National Book Award Finalists

Listopia > National Book Award Finalists - 2012

The National Book Award is one of the nation's most prestigious literary prizes and has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. In 1950, William Carlos Williams was the first Winner in Poetry, the following year William Faulkner was honored in Fiction, and so on through the years.

Many previous Winners of a National Book Award are now firmly established in the canon of American literature, such as Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Jonathan Franzen, Denis Johnson, James McBride, Joyce Carol Oates, and Adrienne Rich.

These are all the books on 2012's finalist lists for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people's literature. Please do not add other books to the list. Feel free to vote for your favorites!

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1	The Boy Kings of Texas: A Memoir by Domingo Martinez (Goodreads Author) 3.65 avg rating — 3,544 ratings score: 2,089, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz 3.74 avg rating — 100,422 ratings score: 1,288, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Round House by Louise Erdrich 3.98 avg rating — 125,699 ratings score: 990, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Passage of Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #4) by Robert A. Caro 4.41 avg rating — 19,937 ratings score: 584, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain 3.79 avg rating — 31,127 ratings score: 494, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Endangered (Ape Quartet #1) by Eliot Schrefer (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 6,164 ratings score: 478, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers 3.74 avg rating — 26,882 ratings score: 395, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers 3.29 avg rating — 29,641 ratings score: 394, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo 3.98 avg rating — 117,852 ratings score: 394, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum 4.08 avg rating — 7,370 ratings score: 390, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick 4.17 avg rating — 12,475 ratings score: 380, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Heavenly Bodies (Crab Orchard Series in Poetry) by Cynthia Huntington 4.03 avg rating — 68 ratings score: 183, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Poems to God: Christian Poetry of the Sacred by Alan Altany Ph.D. it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 9 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Breaking the Bias of English: How English Disempowers Women and How to Fix It in Only Six Words! by Vivian Probst (Goodreads Author) 4.64 avg rating — 145 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid 3.63 avg rating — 2,570 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations by David Ferry 3.88 avg rating — 319 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Fast Animal by Tim Seibles 4.23 avg rating — 181 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Night of the Republic by Alan Shapiro 3.37 avg rating — 226 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Meme by Susan Wheeler 3.01 avg rating — 100 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Goblin Secrets (Zombay, #1) by William Alexander 3.55 avg rating — 2,321 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos (Goodreads Author) 3.56 avg rating — 2,375 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin 4.14 avg rating — 21,288 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars