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National Book Critics Circle Awards 2010

The 2010 National Book Critics Circle Awards went to Half a Life by Darin Strauss (Autobiography), How To Live: Or, A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell (Biography) and Lyric Poetry and Modern Politics: Russia, Poland, and the West by Clare Cavanagh (Criticism), with winners in 3 more categories. 31 books were finalists across 6 categories.

Winners

Autobiography

  1. Half a Life by Darin Strausssource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. How To Live: Or, A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewellsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Lyric Poetry and Modern Politics: Russia, Poland, and the West by Clare Cavanaghsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egansource (opens in a new tab)

General Nonfiction

  1. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkersonsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. One with Others: [a little book of her days] by C. D. Wrightsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Autobiography

  1. Crossing Mandelbaum Gate: Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956–1978 by Kai Birdsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Hiroshima in the Morning by Rahna Reiko Rizzutosource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Hitch-22: A Memoir by Christopher Hitchenssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Just Kids by Patti Smithsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Autobiography of an Execution by David Dowsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous With American History by Yunte Huangsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Simon Wiesenthal: The Life and Legends by Tom Segevsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powerssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham by Selina Hastingssource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence by Susie Linfieldsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them by Elif Batumansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Professor and Other Writings by Terry Castlesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir by Ander Monsonsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson, translated by Damion Searlssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Freedom by Jonathan Franzensource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Skippy Dies by Paul Murraysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. To the End of the Land by David Grossmansource (opens in a new tab)

General Nonfiction

  1. Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homanssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynnesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demicksource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjeesource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Lighthead by Terrance Hayessource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Nox by Anne Carsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Best of It: New and Selected Poems by Kay Ryansource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Eternal City by Kathleen Grabersource (opens in a new tab)

About the National Book Critics Circle Awards

Year is the NBCC award year as the Circle labels it: the publication year of the books, with prizes presented the following March (the 2023 awards were presented in March 2024). From bookcritics.org past-awards pages. Category names follow each year's page: General Nonfiction through 2016, Nonfiction from 2017; Autobiography covers the Autobiography/Memoir category. Longlists appear on those pages only from 2024. Reviewing, lifetime, institutional, and service awards are excluded.

Organization: National Book Critics Circle. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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