The American Library Association (ALA) today announced six books shortlisted for the esteemed Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, awarded for the previous year’s best fiction and nonfiction books written for adult readers and published in the United States. The two medal winners will be announced at RUSA’s Book and Media Awards Ceremony, sponsored by NoveList, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle, Washington, on January 27, 2019.
2019 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction shortlist titles include:
Nonfiction
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America
By Beth Macy, published by Little, Brown
Macy’s years of reporting on the still-unfolding U.S. opioid crisis earned her remarkable access to people whose lives have been upended by these drugs. Hers is a timely, crucial, and many-faceted look at how we got here, giving voice to the far-reaching realities of the addicted and the people who care for them.
Heavy: An American Memoir
By Kiese Layton, published by Scribner
In his artfully crafted and boldly revealing memoir, writing professor Laymon recalls the traumas of his Mississippi youth; the depthless hunger that elevated his weight; his obsessive, corrective regime of diet and exercise; his gambling, teaching, activism, and trust in the power of writing.
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border
By Francisco Cantú, published by Riverhead
Readers accompany Cantú to parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, as he recounts his years working for the U.S. Border Patrol. Remaining objective without moralizing, he shares a heart-wrenching, discussion-provoking perspective on how a border can tear apart families, lives, and a sense of justice.
Fiction
The Great Believers
By Rebecca Makkai, published by Viking
Makkai’s ambitious novel explores the complexities of friendship, family, art, fear, and love in meticulously realized setting – WWI-era and present-day Paris, and 1980s Chicago – while insightfully and empathically illuminating the early days of the AIDS epidemic.
There There
By Tommy Orange, published by Knopf
Orange’s symphonic tale spans miles and decades to encompass an intricate web of characters, all anticipating the upcoming Big Oakland Powwow. Orange lights a thrilling path through their stories, and leaves readers with a fascinating exploration of what it means to be an Urban Indian.
Washington Black
By Esi Edugyan, published by Knopf
This evocative novel, equally rich in character and adventure, tells the wonderfully strange story of young George Washington Black who goes from Caribbean slavery to Arctic exploration, via hot-air balloon, to search for his mentor in London.
