The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlist is so good this year
This year's inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction marks a significant milestone. As readers, we often find ourselves wandering through the shelves, grappling with narratives penned by male authors dominating the genre. But let's pause and consider: where are the female voices in this landscape? There is a pernicious, misogynist rhetoric that women only read frivolous, lighter books – and honestly? We are over it.
Forget what you know about non-fiction – it's getting a serious upgrade. Non-fiction written by women has always been on the margins, their presence historically underrepresented and woefully underpaid (echoing the broader gender disparities seen in literature and beyond). But the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction is here to illuminate the narratives and insights of female non-fiction writers. At last.
This first-of-its-kind shortlist unveils a tapestry of stories, each woven with the richness of female experience, intellect, and perspective. This is an important step in overcoming the systemic hurdles faced by women in the literary world, from the persisting gender pay gap to the lack of recognition and press time given.
The long list was a brilliant curation of this genre, with the sixteen titles exploring evolution, economics, history, race, tech, and culture through a female lens. Don’t miss out on the remaining ten long-listed books, though – each of them would have deserved a shortlisted spot.
Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Longlist Titles:
- The Britannias by Alice Albinia, £17.01
- Vulture Capitalism by Grace Blakeley, £14.84
- Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon, £19.72
- Intervals by Marianne Brooker, £19.24
- Shadows at Noon by Joya Chatterji, £22.60
- Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista, £15.18
- Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder, £9.47
- Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood by Lucy Jones,
- The Dictionary People by Sarah Ogilvie, £17.95
- Young Queens by Leah Redmond Chang, £11.17
The judges have somehow narrowed it down to a final six, which we have reviewed for you below. The winner is being announced on 13 June, so there's plenty of time to dive into these and choose which one you think deserves the top spot.
After something else? Discover the best new books of the month, including the best autobiographies, the best romance novels and the best self-help books.
Scroll to shop the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlist.
What could be a more contemporary and life changing topic than artificial intelligence? A field that is shrouded in secrecy but is reported on constantly, Madhumita Murgia elevates the voices of people far removed from Silicon Valley, who are deeply affected by the powerful, exploitative technology we interact with every day. With a mix of storytelling finesse and deep analytical dives, she uncovers the tangled web of influences shaping our tech-driven lives. From the moral dilemmas to the secretive power plays of tech giants, Code Dependent examines the intricate threads of our digital existence, sparking eye-opening discussions and challenging us to navigate the ever-evolving maze of technology with newfound clarity.
Naomi Klein takes readers on a wild ride with her latest book, holding up a mirror to the murky online world of conspiracy theorists and extremists hidden in all aspects of our lives – think the wellness influencers we all love to hate. Klein has a surreal encounter with her own doppelganger, a woman with the same name and wholly different views on life. So begins a deep dive into branding, deep fakes and how politics is infecting everything. At times you won’t believe this is nonfiction, with anecdotes on their eerie similarities and unsettling differences. Klein's knack for storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat, questioning everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world around you.
All That She Carried is that once in a generation book. It’s a reminder of how important writing can be, preserving and elevating the voices of those that deserve all of our attention. Garnering widespread international acclaim, Harvard historian Miles turns detailed research into a captivating narrative of Rose, an enslaved woman who faced an unthinkable crisis, the sale of her daughter. She packed a cotton bag before they were heartbreakingly parted. Somehow, this item survived and stands testament to the horrors endured and the astounding perseverance of one family who represent so many. An extraordinary and unforgettable book that deserves all the praise.
Thunderclap by Laura Cumming is a mesmerising blend of art, history, thriller, and family memoir, already celebrated with the non-fiction Writers' Prize. The prose is reflective of the art – luxurious, carefully considered, and evocative. Cumming invites high drama, unravelling the enigmatic story of a 1654 gunpowder explosion in the Dutch city of Delft, which killed Carel Fabretius, a young painter. Intertwining personal narrative around her own father’s untimely death with meticulous research, this is a poetic ode to the power and mystery of art. At times incredibly moving and haunting, this has the fast pace of a novel and the heart of vulnerable memoir.
Reviews sometimes say that a book will take you on a journey, but A Flat Place truly does, over Britain’s flattest places. Reading this is like going for a long walk with a dear friend who is at last ready to talk about her torrid childhood and the complex PTSD sustained from an abusive father. That’s not the focus though, this is truly a love letter to nature, to the redemptive power of nature, a place to overcome trauma. Noreen is a Scottish-Pakistani woman grappling with the culture and legacy of her family, and she blends her love of the land with folklore, history, and post-colonialism. This is a truly unique read that is being included in numerous award longlists and shortlists.
There are memoirs, and then there are memoirs that read like fiction and have you gripped to the page – and How To Say Babylon is most certainly in the latter category. A young girl's struggle to find her voice, set against a backdrop of a persecuted minority, with lyrical prose and striking imagery, Sinclair invites readers into her world intimately. She weaves together the threads of her Jamaican Rastafarian upbringing and her journey to navigate the complexities of identity and belonging. From the lush landscapes of the Caribbean, Sinclair's narrative resonates with authenticity and emotional depth. Delving into memory, heritage, and self-discovery, exploring language, culture, and the ties that bind us to our past, reading this was a powerful experience.
