The 2025 National Book Award Longlists Announced

Published: September 12, 2025 · The Digital Desk at America Publishers

The literary world is abuzz this week as the National Book Foundation begins unveiling the longlists for the 2025 National Book Awards. Spanning five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature, the awards celebrate the most outstanding works published in the past year. From over 1,800 total submissions, judges will narrow each list down to five finalists by October 1, with winners revealed at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner in New York City on November 19, 2025.

This year’s selections reflect a remarkable diversity of voices and stories, from sweeping family sagas and bold political examinations to groundbreaking works in translation and powerful explorations for younger readers. At the forefront is the Fiction Longlist, which brings together 10 books that wrestle with memory, environmental upheaval, and the complexities of human connection.

Fiction Longlist: Exploring Memory, History, and Human Bonds

The 2025 National Book Award for Fiction Longlist features an impressive mix of voices: two debut novels, one story collection, and eight returning authors previously recognized by the Foundation. These writers bring a wealth of experience, with accolades ranging from the Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowships to recognition from the Library of Congress and international literary awards.

Themes of family, loss, and generational ties loom large this year. In Flashlight, Susan Choi examines the lifelong reverberations of a father’s mysterious disappearance, weaving together geopolitics and intimate family secrets. Kevin Moffett’s debut novel, Only Son, retraces a father’s footsteps through a travel journal, as his son embarks on a transformative road trip with the next generation.

Relationships between mothers and sons also take center stage. In The True Story of Raja, the Gullible (and His Mother), Rabih Alameddine portrays six decades of Lebanese history and the intimate struggles of a gay philosophy teacher living with his probing mother. Bryan Washington’s Palaver shifts to Tokyo, where an estranged son reunites with his mother, sparking conversations that bridge continents, generations, and wounds long left unspoken.

The environment and folklore serve as backdrops for several longlisted works. The Pelican Child by Joy Williams offers a collection of eerie, fable-like stories that confront humanity’s destructive impulses. Megha Majumdar’s a Guardian and a Thief imagines a near-future Kolkata where climate visas and food scarcity push families to the brink. Meanwhile, Karen Russell’s The Antidote Blends Dust Bowl–era history with supernatural folklore, asking whether buried truths can ever truly stay hidden.

Historical and maritime fiction also make their mark. In North Sun: Or, the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther, Ethan Rutherford takes readers to the perilous world of 19th-century whaling, where environmental destruction collides with human greed. The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri traces the lives of the Mikkola siblings across half a century, exploring migration, family bonds, and curses that echo across generations.

Finally, Angela Flournoy’s The Wilderness delivers a portrait of friendship over two decades, following five Black women as they navigate careers, love, and motherhood while holding on to community amid gentrification and loss.

Together, these ten works highlight the breadth of contemporary fiction, offering intimate stories rooted in personal relationships while engaging with broader questions of history, environment, and identity.

2025 Fiction Longlist:

• The True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine (Grove)
• Flashlight by Susan Choi (FSG)
• The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (Mariner)
• The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri (FSG)
• A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (Knopf)
• Only Son by Kevin Moffett (McSweeney’s)
• The Antidote by Karen Russell (Knopf)
• North Sun: Or, the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther by Ethan Rutherford (A Strange Object)
• Palaver by Bryan Washington (FSG)
• The Pelican Child by Joy Williams (Knopf)

Nonfiction Longlist: History, Identity, and Urgent Realities

The 2025 Nonfiction Longlist spans global uprisings, personal histories, and urgent social issues, reflecting the wide reach of contemporary nonfiction. From Russia to Iran, fire lines to foster care, these ten works interrogate the systems and events shaping human lives today.

Highlights include Caleb Gayle’s Black Moses, a sweeping saga of ambition and political struggle; Julia Ioffe’s Motherland, tracing modern Russia from revolution to autocracy; and For the Sun After Long Nights by Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy, a frontline account of Iran’s women-led uprising. Meanwhile, Claudia Rowe’s Wards of the State exposes the long shadow of American foster care, and Jordan Thomas’s When It All Burns examines fire in an era of climate transformation.

Personal narratives and reflections appear in works like Yiyun Li’s Things in Nature Merely Grow and Helen Whybrow’s the Salt Stones, offering intimate meditations on resilience and belonging.

A total of 652 books were submitted for the Nonfiction category. Judges include Tiya Miles (Chair), Raj Patel, Heather Kathleen Moody Hall, Cristina Rivera Garza, and Eli Saslow.

2025 Nonfiction Longlist:

• Omar El Akkad, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (Knopf)
• Caleb Gayle, Black Moses (Riverhead)
• Julia Ioffe, Motherland (Ecco)
• Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy, For the Sun After Long Nights (Pantheon)
• Yiyun Li, Things in Nature Merely Grow (FSG)
• Lana Lin, The Autobiography of H. Lan Thao Lam (Dorothy)
• Ben Ratliff, Run the Song (Graywolf)
• Claudia Rowe, Wards of the State (Abrams)
• Jordan Thomas, When It All Burns (Riverhead)
• Helen Whybrow, The Salt Stones (Milkweed)

Poetry Longlist: Voices of Resistance and Renewal

The 2025 Poetry Longlist gathers ten collections that confront history, mortality, and imagination with striking language and vision. These poets, many celebrated with national fellowships and major awards, offer works that span personal loss, cultural reckoning, and bold experimentation.

Highlights include Gbenga Adesina’s Death Does Not End at the Sea, a meditation on grief and migration; Natalie Shapero’s Stay Dead, a sharp and darkly witty collection; and Patricia Smith’s The Intentions of Thunder, a career-spanning selection from one of America’s most acclaimed poets. Meanwhile, Richard Siken’s I Do Know Some Things marks a return from the beloved author of Crush, and Rickey Laurentiis’s Death of the First Idea confronts race, myth, and memory with luminous urgency.

The list also includes new and experimental works such as Fargo Nissim Tbakhi’s TERROR COUNTER and Esther Lin’s Cold Thief Place, showing the range of innovation shaping today’s poetry.

A total of 285 books were submitted this year. Judges are Terrance Hayes (Chair), Kate Daniels, H. Melt, Anis Mojgani, and Caridad Moro-Gronlier.

Translated Literature Longlist: Stories Across Borders

The 2025 Longlist for Translated Literature reflects the global sweep of storytelling, with works originally written in Danish, Spanish, Dutch, Korean, Arabic, Japanese, Uzbek, Italian, and French. From intimate novels to experimental forms, these books cross cultural and linguistic boundaries to illuminate shared human struggles.

Highlights include We Do Not Part by Han Kang (translated from the Korean), a delicate exploration of memory and reconciliation; Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume (Book III) (translated from the Danish), continuing a bold series on time and existence; and We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (translated from the Spanish), a vivid novel of transformation.

Other notable works include Anjet Daanje’s the Remembered Soldier (Dutch), Hamid Ismailov’s We Computers (Uzbek), and Neige Sinno’s Sad Tiger (French), each offering windows into different histories and literary traditions.

A total of 139 books were submitted. Judges are Stesha Brandon (Chair), Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón, Bill Johnston, Annette K. Joseph-Gabriel, and Karen Tei Yamashita.

Young People’s Literature Longlist: Identity, History, and Imagination

The 2025 Young People’s Literature Longlist celebrates storytelling that empowers young readers to explore identity, resilience, and history. From lyrical verse to historical fiction, these ten books highlight the power of youth voices and the importance of representation.

Standouts include Derrick Barnes’s The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze, an inventive portrait of a young boy navigating humanity and growth; Amber McBride’s The Leaving Room, a novel of grief, imagination, and healing; and Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr, which explores self-discovery and honesty in a voice that speaks directly to today’s teens.

Historical stories feature prominently as well. Daniel Nayeri’s The Teacher of Nomad Land revisits World War II through a global lens, while A Sea of Lemon Trees by María Dolores Águila draws from Mexican-American history with poetic force. Themes of justice, family, and cultural survival emerge across the list, whether through the lyrical Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout or the bold speculative fiction of The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum.

A total of 325 books were submitted in this category. Judges are David Bowles (Chair), Cathy Berner, Candice Iloh, Jung Kim, and Maulik Pancholy.

2025 Young People’s Literature Longlist:

• María Dolores Águila, A Sea of Lemon Trees (Roaring Brook)
• K. Ancrum, The Corruption of Hollis Brown (HarperCollins)
• Derrick Barnes, The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze (Viking)
• Mahogany L. Browne, A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe (Crown)
• Kyle Lukoff, A World Worth Saving (Dial)
• Amber McBride, The Leaving Room (Feiwel & Friends)
• Daniel Nayeri, The Teacher of Nomad Land (Levine Querido)
• Hannah V. Sawyerr, Truth Is (Amulet)
• Maria van Lieshout, Song of a Blackbird (First Second)
• Ibi Zoboi, (S)Kin (Versify)

Judges, Submissions, and the Road Ahead

This year’s longlists demonstrate the sheer scale and diversity of the National Book Awards. In total, publishers submitted 434 works of fiction, 652 nonfiction titles, 285 poetry collections, 139 translated works, and 325 books for young people. Each category was evaluated by a panel of five distinguished judges, drawn from writers, scholars, and critics across the literary world. Deliberations are conducted independently of the National Book Foundation staff and Board of Directors, with discussions held in strict confidence.

The Fiction panel is chaired by Rumaan Alam, joined by Debra Magpie Earling, Attica Locke, Elizabeth McCracken, and Cody Morrison. Nonfiction judges include Tiya Miles (Chair), Raj Patel, Heather Kathleen Moody Hall, Cristina Rivera Garza, and Eli Saslow. Poetry is guided by Terrance Hayes (Chair), Kate Daniels, H. Melt, Anis Mojgani, and Caridad Moro-Gronlier. For Translated Literature, the jury is Stesha Brandon (Chair), Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón, Bill Johnston, Annette K. Joseph-Gabriel, and Karen Tei Yamashita. Finally, the Young People’s Literature panel features David Bowles (Chair), Cathy Berner, Candice Iloh, Jung Kim, and Maulik Pancholy.

Why the National Book Awards Matter

Since its founding in 1950, the National Book Awards have stood as one of the United States’ most prestigious literary honors, elevating voices that shape national and global conversations. This year’s longlists reflect not only excellence in craft but also the urgency of the times: novels grappling with climate change and migration, nonfiction charting women-led uprisings and systemic injustice, poetry confronting loss and memory, translations amplifying global voices, and young people’s literature inspiring resilience and hope.

Many of this year’s longlisted authors are no strangers to recognition. From Susan Choi’s 2019 win for Trust Exercise to Joy Williams’s early acclaim in 1974, their presence underscores the continuity of literary excellence across generations. Others, like debut novelists Kevin Moffett and Megha Majumdar, signal the emergence of new voices who will continue shaping the literary landscape. Together, they embody the awards’ mission: to celebrate the power of books to transform, question, and connect us.

Ceremony and Finalists

The Finalists in all categories will be revealed on October 7, 2025, in partnership with The New York Times. Winners will be announced live at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on November 19, 2025, in New York City. The event will also be streamed online for a global audience.

Sources: National Book Foundation and Publishers Weekly. For more information, visit PublishersWeekly.com and National book.org