Longlist for the 2026 National Book Awards Announced

In the category of Fiction, the longlist includes:

- **Paradiso 17** by Hannah Lillith Assadi: A man's reflections on a life exiled from Palestine.

- **Red Ants** by Kimberly Blaeser: A debut collection exploring contemporary Anishinaabe experiences.

- **Dèy** by Edwidge Danticat: A Haitian American woman's struggle with trauma and violence.

- **Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You** by Julián Delgado Lopera: A story of familial grief in 1990s Bogotá.

- **Python’s Kiss** by Louise Erdrich: A collection of interconnected tales on human-animal relationships.

- **The Disappearers** by Marlon James: A queer narrative set in 1988 Kingston.

- **Beginning Middle End** by Valeria Luiselli: A mother-daughter road trip facing personal and generational crises.

- **Passengers** by Alexander Maksik: A father-daughter relationship examined during unexpected travel delays.

- **The Renovation** by Kenan Orhan: A woman's self-discovery while caring for family in Italy.

- **Mad Eden** by Morgan Thomas: A trans healthcare worker's journey intertwined with fantasy.

In the Nonfiction category, the nominees are:

- **Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America** by Rozina Ali: A historical account of anti-Muslim sentiment.

- **The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music** by Colin Asher: Profiling musicians’ experiences in prison.

- **Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young** by Zayd Ayers Dohrn: A memoir of radical resistance.

- **Huna: A Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming** by Abdelrahman ElGendy: Insights from a young activist’s prison experience.

- **Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom** by Camonghne Felix: A journey through language and political consciousness.

- **The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home** by Wil Haygood: Linking the civil rights movement to the Vietnam draft.

- **Mother Tongue** by Sara Nović: A memoir exploring Deaf culture and motherhood.

- **Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood** by Joseph Osmundson: A blend of memoir and scientific exploration of parenting.

- **The Evolution of Fire: Essays on Crisis and Becoming** by Angela Pelster: Personal essays on navigating personal and societal challenges.

- **A Dead White: An Argument Against White Paint** by Wendy S. Walters: A critical examination of cultural psychology surrounding color in art.

For Young People's Literature, the longlist includes:

- **The Free Verse Society** by Delali Adjoa: A narrative of connection among teens in a poetry club.

- **Holloway** by Elana K. Arnold: A journey through time dealing with grief and trauma.

- **The Celestial Seas** by T. A. Chan: A survival story amid an interstellar quest.

- **When Tomorrow Burns** by Tae Keller: A friendship tested amidst environmental disaster.

- **That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic** by Keala Kendall: A Native Hawaiian girl's search for her twin.

- **The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America** by David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels: A youth-focused account of the AIDS crisis.

- **The Moon Without Stars** by Chanel Miller: A story of friendship and the pressures of popularity.

- **Clothes to Make You Smile: Patrick Kelly Designs His Dreams** by Eric Darnell Pritchard and Shannon Wright: A biography of fashion designer Patrick Kelly.

- **Shook** by Julian Randall: A young athlete's journey through recovery and self-discovery.

- **Life on the Moon** by Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr: A boy’s adventures in humanity's first moon colony.