On January 25, finalists for the 2024 NBCC Awards including works from 2023 were announced. Finalists for the John Leonard Prize and Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize were also revealed, along with other special awards. The awards ceremony will take place at the New School in Manhattan on March 21. 

Autobiography

"I Would Meet You Anywhere: A Memoir" by Susan Kiyo Ito (Ohio State University Press)

"Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm" by David Mas Masumoto, with artwork by Patricia Wakida (Red Hen Press)

"Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in an Egyptian Prison" by Ahmed Naji, translated by Katharine Halls (McSweeney's)

"How to Say Babylon: A Memoir' by Safiya Sinclair (Simon & Schuster)

"Story of a Poem: A Memoir" by Matthew Zapruder (Unnamed Press)

Biography

"King: A Life" by Jonathan Eig (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

"The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of the Bondwoman's Narrative" by Gregg Hecimovich (Ecco)

"Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History" by Yunte Huang (Liveright)

"Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disruptor" by Rachel Shteir (Yale University Press)

"Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage" by Jonny Steinberg (Knopf)

Criticism

"The Chapter: A Segmented History from Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century" by Nicholas Dames (Princeton University Press)

"Creep: Accusations and Confessions" by Myriam Gurba (Avid Reader Press)

"Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World" by Naomi Klein (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

"Pleasure and Efficacy: Of Pen Names, Cover Versions, and Other Trans Techniques" by Grace E. Lavery (Princeton University Press)

"Deadpan: The Aesthetics of Black Inexpression" by Tina Post (NYU Press)

Fiction

"Tremor" by Teju Cole (Random House)

"North Woods" by Daniel Mason (Random House)

"I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home" by Lorrie Moore (Knopf)

"Vengeance Is Mine" by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump (Knopf)

"Blackouts" by Justin Torres (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Nonfiction

"We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America" by Roxanna Asgarian (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

"Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs" by Kerry Howley (Knopf)

"Ordinary Notes" by Christina Sharpe (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

"The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War" by Jeff Sharlet (W. W. Norton)

"Who Gets Believed? When the Truth Isn't Enough" by Dina Nayeri (Catapult Books)

Poetry

"All Souls" by Saskia Hamilton (Graywolf Press)

"Phantom Pain Wings" by Kim Hyesoon, translated by Don Mee Choi (New Directions)

"The Gathering of Bastards" by Romeo Oriogun (University of Nebraska Press)

"Information Desk" by Robyn Schiff (Penguin Books)

"Trace Evidence" by Charif Shanahan (Tin House)

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Greg Barrios Book in Translation Prize

"The Last Pomegranate Tree" by Bachtyar Ali and translated by Kareem Abdulrahman (Archipelago Books)

"Owlish" by Dorothy Tse and translated by Natascha Bruce (Graywolf Press)

"Phantom Pain Wings" by Kim Hyesoon and translated by Don Mee Choi (New Directions)

"Zakwato & Loglêdou's Peril" by Azo Vauguy and translated by Todd Fredson (Action Books)

"Cold Nights of Childhood" by Tezer Özlü and translated by Maureen Freely (Transit Books)

"Happy Stories, Mostly" by Norman Erikson Pasaribu and Translated by Tiffany Tsao (Feminist Press)

John Leonard Prize

"Black Pastoral" by Ariana Benson (University of Georgia Press)

"A Nimble Arc: James Van Der Zee and Photography" by Emilie Boone (Duke University Press)

"The Love of Singular Men" by Victor Heringer, translated by James Young (New Directions)

"Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: a Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide" by Tahir Hamut Izgil, translated by Joshua L. Freeman (Penguin Press)

"When Crack Was King" by Donovan X. Ramsey (One World)

"Judgment and Mercy: The Turbulent Life and Times of the Judge Who Condemned the Rosenbergs" by Martin J. Siegel (Cornell University Press)

Honorees

The NBCC recognizes the outstanding contributions of notable figures. Becca Rothfeld earned the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in reviewing. The American Library Association was given the Toni Morrison Achievement Award for its significant impact on literature and culture. Jacob M. Appel, the award chair, appreciated the ALA's enduring dedication to equity. This commitment has been evident in their 20th-century campaigns against library segregation and their support of LGBT+ literature. The ALA was recognized as a steadfast defender against regressive forces advocating for book bans.

In addition, Marion Winik was awarded the NBCC Service Award for her noteworthy service. The Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award was also bestowed upon Judy Blume, celebrating her enduring influence on literature and exceptional literary career.

These accolades reflect the diverse talents and dedicated service within the literary world.

RELATED ARTICLE: National Book Critics Circle Unveils Inaugural Longlist for Barrios Book in Translation Prize