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Los Angeles Times Book Prizes 2024

The 2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes went to Cinema Love: A Novel by Jiaming Tang (Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction), Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century by Laura Beers (Biography) and Health and Safety: A Breakdown by Emily Witt (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. Cinema Love: A Novel by Jiaming Tangsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century by Laura Beerssource (opens in a new tab)

Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose

  1. Health and Safety: A Breakdown by Emily Wittsource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant LA by Jesse Katzsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Novel by Jennine Capó Crucetsource (opens in a new tab)

Graphic Novel/Comics

  1. Tokyo These Days, Vol. 1 by Taiyō Matsumotosource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch by Andrea Freemansource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. The Puzzle Box: A Novel by Danielle Trussonisource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Room Swept Home by Remica Bingham-Rishersource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are by Rebecca Boylesource (opens in a new tab)

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction

  1. The Book of Love: A Novel by Kelly Linksource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnsonsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

  1. Ghostroots: Stories by Pemi Agudasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer: A Novel by Joseph Earl Thomassource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Olive Days: A Novel by Jessica Elisheva Emersonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. What We Tried to Bury Grows Here by Julian Zabalbeascoasource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar by Cynthia Carrsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Dragon from Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany by Pamela D. Tolersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family’s Mythmaking and Migration by Jessica Goudeausource (opens in a new tab)

Current Interest

  1. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coatessource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerersource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. All Fours: A Novel by Miranda Julysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Headshot: A Novel by Rita Bullwinkelsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. James: A Novel by Percival Everettsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Season of the Swamp: A Novel by Yuri Herrera, translated by Lisa Dillmansource (opens in a new tab)

Graphic Novel/Comics

  1. Cutting Season by Bhanu Pratapsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 2: The Cursed Hermit by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Petar & Liza by Miroslav Sekulic-Struja, translated by Jenna Allensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andradesource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Cold War Country: How Nashville’s Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism by Joseph M. Thompsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America by Andrew W. Kahrlsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America by Aaron Robertsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports by Michael Waterssource (opens in a new tab)

Mystery/Thriller

  1. Guide Me Home (A Highway 59 Novel) by Attica Lockesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Havoc: A Novel by Christopher Bollensource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The God of the Woods: A Novel by Liz Mooresource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Waiting: A Ballard and Bosch Novel by Michael Connellysource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Black Bell by Alison C. Rollinssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Inner Verses by Pam Rehmsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Sorrow Apartments by Andrea Cohensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Ward Toward by Cindy Juyoung Oksource (opens in a new tab)

Science & Technology

  1. Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life by Ferris Jabrsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Math in Drag by Kyne Santossource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlangersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future by Daniel Lewissource (opens in a new tab)

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction

  1. Absolution: A Southern Reach Novel by Jeff VanderMeersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossmansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The City in Glass by Nghi Vosource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Naming Song by Jedediah Berrysource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillosource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Kindling by Traci Cheesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobellsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixtasource (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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