Guessing the NBA Nonfiction Longlist

9 books I might buy and one that I've already read

On Monday, I posted my predictions for the National Book Award for Fiction Longlist. Today, for the Nonfiction list.

In case you missed my last post, this is a little game I’m playing inspired by the

Book Riot Podcast

hosts, but with the scoring set to Easy mode for mortals like me who don’t make book content as a full-time job.

Instead I work to put the authors in front of their local fans to bring their books to life. Over the last two years, the Tucson Festival of Books has hosted at least 10 who were named to the NBA lists. Pretty special!

Anatomy of the List

As far as I can tell, intentional or not, there’s a structure to the NBA Nonfiction longlist that goes something like this:

1. Half the list (5) split between History, with flavors of regional/ethnic American studies, and Sociological analysis which often includes at least one book about sweeping miscarriage of the justice system;

2. an essay collection;

3. two personal memoirs;

4. a book about either Natural Resources/Environment OR Art/Culture— don’t get too…