Overview

• The shortlist spans Fiction, Nonfiction, and Young Readers’ Literature with six titles in each, drawn from books that earned a Kirkus star, a distinction the publication says goes to about 10% of its reviews.
• Book Riot reports the finalists were selected from 7,653 books reviewed during the eligibility period.
• Fiction finalists are Kiran Desai, Angela Flournoy, Allegra Goodman, Megha Majumdar, Lucas Schaefer, and David Szalay.
• Nonfiction contenders are Arundhati Roy, Scott Anderson, Nicholas Boggs, Sophie Elmhirst, Greg Grandin, and Imani Perry.
• Young Readers’ Literature finalists include picture books Island Storm by Brian Floca and Everybelly by Thao Lam, middle grade titles by Derrick Barnes and Triinu Laan, and young adult works Butterfly Heart by Moa Backe Åstot and Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming, with the Oct. 8 ceremony livestreamed at 7:30 p.m. ET on Kirkus’ YouTube channel.