Best Books of the Year
Menu

American Library Association · award year

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence 2022

The 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence went to The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin (Fiction) and A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib (Nonfiction). 6 books were finalists and 45 books made the longlist across 2 categories.

Winners

Fiction

  1. The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Linsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqibsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Fiction

  1. Matrix by Lauren Groffsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quadesource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blainsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtkesource (opens in a new tab)

Longlist

Fiction

  1. Afterparties by Anthony Veasna Sosource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Bewilderment by Richard Powerssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. China Room by Sunjeev Sahotasource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerrsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. First Person Singular by Haruki Murakamisource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Gordo by Jaime Cortezsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Great Circle by Maggie Shipsteadsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Hao by Ye Chunsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Hell of a Book by Jason Mottsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. In the Country of Others by Leila Slimanisource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Infinite Country by Patricia Engelsource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishigurosource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghysource (opens in a new tab)
  14. The Book of Otto and Liam by Paul Grinersource (opens in a new tab)
  15. The Promise by Damon Galgutsource (opens in a new tab)
  16. The Sentence by Louise Erdrichsource (opens in a new tab)
  17. The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harrissource (opens in a new tab)
  18. The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández, translated by Natasha Wimmersource (opens in a new tab)
  19. The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kimsource (opens in a new tab)
  20. Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyensource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathan Meiburgsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Chasing Me to My Grave: Memoir of the Jim Crow South by Winfred Rembertsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brownsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roachsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored in an Economy Built for Men by Katrine Marçalsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. My Broken Language by Quiara Alegría Hudessource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Poet Warrior by Joy Harjosource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Smile: The Story of a Face by Sarah Ruhlsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Greensource (opens in a new tab)
  11. The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobbsource (opens in a new tab)
  12. The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds by Jon Dunnsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. The Ground Breaking: An American City and Its Search for Justice by Scott Ellsworthsource (opens in a new tab)
  14. The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Age of Fentanyl and Meth by Sam Quinonessource (opens in a new tab)
  15. The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live by Danielle Dreilingersource (opens in a new tab)
  16. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGheesource (opens in a new tab)
  17. Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Leesource (opens in a new tab)
  18. Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbertsource (opens in a new tab)
  19. Why Peacocks? An Unlikely Search for Meaning in the World's Most Magnificent Bird by Sean Flynnsource (opens in a new tab)

About the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence

Winners, finalists (the shortlist) and longlists from ALA's per-year Carnegie Medals pages. The medals began in 2012. Winners also appear on their year's shortlist; each book is stored once per year at its highest level. No nonfiction medal was awarded in 2018 after Sherman Alexie declined it, so that year has three nonfiction finalists and no winner.

Organization: American Library Association. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

The most recommended books of 2022

Shares the most books with