Best Books of the Year
Menu

National Book Critics Circle · award year

National Book Critics Circle Awards 2018

The 2018 National Book Critics Circle Awards went to Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home by Nora Krug (Autobiography), Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous by Christopher Bonanos (Biography) and Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith (Criticism), with winners in 4 more categories. 32 books were finalists across 7 categories.

Winners

Autobiography

  1. Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home by Nora Krugsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous by Christopher Bonanossource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smithsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Milkman by Anna Burnssource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. There There by Tommy Orangesource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan by Steve Collsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. The Carrying by Ada Limónsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Autobiography

  1. All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Nicole Chungsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westoversource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Paintersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Day That Went Missing: A Family's Story by Richard Beardsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. What Drowns the Flowers in Your Mouth by Rigoberto Gonzalezsource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. Inseparable: The Original Siamese Twins and Their Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huangsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brownsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World he Created by Jane Leavysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century by Mark Lamstersource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017 by Robert Christgausource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Reckonings: Essays by Lacy M. Johnsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. To Float in the Space Between: A Life and Work in Conversation with the Life and Work of Etheridge Knight by Terrance Hayessource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblattsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Slave Old Man by Patrick Chamoiseausource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urreasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushnersource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State by Lawrence Wrightsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidtsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantusource (opens in a new tab)
  4. We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights by Adam Winklersource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayessource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Asymmetry by Adam Zagajewski, translated by Clare Cavanaghsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Holy Moly Carry Me by Erika Meitnersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl by Diane Seusssource (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)

The most recommended books of 2018

Shares the most books with