that have already been published in the US and will likely read the other three as they become available here, but to me this is not nearly as strong a year as the first two have been.
Roy won the US National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography last night.
The kindle version of Don’t Let it Break You, Honey is $3.99 In the US. I don’t know if this is its regular price or a sale price.
Dont think there is a dynamic rankings for the non fiction?Of the 4 I have read of the shortlist, my rankings would be
The Finest Hotel in Kabul
Nation of Strangers
Hotel Exile
Mother Mary
Probably wont read the other two unless it wins. Still have Bamboo Grove to read which i bought from the longlist.
I just finished listening to Nation of Strangers as we returned home from a trip. The audio, narrated by the author, is very impressive. I was surprised that my husband listened to it; I’d intended to change the audio as we started out, but he said this one was fine. Her ideas are very well expressed and we enjoyed her tone.I’ve listened to some of The Finest Hotel, which is also narrated by the author, but her English is not as easy to understand. The content keeps sending me to Wikipedia, for more details.
Yes i really liked Nation of Strangers although its message is worrying. I would like to see it win so more people read but perhaps not the ones who need to read it...
I have not been reading much nonfiction yet. I only read Mother Mary. I usually pick up on my nonfiction after September when the Baillie Gifford longlist comes out.
Hello, yesterday I read Death of an Ordinary Man and also saw the author speak as part of Essex Book Festival about this specific book. I thought it was the most honest and relatable book about grief and bereavement I’ve ever encountered. Really quite remarkable. It’s clearly really touched and benefitted a lot of people and I think it’s a real same it wasn’t shortlisted. She was engaging, open and generous. A book, and book event of the finest calibre.
Just a quick reminder that the winners of both the Non-Fiction and the Fiction prizes will be announced this evening. I haven't read any of the non-fiction list so can't really comment on that. Sorry I didn't do rankings fo the non-fiction shortlist this time, but last year's weren't very well supported.
Looking for an omenMother Mary Comes to me is presumably from Let it Be
Which was released in Q2 1970, just before England lost their title as World Cup winners
And this announcement is coming a couple of hours before the 2026 World Cup when football will finally come home after 56 years of hurt (Jules Rimet still gleaming)
So has to be Arundhati Roy
Cindy wrote: "Well that was a surprise."Kinda of, though Mother Mary has come to me had its share of recognition
Am pleased as it was my favourite from the shortlist!
Mohamed wrote: "Cindy wrote: "Well that was a surprise."Kinda of, though Mother Mary has come to me had its share of recognition"
True, but I just thought it was head and shoulders above the others on the shortlist.
Finest Hotel and Mother Mary were the only two I have managed to read. I thought they were both great. Lyse Doucet's speech was great too.
The full list in alphabetical order by author surname is:
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: China’s Stolen Children and a Story of Separated Twins by Barbara Demick (published by Granta)
The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet (published by Hutchinson Heinemann, Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK)
Don’t Let It Break You, Honey: A Memoir About Saving Yourself by Jenny Evans (published by Robinson, Little, Brown Book Group, Hachette UK)
Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt (published by Cornerstone Press, Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK)
With the Law on Our Side: How the Law Works for Everyone and How We Can Make It Work Better by Lady Hale (published by The Bodley Head, Vintage, Penguin Random House UK)
To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Creativity and Race in the 21st Century by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason(published by Oneworld, Oneworld Publications)
Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell (published by Picador, Pan Macmillan)
Ask Me How It Works: Love in an Open Marriage by Deepa Paul (published by Viking, Penguin General, Penguin Random House UK)
Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry (published by Jonathan Cape, Vintage, Penguin Random House UK)
The Genius of Trees: How Trees Mastered the Elements and Shaped the World by Harriet Rix (published by The Bodley Head, Vintage, Penguin Random House UK)
Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska (published by Allen Lane, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House UK)
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (published by Hamish Hamilton, Penguin General, Penguin Random House UK)
Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain by Zakia Sewell (published by Hodder Press, Hodder & Stoughton, Hachette UK)
To Exist As I Am: A Doctor’s Notes on Recovery and Radical Acceptance by Grace Spence Green (published by Wellcome Collection, Profile Books)
Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran (published by Canongate)
Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi (published by Allen Lane, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House UK)
Please use this topic to discuss these books rather than the speculation thread. If there is sufficient interest I could do rankings too.