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Award-Winning Books of 2022
From Nobel to Hugo, these books won the year’s most prestigious literary awards.
Published on June 16, 2023
Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America
Nicole Eustace2022 Pulitzer Prize History Winner: Indigenous peoples weren’t savages, and white settlers were far from morally pristine in colonial America. “Covered with Night” shatters the prevailing narrative by revealing the hidden history of one Indigenous man’s murder at the hands of white colonists, and the subsequent ideological clashes that almost led to war. Eustace’s work provides critical context to discussions about reparations and what constitutes justice today.
Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize): An American History
Alma Cuervo2022 Pulitzer Prize History Winner: Ferrer, a Cuban-American professor, sharply intertwines five centuries worth of history between the island nation and its towering neighbor. This thorough history sets the record straight about the fraught relationship between Cuba and the United States, and shows how the fates and fortunes of the two countries are inextricably linked.
South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Imani PerryNonfiction National Book Awards Winner: Perry was born in Alabama, and while she’s spent much of her time in the North (she’s a professor of African American studies at Princeton and attended Harvard and Yale), her roots are in the Deep South, which she argues is the heart of the nation. “South to America” is a combination of an astute personal travelog and a scholarly sociological study of the South’s complicated relationship with race and more.
Happening
Annie ErnauxFrom the Nobel Prize in Literature Winner: In the early ’60s, French author Ernaux was young, pregnant, and afraid. Abortion was illegal in France at the time, forcing Ernaux to go to dangerous lengths to terminate the pregnancy. Ernaux’s emotional and deeply personal memoir remains timely, given the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the U.S.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Becky ChambersHugo Award for Best Novella Winner: After self-aware robots separated from humankind centuries ago, a tea monk finds themself struggling with feelings of dissatisfaction and restlessness. They connect with a friendly robot and embark on a journey together, all while making sense of one another’s existence and pondering their purpose in life.
Bots of the Lost Ark by Suzanne Palmer (audio): This episode features "Bots of the Lost Ark" written by Suzanne Palmer. Published in the June 2021 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. - The text version of this story can be found at: http://clarkesworldmagazine.
Bots of the Lost Ark by Suzanne Palmer (audio): This episode features "Bots of the Lost Ark" written by Suzanne Palmer. Published in the June 2021 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. - The text version of this story can be found at: http://clarkesworldmagazine.
Clarkesworld MagazineHugo Award for Best Novelette Winner: Palmer’s imaginative story follows Bot 9, a helpful robot on board a spacecraft in stasis. As the ship comes in contact with an unknown, possibly dangerous alien race, Bot 9 must awaken a human crewmember (all of whom are in cryosleep) to take command of the ship. But the mission is complicated by other rebellious robots on board. “Bots of the Lost Ark” is hilariously absurd while boasting a fully developed sci-fi universe, an impressive feat for a story of this length.
Chip War: The Quest to Dominate the World's Most Critical Technology
Chris MillerFinancial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award Winner: The rise of technology and the IoT (Internet of Things) means more devices than ever are controlled by microchips. It’s no longer just computers and smartphones, but also cars, home appliances, solar panels, and more. In short, the world runs on chips. For years, America led in microchip innovation and advancement, but China is gaining ground. Miller explores the policies, both governmental and corporate, that led to the U.S. losing its lead, as well as the economic and political fallout we can expect if nothing changes.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Stephen Graham JonesLocus, Bram Stoker, and Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel Winner: Jones is a national treasure, as proven by his three award-winning horror novels in this list alone. A young Native American woman who relishes gory slasher movies must put her encyclopedic knowledge of the genre into action when something sinister starts stalking people in her gentrifying small town. Scary and thought-provoking in the best way.
The Last House on Needless Street
Catriona WardBritish Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel: Ward (“The Girl from Rawblood”) dizzies readers with an eerie story in which no one can be trusted and nothing is what it seems. Ted Bannerman lives in a dark, dilapidated house with his violently angry adopted daughter and a God-fearing cat. Then, a new neighbor arrives, convinced that Ted’s daughter is her kidnapped sister, and things become even more erratic.
Deer Season
Erin FlanaganEdgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel Winner: Peggy, a 16-year-old girl stuck in small-town Nebraska, goes missing and many residents are blaming Hal Bullard, a disabled farmhand. Flanagan’s debut includes all the standard setup for a missing persons mystery, but stands out for its rich character studies (the story is told from the points of view of Peggy’s younger brother and Alma, a transplant from Chicago).
Firekeeper's Daughter
Angeline BoulleyEdgar Award for Best Young Adult Winner: Boulley spent 10 years crafting this exquisite YA thriller, and all that writing and rewriting has paid off. Daunis Fontaine is a biracial, unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe who’s determined to put an end to a new drug trafficking ring that’s devastating her community. There’s equal parts brutality and beauty to be found in this twisty, unique novel.
The Last Cuentista
Donna Barba HigueraNewbery Medal Winner: In “The Last Cuentista,” Halley’s Comet hurtles toward Earth in 2061, and Petra Peña’s family is one of the few chosen to escape to a new planet. But when she awakens centuries later, no one else remembers Earth. Petra must become a cuentista — a storyteller, just like her grandmother — to keep the past alive. This blend of speculative fiction, lore, and Mexican culture takes its time, engrossing you in every page and revealing how storytelling brings us together.
The Parted Earth
Anjali EnjetiAudie Award Winner for Best Female Narrator Winner: In the wake of India’s Partition in 1947, teenage Deepa must flee New Delhi, leaving behind the boy she loves. Decades later, her estranged granddaughter is determined to learn more about Deepa’s life and her heritage. “The Parted Earth” is a story of reconciliation — with who you are and who you might have been — and the impact of loss across generations. The narrator Deepti Gupta was recognized for her outstanding work on this title.
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World
Benjamin Alire SáenzAudie Award Winner for Best Male Narrator Winner: Lin-Manuel Miranda of Broadway’s “Hamilton” fame returns to narrate another “Aristotle and Dante” story, to critical acclaim. Aristotle and Dante stole our hearts in the original entry of Sáenz’s series. Now, they’re determined to figure out their future and build a relationship together, despite the difficulties inherent in young love and the added adversity of being gay in the 1980s. This is the rare sequel that challenges genre conventions, matching — perhaps even surpassing — its multi-award-winning predecessor.
Long Division: A Novel
Kiese LaymonNAACP’s Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction Winner: Laymon (“Heavy”) tells the story of two protagonists, City Coldson and … City Coldson. Reeling from an incident of public humiliation, City opens a new novel and is astonished to discover that he’s the protagonist. This blend of comedy, fantasy, and the harsh realities of racism travels between timelines and realities.
Just as I Am: A Memoir
Cicely TysonNAACP Award for Debut Author Winner: Over the course of her 96 years, entertainer, activist, and humanitarian Tyson co-created the Dance Theater of Harlem, launched an award-winning and iconic career on stage and screen, married jazz legend Miles Davis, and won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. These are just a few of the stories of her incredible life that she shares in this inspiring memoir, narrated by Viola Davis, Robin Miles, and Tyson herself.
Summer Fun
Jeanne ThorntonLambda Literary Award for Trans Fiction Winner: Thornton, a multi Lambda finalist, won the trans fiction award for her creative storytelling and rich characterization. “Summer Fun,” told entirely in letters, follows Gala, a trans woman living in New Mexico who writes to the lead singer of her favorite band, the Get Happies. Hippie vibes and ’60s rock ‘n roll make the novel atmospheric, with a touch of magic adding even more vibrance to this passionate tale of trans identity.
Borealis
Aisha Sabatini SloanLambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction Winner: Sloan’s essay is part of Coffee House Press’ “Spatial Species” series, which explores the connection between place and identity. In “Borealis,” Sloan reflects on being a Black, queer woman living in a small, conservative town in Alaska during the Trump administration.
Punch Me Up To The Gods: A Memoir
Brian BroomeLambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir/Biography Winner: “Punch Me Up to the Gods” is a moving personal history of growing up Black and gay in rural Ohio. Framing his life story around the Gwendolyn Brooks poem “We Real Cool,” Broome brilliantly calls out destructive stereotypes about masculinity. A heart-rending, intimate look at an outsider’s search for a space to be his authentic self.