2024 National Book Awards Finalists

A collection of stories with a bite, this is an eerie step into a world of the supernatural where the familiar becomes uncanny. Aguda takes readers through the streets of Nigeria and into the homes and haunted lineages of its residents. Readers of Bora Chung or Mariana Enriquez will revel in the supernatural oddness that Aguda employs with a surgical finesse to comment upon larger sociological issues, perhaps most evident in the story “Breastmilk”, in which a woman forgives her husband’s infidelity but month’s later, she cannot produce milk for her newborn and blames this on her failure to uphold her feminist values.  

Poignant and darkly comic, smart and sharp, Akbar’s novel is a life-affirming story of addiction, art, love and loss. It follows Cyrus Shams, who while continually battling addiction, sets out on project that leads him to the discovery of a Marina Abramovic-esque performance artist who is dying in front of an audience. Their meetings propel an unraveling of mysteries such as art, family and yes, martyrdom. 

Akbar joined us to talk about writing both poetry and prose, collaboration with other novelists, creating compassion through writing and more on Poured Over.   

Percival Everett, author of Erasure, flips the script on an American classic as Huck Finn steps to the side and Jim — James — takes center stage in a powerful, and often very funny, story of family, home and freedom. Told through language that plays its own role in shaping the story, James’ is one of escape and survival, all the while balancing precarious hopes for a better future and keeping his family together. This sharp and brilliant tale was also recently named B&N’s Book of the Year.  

Everett joined us live at The Grove to talk about language and storytelling, his sense of humor (and its origins), philosophy, identity and more on Poured Over. 

A fever dream of a coming-of-middle-age novel by the celebrated artist and author, Miranda July. It is a reminder of everything we love about her, starting with the questions she asks about how we live and what we value. With a truly unique protagonist who thirty minutes into her cross-country road trip for work, holes up at a motel which she completely renovates, all in a ploy to play with her desire. It’s a reawakening and an examination of domestic liberty that readers will fly through.

July joined us to talk about aging as a woman, societal pressures on identity and motherhood, her writing process and more on Poured Over.

A novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Return about the inexplicable power of literature in helping a person define themselves, even when cut off from all that they hold dear. This quiet novel of devasting magnitude follows a boy from Benghazi to Edinburgh where he continues to protest against the Qaddafi regime in exile. His exile soon morphs into a confrontation with his own self when a chance encounter with a writer turns into a deep friendship.  

Matar joined us to talk about his journey to telling this story, the importance of time in a novel, exploring themes of political strife and identity and more on Poured Over. 

Anthropologist and award-winning author of The Land of Open Graves Jason De León examines human smuggling and border migration at the heart of Latin America. Soldiers and Kings is a never-before-seen glimpse into a billion-dollar underground history that centers on one coyote — a smuggler or guide — who tries to break free of the industry and leave it all behind. From glimpses of top leaders to subsidiary smugglers to migrants’ lives before and after immigrating, De León breaks down cultural myths and stereotypes through a searing and empathetic portrait of the journey for seeking asylum.

Religion will continue to evolve as the world changes. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eliza Griswold (Amity and Prosperity) takes readers through the lifecycle of a modern evangelical church, from its hopeful origins to audiences petering out and its eventual closure. From infighting to grappling with a global pandemic to differing views on interpersonal and societal responsibility, a legion of congregations collapsed, and Griswold is here to examine the rubble. This is more than a story of a church’s failure — it’s a compassionate study of community, empathy, and faith for any reader.

 Kate Manne delivers an incisive history and a critical call to action with Unshrinking. Manne argues that while our country has become more accepting of other social justice issues, fatphobia continues to run rampant and affects us all. Rather than confirming to a culture that pushes us to make ourselves smaller, Unshrinking is a bold and compassionate beacon of hope that urges all of us to reconsider how we see ourselves and others. From deep-seated shame embedded in our culture to biases affecting education, healthcare and more, Manne examines the issue of fatphobia and all its dire consequences.

With over 20 books under his belt, Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie is best known for his novels Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses, the book that prompted an attempted assassination in 2022, and Rushdie relives the dire day in Knife. Rushdie asks of his audience, who are we in the face of unfathomable violence and how do we adjust to a world forever changed? No one — including the author himself — knew if he would survive the shocking attempt on his life, and here he tells the unforgettable (and life-affirming) story as only he can. This is more than a story of survival — it’s a meditation on the things that make us human: life, love, art, empathy and mortality.

Rushdie joined us to talk about writing such a personal work, the importance and beauty of art and the kinds of literature he loves on our Poured Over podcast.

Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House) lauds Whiskey Tender for “its gorgeous sentences, its searing observations about identity and loss and inheritance, and its exploration of generational and terrestrial traumas,” and we couldn’t agree more. Deborah Jackson Taffa illustrates her grandparents’ lives and legacy through a poignant portrait of living in a country that wanted them gone. From their forced relocation to Taffa’s coming-of-age in 1980s New Mexico to her ongoing journey of self-discovery, readers examine the unfortunate history and reality for Native people in our country. A sharp memoir of assimilation, reclamation and identity, this is a story about what home really means.

This is 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 for a new generation. A book censor flips through page after page of controversial stories, ranging from contentious topics to seemingly anodyne work that only his careful eye can spot. All of this reading quickly gives way to a change of heart, and this book censor must decide what side of history to be on before it’s too late. An allegory for an ever-changing world and political landscape, this is a wildly inventive and all too-relatable story of silence and censorship, dystopia and lost freedoms.

Tommy Orange (Wandering Stars) raves of this novel’s “crystalline prose that reads like poetry and myth at once.” This multigenerational novel spanning 100 years chronicles change — changing land, people, and the world around them. Linnea Axelsson begins Aednan by introducing us to Ristin, a woman traveling with her family to migrate their herd of reindeer. What follows is a searing novel of language, tradition and loss. Told in verse, Aednan is grounded in the lives and land of the Sámi, the EU’s only remaining Indigenous people.

This energetic, lyrical and often funny story of good and evil, power and justice, features a charismatic cast of characters. When Sanza falls into the wrong crowd and gets recruited by a mysterious intelligence agent, he makes a bargain that changes his life forever. From the magical to the musical, witty, wild and wonderful, The Villain’s Dance is a symphony of language and an ode to storytelling.

Taiwan Travelogue is a story within a story about two queer women and the colonial history of Taiwan. When celebrated novelist Chizuko is invited by the Japanese government to visit Taiwan, she has more on her mind than banquet halls and politics. Chizuko and her interpreter, Chizuru, embark on a trip through the South and find more than just inspiration for Chizuko’s lectures. Riddled with love, longing and loss, this is an exquisite tale about history and humanity.

Profound, necessary and all too familiar, this is a brutal war story told through the eyes of a nineteen-year-old soldier as he lays dying. Where the Wind Calls Home follows the final moments of devastating introspection of Ali, a soldier in the Syrian army. Samar Yazbek illustrates a war with seemingly no end and the casualties that inevitably come with it. Told in dual timelines between death and life, memory and introspection, this is a bold and compassionate read.

In her first original work in almost a decade, Anne Carson, author of The Autobiography of Red and Eros the Bittersweet, has created an astounding work of art that combines prose and pictures that mimics the never-ending leaps and bounds of human imagination — and life itself. In twenty-five pieces, Carson covers writers and art, life and death, and more. 

An indelible story in verse about finding the self, centered on an Indigenous child taken from her home and raised by non-Indigenous parents. Through a collage of vignettes whose fractured nature emphasizes the puzzle work the narrator commits to in finding their origins. It is an intimate story that the author m.s. RedCherries dutifully and beautifully takes tender care of to make sure the wider implications are known. This is not just the story of one person but of the injustices of a people. 

“Wonder belongs to all.” — acclaimed poet and translator Fady Joudah imbues their poetry with humanity, stark as it is. Sometimes the images are gentle, sometimes harsh, but together they create a palpable picture of life for Palestinians and the perseverance they have — and must continue — to endure. This is not just a window into the mind of a people but to the soul.  

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Diane Seuss returns with a stand-out collection about the art and craft and legacy of poetry itself. Told in a sharp and funny voice, Seuss creates a reading experience unlike any other with her turns of phrase and lines that are like a punch to the gut. Literature lovers will enjoy her many references and be left contemplating the intersection of art and life.  

These poems explore Palestinian life through the lens of American language, revealing a legacy of obfuscation and erasure. Lena Khalaf Tuffaha has done the seemingly impossible — expressing both joy and desire as well as protest and anger in evoking the diasporic experience. It is a rallying cry and a statement of support told through poignant prose that in the end reminds readers of the important fact that love itself is a radical act.  

Past and present, dreams and reality, hard truths and white lies. Author Violet Duncan is Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation, and she knew she wanted to contribute to building up Native voices and stories with her work when she recognized how underrepresented they are in the literary world. A coming-of-age tale about a young girl grappling with her reservation’s dark history, learning family legacies and embracing traditions, Buffalo Dreamer is a remarkable story for any young reader.

This is a big-hearted story about making sense of things when everything seems out of control — mom’s sick, school’s a total drag, and life is all around really hard and complicated for Brett right now. Enter Kid Condor — Brett’s intergalactic comics (featuring food constellations) that keep him going in a world he just can’t seem to get comfortable in. This poignant portrayal of a teen’s struggle with disordered eating, anxiety and bullying marks Josh Galarza as a force to be reckoned with in young people’s literature.

From Newbery-award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly comes another unforgettable cast of characters, this time with a time-traveling twist. Michael already has enough to deal with in life: a crush on his babysitter, a slight shoplifting problem and anxiety over the impending Y2K crisis. When a strange boy appears on his doorstep and needs help finding his way back home, Michael has to put aside everything he thought was important in life and focus on the looming future. This is a story about family, friends and the way the world changes in a blink of an eye.

Middle school is hard enough, but things are extra difficult for Kareem — seventh grade has begun and instead of wandering the halls with his best friend and proving himself to the guys on the football team, he’s stuck showing the new kid around school. To make matters worse, his mom can’t come back from Syria because of a new ‘Muslim ban’ enforced in the United States and no matter what he does, Kareem feels lost. A coming-of-age tale about growing up with one foot in two cultures and countries, Shifa Saltagi Safadi balances a young boy’s anxieties over middle school with real-world issues. This is a poignant and poetic story of family and finding home told in verse.

 A genre-breaking collection about Black girlhood, The Unboxing of a Black Girl employs memory, poetry and prose to examine the way the world raises and upends, encourages and discourages young Black girls. An ode to her childhood in New York City and an urgent ‘unboxing’ of both the unique joys and implicit prejudices that young Black girls face, Angela Shanté’s debut YA title sets the intimacy of memoir against a larger American stage.