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The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an organization of over 700 book review editors and critics nationwide. The NBCC has been operating since 1974, hoping to advance a national conversation around critically discussing and sharing literature. What the NBCC is most well-known for are its annual awards, the National Book Critics Circle Awards.
Last year, the NBCC shared their longlists for each category for the first time in their 50 years of presenting the awards. They’re continuing the tradition this year. Throughout this week, we’ll be treated to an array of finalists in the six categories of criticism, fiction, autobiography, biography, poetry, and nonfiction. There are two additional categories awarded annually as well, as voted on by members: the John Leonard Prize for the best debut book in any genre and the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize, for the best book of any genre translated into English and published in the United States.
Today, the NBCC announced their Longlist for Nonfiction. What you’ll find here is a mix of titles that have bubbled up among various “best of 2025” lists, as well as some fresh voices. The NBCC separates out three categories of nonfiction, one that’s broad, as well as one for biography and one for autobiography. This gives nonfiction titles a lot of opportunity to be honored.
Here’s the National Book Critics Circle Longlist in Nonfiction:
- America, America: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin
- Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, A True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins by Barbara Demick
- Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s AI by Karen Hao
- The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story by Brandy Schillace
- King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution, A Story of Hubris, Delusion, and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson
- Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays & Writings by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
- No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardine Harris
- A Return to Self: Excursions in Exile by Aatish Taseer
- Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and The Making of Modern Queerness by Michael Koresky
- Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and The Epic Story of the Chinese in America by Michael Luo
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The National Book Critics Circle will share their winners in an awards ceremony on March 26, 2026. You can learn more about the NBCC and about how to get involved here, as well as keep an eye on the lists as they release the rest of the week. The NBCC announced their Fiction Longlist and their Criticism Longlist on Monday, alongside Tuesday’s announcements of their Autobiography Longlist and Biography Longlist. The Poetry Longlist was announced on Wednesday.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
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