Debut novels dominate National Book Awards longlist, George Floyd bio among nonfiction titles

Jennifer McClellan, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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NEW YORK (AP) — A biography of the late George Floyd and poetry by Pulitzer Prize winner Sharon Olds were among the works included Thursday on long lists for the National Book Awards.

The nonfiction nominees are:

  • “His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice,” by Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa

  • “Ted Kennedy: A Life,” by John A. Farrell

  • “Lost & Found: A Memoir,” by New Yorker writer Kathryn Schulz

  • “Bright Unbearable Reality: Essays,” by Anna Badkhen

  • “Uncommon Measure: A Journey Through Music, Performance, and the Science of Time,” by Natalie Hodges

  • "Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands," by Kelly Lytle Hernández

  • "The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness," by Meghan O’Rourke

  • "South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation," by Imani Perry

  • "Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus," by David Quammen

  • "The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir," by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

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On Friday, longlisted nominees for fiction were announced. The grouping is dominated by debut works of fiction, with 8 of 10 titles being the authors' first novels. They are:

  • "When We Were Sisters," by Fatimah Asghar*

  • "Shutter," by Ramona Emerson*

  • "If I Survive You,' by Jonathan Escoffery*

  • "The Rabbit Hutch," by Tess Gunty*

  • "The Birdcatcher," by Gayl Jones

  • "The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories," by Jamil Jan Kochai

  • "All This Could Be Different," by Sarah Thankam Mathews*

  • "Nobody Gets Out Alive," by Leigh Newman*

  • "Maria, Maria & Other Stories," by Marytza K. Rubio*

  • "The Town of Babylon," by Alejandro Varela*

* = Debut novel

The National Book Foundation, which presents the awards, has previously announced long lists for young people's literature and books in translation. The lists will be narrowed to five on Oct. 4, and winners will be announced Nov. 16.

Contributing: Hillel Italie, Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Book Award nominees include George Floyd biography