Colson Whiteheadâs latest novel, 'Harlem Shuffle,' among 2021 Kirkus Prize nominees
NEW YORK (AP) â The latest novels from Colson Whitehead and Joy Williams, and HonoreÌe Fanonne Jeffersâ debut work, âThe Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois,â are among this yearâs finalists for the Kirkus Prize, $50,000 awards presented by the trade publication.
Whiteheadâs crime story âHarlem Shuffle,â his first novel since the Pulitzer Prize-winning âThe Nickel Boys,â is a fiction nominee, along with Williamsâ âHarrow,â âThe Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois,â an 800-page historical epic that Oprah Winfrey chose for her book club; Jocelyn Nicole Johnsonâs âMy Monticelloâ; Mariana Enriquezâ âThe Dangers of Smoking In Bed,â translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell; and Pajtim Statovciâs âBolla,â translated from the Finnish by David Hackston.
Review:Colson Whitehead recreates 1960s Harlem in hard-boiled crime novel 'Harlem Shuffle'
The nonfiction finalists are Brian Broomeâs memoir âPunch Me Up to the Gods,â Dara Hornâs âPeople Love Dead Jews,â Tiya Milesâ âAll That She Carried,â Kristen Radtkeâs âSeek You,â Katherine E. Standeferâs âLightning Flowers,â and Juan Villoroâs âHorizontal Vertigo,â translated from the Spanish by Alfred MacAdam.
For young readerâs literature, the nominees are NoNieqa Ramosâ âYour Mama,â Carole Boston Weatherfordâs âUnspeakable,â Nikki Grimesâ âLegacy,â Christina Soontornvatâs âAll Thirteen,â Wai Chimâs âThe Surprising Power of a Good Dumplingâ and Sharon G. Flakeâs âThe Life Iâm In.â
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Weatherfordâs book, which tells of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, was illustrated by Floyd Cooper, who died in July.
Winners will be announced Oct. 28.
Oprah's next book club pick: 'The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois' by HonoreÌe Fanonne Jeffers