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National Book Critics Circle Awards 2019

The 2019 National Book Critics Circle Awards went to Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller (Autobiography), The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth by Josh Levin (Biography) and Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval by Saidiya Hartman (Criticism), with winners in 4 more categories. 37 books were finalists across 7 categories.

Winners

Autobiography

  1. Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Millersource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth by Josh Levinsource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval by Saidiya Hartmansource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticatsource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. The Yellow House: A Memoir by Sarah M. Broomsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefesource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Magical Negro by Morgan Parkersource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Autobiography

  1. Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrowsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Five Days Gone: The Mystery of My Mother's Disappearance as a Child by Laura Cummingsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacobsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindmansource (opens in a new tab)

Biography

  1. A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnellsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Gods of the Upper Air: How A Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century by Charles Kingsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. L.E.L.: The Lost Life and Scandalous Death of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the Celebrated "Female Byron" by Lucasta Millersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century by George Packersource (opens in a new tab)

Criticism

  1. Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkinsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Essays One by Lydia Davissource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraqibsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light, 100 Art Writings 1988-2018 by Peter Schjeldahlsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Feast Your Eyes by Myla Goldbergsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luisellisource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whiteheadsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Topeka School by Ben Lernersource (opens in a new tab)

John Leonard Prize

  1. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillipssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Aknersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir by T Kira Maddensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Lot: Stories by Bryan Washingtonsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Unpassing by Chia-Chia Linsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentinosource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future by Kate Brownsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snydersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Out of the Shadows: Reimagining Gay Men's Lives by Walt Odetssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hesslersource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminskysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Doomstead Days by Brian Tearesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Dunce by Mary Rueflesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Tradition by Jericho Brownsource (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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