Book List

The 2018 Kirkus Prize Finalists

FICTION

TELL THE MACHINE GOODNIGHT

by Katie Williams

With its clever, compelling vision of the future, deeply human characters, and delightfully unpredictable story, this novel... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

HEADS OF THE COLORED PEOPLE

by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

In an era when writers of color are broadening the space in which class and culture as well as race are examined,... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

MOURNING

by Eduardo Halfon ; translated by Lisa Dillman & Daniel Hahn

In this follow-up to The Polish Boxer (2012) and Monastery (2014), Halfon constructs a kind of postmodern memorial to his... Full review >

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FICTION

FLORIDA

by Lauren Groff

A literary tour de force of precariousness set in a blistering place, a state shaped like a gun. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

HALSEY STREET

by Naima Coster

Absorbing and alive, the kind of novel that swallows you whole. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES

CALL THEM BY THEIR TRUE NAMES

by Rebecca Solnit

Solnit is careful with her words (she always is) but never so much that she mutes the infuriated spirit that drives these... Full review >

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CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES

THE ROAD TO UNFREEDOM

by Timothy Snyder

A highly distressing, urgent alarm to awaken Americans to the peril of authoritarianism. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

HEARTLAND

by Sarah Smarsh

A potent social and economic message embedded within an affecting memoir. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES

DOPESICK

by Beth Macy

An urgent, eye-opening look at a problem that promises to grow much worse in the face of inaction and indifference. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

HEAVY

by Kiese Laymon

A dynamic memoir that is unsettling in all the best ways. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES

AMERICAN PRISON

by Shane Bauer

A potent, necessary broadside against incarceration in the U.S., which “imprisons a higher portion of its population than... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

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  • kirkus star
  • The Kirkus Star

    One of the most coveted designations in the book industry, the Kirkus Star marks books of exceptional merit.

  • kirkus prize
  • The Kirkus Prize

    The Kirkus Prize is among the richest literary awards in America, awarding $50,000 in three categories annually.

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