National Book Award for Nonfiction 2025

The longlist includes the books that went on to the shortlist.

• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This Omar El Akkad

  

  One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

  Omar El Akkad

  Winner
• Motherland Julia Ioffe

  

  Motherland

  Julia Ioffe

  Finalist
• Things in Nature Merely Grow Yiyun Li

  

  Things in Nature Merely Grow

  Yiyun Li

  Finalist
• Wards of the State Claudia Rowe

  

  Wards of the State

  Claudia Rowe

  Finalist
• When It All Burns Jordan Thomas

  

  When It All Burns

  Jordan Thomas

  Finalist
• Black Moses Caleb Gayle

  

  Black Moses

  Caleb Gayle
• For the Sun After Long Nights Fatemeh Jamalpour

  

  For the Sun After Long Nights

  Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy
• Run the Song Ben Ratliff

  

  Run the Song

  Ben Ratliff
• The Autobiography of H. Lan Thao Lam Lana Lin

  

  The Autobiography of H. Lan Thao Lam

  Lana Lin
• The Salt Stones Helen Whybrow

  

  The Salt Stones

  Helen Whybrow