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Judges for the Kirkus Prize have whittled a vast list of eligible entrants down to just six finalists each in three categories: fiction, nonfiction and young readers' literature. The shortlists for the literary award, now in its second year, boast a healthy mix — between Americans and writers in translation, second-timers and old hands, headline-grabbers and small presses.

And that's not to mention the picture books.

 Ta-Nehisi Coates — who is having himself 

. They are joined by nonfiction finalists 

, by Andrea Wulf, and Simon Winchester's 

, which boasts a subtitle so long, it deserves a paragraph of its own:


Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers

.

In fiction, a pair of nominees for the 

 — have made the Kirkus shortlist, along with Susan Barker's 

, translated by Christina MacSweeney. Also on the list is Jim Shepard's 

 "horrifying, brutal and angry" — yet still imbued with pitch-black humor.
Rounding out the fiction finalists is Lucia Berlin's 

 a showcase for a "hard-earned, one-of-a-kind voice and vision."


The finalists for young readers' literature — split evenly between picture books, and books aimed at middle grades and teens — can be found in full below.


To be considered, books first had to receive a starred review from 

, then underwent consideration by panels of three judges each. The winners of the $50,000 prize will be announced Oct. 15.


Jonah Winter (writer), Shane W. Evans (illustrator), 

A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras

Whirlwind: The American Revolution and the War that Won It

 The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916-1931

Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Colin Dwyer

Author

The literary award, launched last year by Kirkus Reviews, lists Ta-Nehisi Coates, Helen Macdonald and Hanya Yanigihara among 18 finalists across three categories. The prize carries a purse of $50,000.

In sophomore year, Kirkus Prize features an eclectic mix of finalists

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