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Los Angeles Times Book Prizes 2023

The 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes went to Company: Stories by Shannon Sanders (Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction), The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman’s Narrative by Gregg Hecimovich (Biography) and Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer (Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose), with winners in 9 more categories. 56 books were finalists across 12 categories.

Winners

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

  1. Company: Stories by Shannon Sanderssource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman’s Narrative by Gregg Hecimovichsource (opens in a new tab)

Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose

  1. Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederersource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgariansource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Parksource (opens in a new tab)

Graphic Novel/Comics

  1. A Guest in the House by Emily Carrollsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century by Joya Chatterjisource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. Sing Her Down: A Novel by Ivy Pochodasource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Bread and Circus: Poems by Airea D. Matthewssource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths by Eugenia Chengsource (opens in a new tab)

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction

  1. The Reformatory: A Novel by Tananarive Duesource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. Gone Wolf by Amber McBridesource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

  1. Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddinesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Idlewild: A Novel by James Frankie Thomassource (opens in a new tab)
  3. I’m a Fan: A Novel by Sheena Patelsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa: A Novel by Stephen Buorosource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South by Elizabeth R. Varonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence by David Waldstreichersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage by Jonny Steinbergsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Changsource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15 by Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal by Bettina L. Lovesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadehsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Blackouts: A Novel by Justin Torressource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Loved and Missed by Susie Boytsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Dog of the North: A Novel by Elizabeth McKenziesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Wednesday’s Child: Stories by Yiyun Lisource (opens in a new tab)

Graphic Novel/Comics

  1. Blood of the Virgin by Sammy Harkhamsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. CODA by Simon Spurrier and Matías Bergarasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Cartoonshow by Derek M. Ballardsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Social Fiction by Chantal Montellier, translated by Geoffrey Brocksource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class by Blair LM Kelleysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Brooding over Bloody Revenge: Enslaved Women’s Lethal Resistance by Nikki M. Taylorsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harrissource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawksource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel by S. A. Cosbysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Dark Ride: A Thriller by Lou Berneysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Everybody Knows: A Novel by Jordan Harpersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Time’s Undoing: A Novel by Cheryl A. Headsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millnersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Master: Poems by Simon Shiehsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco by K. Iversource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Court of No Record: Poems by Jenny Molbergsource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. A Book of Noises: Notes on the Auraculous by Caspar Hendersonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmithsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodellsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos by Jaime Greensource (opens in a new tab)

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction

  1. Jewel Box: Stories by E. Lily Yusource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Lone Women: A Novel by Victor LaVallesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwabsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Whalefall by Daniel Kraussource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Colesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Forgive Me Not by Jennifer Bakersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Invisible Son by Kim Johnsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myersource (opens in a new tab)

About the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes

Year is the prize year as the LA Times labels it (books of that year, announced the next April). Source is the official Book Prizes history page. The 2019 Ray Bradbury Prize is missing there: the winner comes from the LA Times 2019 winners article and the finalists from Wikipedia. The 2012 Shine Shine Shine is moved from Fiction to First Fiction, where it was a finalist. The science fiction prize is one category across its names. Skipped: Robert Kirsch Award and Innovator's Award (people), and Achievement in Audiobook Production (2023-2025), whose entries name narrators and producers but not the book's author.

Organization: Los Angeles Times. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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