Percival Everett's “James,” a reworking of Mark Twain's “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the enslaved Jim's perspective, is among the fiction finalists for the 11th annual Kirkus Prize.
Kirkus Reviews, a leading book review publication, announced finalists Wednesday in fiction, nonfiction and young reader's literature, with winners in each category receiving $50,000. Other nominees range from new novels by Richard Powers and Louise Erdrich, to nonfiction works on abortion rights, the Iraq War and the space shuttle Challenger tragedy, to a picture book by Jason Reynolds.
Besides “James,” fiction finalists include Erdrich's "The Mighty Red," Powers' “Playground,” Jennine Capó Crucet's “Say Hello to My Little Friend,” Paul Lynch's “Prophet Song" and Rufi Thorpe's “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.”
Steve Coll's “The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq” and Adam Higginbotham's “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism And Disaster on the Edge of Space” are nonfiction nominees, along with Tessa Hull's “Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir,” Olivia Laing's “The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise,” Shefali Luthra's “Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America” and Carvell Wallace's “Another Word for Love: A Memoir.”
Among the finalists for young reader's literature were two picture books: Joanna Ho's “We Who Produce Pearls,” illustrated by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya; and Reynolds' Langston Hughes tribute, “There Was a Party,” illustrated by brothers Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey. Nominees also include two middle grade books, Hiba Noor Khan's “Safiyyah’s War” and Sherri Winston's “Shark Teeth,” and two young adult releases, Kenneth M. Cadow's “Gather” and Safia Elhillo's “Bright Red Fruit.”
Winners will be announced Oct. 16 during a ceremony in Manhattan.