Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Chain-Gang All-Stars - fiction about the horrors of incarceration

Aaliyah Bilal, Tempel Folk - Black Muslims grappling with faith, family, and freedom in America.

Paul Harding, This Other Eden - an enduring testament to the struggle to preserve human dignity in the face of intolerance

Hanna Pylvainen, The End of Drum-Time - a richly atmospheric saga that charts the repercussions of a scandalous nineteenth-century love affair

Justin Torres, Blackouts - A book about storytelling—its legacies, dangers, delights, and potential for change—and a bold exploration of form, art, and love