2019 Finalists for Non-Fiction Discussion

[Bob]

The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 86 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earn the Kirkus Star with publication dates between Nov. 1, 2018 to Oct. 31, 2019 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2019 Kirkus Prize. The Kirkus Prize judges will select three winners on Thursday, October 24, 2019.

The finalists for non-fiction are as follows:

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib
When Death Takes Something from You Give It Back: Carl's Book by Naja Marie Aidt
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri
No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder

[Beverly]

Hoopla has the following as audio:
Go Ahead in the Rain
The Ungrateful Refugee

[Sam]

Beverly wrote: "Hoopla has the following as audio:
Go Ahead in the Rain
The Ungrateful Refugee"

They also have When Death Takes Something... in print.

[Beverly]

Sam wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Hoopla has the following as audio:
Go Ahead in the Rain
The Ungrateful Refugee"

They also have When Death Takes Something... in print."

Thanks but that seems to be one book I have been avoiding reading because of the subject matter - I will need to be in the right mood to read it.

[Sam]

How We Fight for Our Lives wins:

I had read those below but they weren't special.
When Death Takes Something
Go Ahead in the Rain
Say Nothing

[Sam]

I was not pleased with How We Fight for Our Lives. My feelings were influenced by the book winning the award for best nonfiction. I simply felt there were better nonfiction books out there and that perhaps lumping memoirs with nonfiction does disservice to both. I do think Saeed Jones can put the prize money to good use and will look forward to more from him.
I will probably not read further from this list. Publisher's Weekly and Carnegie stlll have some good nonfiction on their lists that I will read.

[Beverly]

Sam wrote: "I was not pleased with How We Fight for Our Lives. My feelings were influenced by the book winning the award for best nonfiction. I simply felt there were better nonfiction books out there and that..."

Yes, I think that lumping all non-fiction into one category seems to make it difficult when longlisting, shortlisting, and choosing a winner (in my humble opinion).

Up until a few years ago I had not really memoirs but with audio books I have found if the audio book is narrated by the author, there is a passion I hear in the author's voice that I do not necessarily get from the print version.

I am currently listening to one the PWs 2019 Best NF books:
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr and finding it informative and intriguing how the book is structured. I am enjoying this historical read.

As a side note - Literary Hub has been presenting lists of the Best 10 of the Decade by different categories (they have separate categories for memoirs and essays) but when they got to "general" Nonfiction (except for memoirs & essays) the field was so vast they expanded it to Best 20. While I have read quite a few on those presented, I am hoping to work my way through this list (including the Best, Dissenting Opinions, & Honorable Mention).

https://lithub.com/the-20-best-works-...

[Sam]

Beverly wrote: "Sam wrote: "I was not pleased with How We Fight for Our Lives. My feelings were influenced by the book winning the award for best nonfiction. I simply felt there were better nonfiction books out th..."

You are correct. There are some good ones on that list. I read Say Nothing and have Underland from this year. Three other books I read that are worth mentioning are NBA shortlisted
What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance
This book is a memoir by a poet that reads as entertaining as any fiction with multiple grabbing points. I haven't put up my review but it would be 4-5 stars.
Shortlisted for Carnegie nonfiction medal is
Figuring
This is something you have to sample (in midbook) before you read since it is not for everyone and might be dry for some. But the author's enthusiasm for what she writes about is praiseworthy and infectious.
Publisher's Weekly listed for best nonfiction 2019.
Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century
This book develops from Franz Boaz and his students of anthropology, Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, and Zora Neale Hurston, but King does a wonderful job of connecting his themes to present day topical points and he keeps things interesting mixing professional and personal in an entertaining prose. Again, I have been slow on my review.