24 Nov 2023 Kirkus Prize Winners
Written by: Nick Philip, Adult Services Supervisor
The winners of the 10th Annual Kirkus Prize are here! The Kirkus Prize is presented by Kirkus Reviews, the venerable book review magazine, and awards $50,000 to a work in each of its three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. Books become eligible by receiving a starred review (or Kirkus Star) from the publication. This year’s nominees were published between November 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. Without further ado, here are this year’s finalists and winners, listed below with links to our catalog where available. Winners are listed first.
Fiction Winner: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Fiction Winner: Other Nominees:
Witness by Jamel Brinkley
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
Nonfiction Winner: Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino” by Hector Tobar
Nonfiction Winner:Other Nominees:
Red Memory: The Afterlives of China’s Cultural Revolution by Tania Branigan
Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans
How Not To Kill Yourself: A Portrait of the Suicidal Mind by Clancy Martin
How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair
Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo
Young Readers’ Literature Winner: America Redux: Visual Stories From Our Dynamic History by Ariel Aberg-Riger
Young Readers’ Literature Winner:Other Nominees:
Together We Swim by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
Joao by a Thread by Roger Mello, translated by Daniel Hahn
Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen
The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch
If you’re interested, you can find the previous winners of the Kirkus Prize below.
Fiction:
| 2014 | Lily King | Euphoria |
| 2015 | Hanya Yanagihara | A Little Life |
| 2016 | C. E. Morgan | The Sport of Kings |
| 2017 | Lesley Nneka Arimah | What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky |
| 2018 | Ling Ma | Severance |
| 2019 | Colson Whitehead | The Nickel Boys |
| 2020 | Raven Leilani | Luster |
| 2021 | Joy Williams | Harrow |
| 2022 | Hernan Diaz | Trust |
Nonfiction:
| 2014 | Roz Chast | Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? |
| 2015 | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Between the World and Me |
| 2016 | Susan Faludi | In the Darkroom |
| 2017 | Jack E. Davis | The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea |
| 2018 | Rebecca Solnit | Call Them by Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays) |
| 2019 | Saeed Jones | How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir |
| 2020 | Mychal Denzel Smith | Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream |
| 2021 | Brian Broome | Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir |
| 2022 | Tanais | In Sensorium |
Young Readers’ Literature:
| 2014 | Kate Samworth | Aviary Wonders Inc.: Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual |
| 2015 | Pam Muñoz Ryan; illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova | Echo |
| 2016 | Jason Reynolds | As Brave as You |
| 2017 | Cherie Dimaline | The Marrow Thieves |
| 2018 | Derrick Barnes; illustrated by Gordon C. James | Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut |
| 2019 | Jerry Craft; colored by Jim Callahan | New Kid |
| 2020 | Derrick Barnes; illustrated by Gordon C. James | I Am Every Good Thing |
| 2021 | Christina Soontornvat | All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team |
| 2022 | Harmony Becker | Himawari House |
