KIRKUS ANNOUNCES 2024 PRIZE WINNERS

New York, NY (October 16, 2024) – At a special ceremony tonight at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York, Kirkus Reviews, the nation’s leading pre publication journal of book reviews, announced the three winners of the 11th annual Kirkus Prize in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Young Readers’ Literature. This year’s winners were chosen from the 9,957 titles—published between November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2024 (for fiction and nonfiction), and October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 (for young readers’ literature)—that were reviewed by Kirkus. Of those, 1,444 titles received a Kirkus starred review and were evaluated by the prize jurors. One of the most coveted designations in the book industry, the Kirkus star marks books of exceptional merit. Each winner receives a one-of-a-kind trophy created by the London design team of Vezzini & Chen, and a cash prize of $50,000, making the Kirkus Prize one of the richest annual literary awards in the world.

Kirkus Editor-in-chief Tom Beer says, “This year’s prize-winning books—each written with elegance and lucidity—illuminate tragedies both personal and historical, helping us to better understand our world and the spirit of human resilience.”

The winners of the 2024 Kirkus Prize are:

FICTION:

 Winner: JAMES by Percival Everett (Doubleday)

“Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as told from the perspective of a more resourceful and contemplative Jim than the one you remember.…One of the noblest characters in American literature gets a novel worthy of him.”—Kirkus Reviews

Citation:  In Percival Everett’s audacious reimagining of Huckleberry Finn, Jim—the enslaved man who travels the Mississippi River with Huck—is revealed as James, who can write, argue with Voltaire, and speak in elevated English. This enthralling novel can be read on its own, but Everett has made it a necessary companion to Twain’s masterpiece.

The jurors for the 2024 Kirkus Prize in Fiction are:

Christine Bollow, the co-owner and director of programs for Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Maryland; Jeffrey Burke, a Kirkus reviewer and former editor at Harper’s magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and Bloomberg News;and Kirkus fiction editor Laurie Muchnick.

2024 Fiction Finalists:

Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet (Simon & Schuster); The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich (Harper/HarperCollins); Playground by Richard Powers (W.W. Norton); Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (Morrow/HarperCollins); Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (Grove)

 

NONFICTION:

Winner: Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham (Avid Reader Press)

“A searching history of a disaster-laden effort to build and launch a space shuttle.…A deeply researched, fluently written study in miscommunication, hubris, and technological overreach.”—Kirkus Reviews

Citation: Meticulously reported, beautifully written, and devastating in its account of an entirely preventable tragedy, Adam Higginbotham’s book reveals the facts of a news story many Americans recall but few understand: the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986, killing all seven crew members on board. The author lucidly details the technical issues that led to the disaster but, more crucially, he shines a light on the human failings—as well as the bravery—that were on display in this epochal event.

The jurors for the 2024 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction are:

Hannah Bae, journalist, author, and illustrator whose work has appeared in the Asian American Writers’ Workshop’s the Margins, Catapult, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the anthologies Our Red Book and (Don’t) Call Me Crazy; Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Mary Ann Gwinn, whose reviews have appeared in publications including Kirkus Reviews, the Los Angeles Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the Seattle Times; and Kirkus editor-in-chief Tom Beer.

2024 Nonfiction Finalists:

The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq by Steve Coll (Penguin Press); Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls(MCD/FSG); The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Laing (W.W. Norton);Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra (Doubleday);Another Word for Love: A Memoir by Carvell Wallace(MCD/FSG)

YOUNG READERS’ LITERATURE:

Winner: Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow (Candlewick)

“Family matters; friends, both two- and four-legged, help too…A heartfelt novel about the challenges of youth and the value of community.”—Kirkus Reviews

Citation: Humor, grace, and tenderness bring to life this beautifully realized story. Ian, a white teen growing up in rural poverty and struggling with his mother’s opioid addiction, finds support and community in the friends, neighbors, and random caregivers he gathers—all symbolized by the stray dog who gives the novel its title.

The jurors for the 2024 Kirkus Prize in Young Readers’ Literature are:

Christopher A. Biss-Brown, curator of the Children’s Literature Research Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia and Kirkus reviewer; Michelle H. Martin, the Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor in Children and Youth Services in the Information School at the University of Washington; and Kirkus young readers’ editors Mahnaz Dar and Laura Simeon.

2024 Young Readers’ Literature Finalists:

We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya (Scholastic/Orchard); There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey (Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum); Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan (Allida/HarperCollins); Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston (Bloomsbury);Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo (Make Me a World/Random House)

 

About Kirkus Reviews

For over 90 years, Kirkus has been the most trusted voice in book discovery. Kirkus Reviews covers more than 7,000 books published by traditional houses and more than 3,000 independently published books every year. The magazine is published on the 1st and 15th of every month, and because of the scope of its coverage, its authoritative voice, and the timeliness of its reviews, Kirkus Reviews is revered by many as the first indicator of a book’s potential. For subscription information, please visit: Kirkus Reviews/subscription.

Herb Simon and Marc Winkelman are Co-Chairmen of Kirkus Media, and Meg LaBorde Kuehn is the Chief Executive Officer and Publisher of Kirkus Reviews. The Chief Marketing Officer is Sarah Kalina. The Editor-in-Chief of Kirkus Reviews is Tom Beer. The President of Indie is Chaya Schechner. Laurie Muchnick is the Fiction Editor, John McMurtrie is the Nonfiction Editor, and Laura Simeon and Mahnaz Dar are the Young Readers’ Editors.

Kirkus Prize Publicity Contact: Kimberly Burns / kb@broadsidepr.com / 917.405.8708

For more information about the 2024 Kirkus Prize, including dates of eligibility, rules, and selection process, as well as complete bios of the 2024 Kirkus Prize finalists and jurors, please visit Kirkus Reviews/prize.