Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction explained

The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are awarded annually for the "Letters, Drama, and Music" category. The award is given to a nonfiction book written by an American author and published during the preceding calendar year that is ineligible for any other Pulitzer Prize. The Prize has been awarded since 1962; beginning in 1980, one to three finalists have been announced alongside the winner.[1]

Recipients

An additional one to three finalists have been announced alongside the winner beginning in 1980. Two authors have won multiple prizes: Barbara W. Tuchman in 1963 and 1972, and Edward O. Wilson in 1979 and 1991. Additionally, two authors have been finalists multiple times: Steven Pinker (1998, 2003) and John McPhee (1982, 1987, 1991); McPhee won the Prize in 1999. Three winning works were also finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for History: A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan (1989),[2] Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills (1993),[3] and by Greg Grandin (2020).[4]

Winners and finalists
YearAuthor(s)BookAward
1962data-sort-value="White, Theodore H."Theodore H. Whitedata-sort-value="Making of the President 1960, The"The Making of the President 1960
1963data-sort-value="Tuchman, Barbara W."Barbara W. Tuchmandata-sort-value="Guns of August, The"The Guns of August
1964data-sort-value="Hofstadter, Richard"Richard HofstadterAnti-intellectualism in American Life
1965data-sort-value="Jones, Howard Mumford"Howard Mumford JonesO Strange New World: American Culture: The Formative Years
1966data-sort-value="Teale, Edwin Way"Edwin Way TealeWandering Through Winter: A Naturalist's Record of a 20,000-Mile Journey Through the North American Winter
1967data-sort-value="Davis, David Brion"David Brion Davisdata-sort-value="Problem of Slavery in Western Culture, The"The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture
1968data-sort-value="Durant, Will and Durant, Ariel"Will Durant and Ariel Durantdata-sort-value="Story of Civilization: Rousseau and Revolution, The"The Story of Civilization: Rousseau and Revolution
1969data-sort-value="Dubos, René Jules"René Jules DubosSo Human an Animal: How We Are Shaped by Surroundings and Events
data-sort-value="Mailer, Norman"Norman Mailerdata-sort-value="Armies of the Night, The"The Armies of the Night: History as a Novel, The Novel as History
1970data-sort-value="Erikson, Erik H."Erik H. EriksonGandhi's Truth: On the Origins of Militant Nonviolence
1971data-sort-value="Toland, John"John Tolanddata-sort-value="Rising Sun, The"The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936–1945
1972data-sort-value="Tuchman, Barbara W."Barbara W. TuchmanStilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45
1973data-sort-value="Coles, Robert"Robert ColesChildren of Crisis, Volumes II and III
data-sort-value="FitzGerald, Frances"Frances FitzGeraldFire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam
1974data-sort-value="Becker, Ernest"Ernest Beckerdata-sort-value="Denial of Death, The"The Denial of Death
1975data-sort-value="Dillard, Annie"Annie DillardPilgrim at Tinker Creek
1976data-sort-value="Butler, Robert N."Robert N. ButlerWhy Survive? Being Old in America
1977data-sort-value="Warner, William W."William W. WarnerBeautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay
1978data-sort-value="Sagan, Carl"Carl Sagandata-sort-value="Dragons of Eden, The"The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
1979data-sort-value="Wilson, Edward O."Edward O. WilsonOn Human Nature
1980data-sort-value="Hofstadter, Douglas R."Douglas R. HofstadterGödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
data-sort-value="Gilbert, Sandra M. and Gubar, Susan"Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubardata-sort-value="Madwoman in the Attic, The"The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination
data-sort-value="Thomas, Lewis"Lewis Thomasdata-sort-value="Medusa and the Snail, The"The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher
1981data-sort-value="Schorske, Carl E."Carl E. SchorskeFin-de-Siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture
data-sort-value="Kingston, Maxine Hong"Maxine Hong KingstonChina Men
data-sort-value="Manchester, William"William ManchesterGoodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War
data-sort-value="Frady, Marshall"Marshall FradySoutherners: A Journalist's Odyssey
1982data-sort-value="Kidder, Tracy"Tracy Kidderdata-sort-value="Soul of a New Machine, The"The Soul of a New Machine
data-sort-value="McPhee, John"John McPheeBasin and Range
data-sort-value="Trilling, Diana"Diana TrillingMrs. Harris: The Death of the Scarsdale Diet Doctor
1983data-sort-value="Sheehan, Susan"Susan SheehanIs There No Place on Earth for Me?
data-sort-value="Johnson, Diane"Diane JohnsonTerrorists and Novelists
data-sort-value="Schell, Jonathan"Jonathan Schelldata-sort-value="Fate of the Earth, The"The Fate of the Earth
1984data-sort-value="Starr, Paul"Paul Starrdata-sort-value="Social Transformation of American Medicine, The"The Social Transformation of American Medicine
data-sort-value="Groom, Winston and Spencer, Duncan"Winston Groom and Duncan SpencerConversations with the Enemy
data-sort-value="Jacoby, Susan"Susan JacobyWild Justice
1985data-sort-value="Terkel, Studs"Studs Terkeldata-sort-value="Good War: An Oral History of World War Two, The"The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two
data-sort-value="Keene, Donald"Donald KeeneDawn to the West: Japanese Literature in the Modern Era
data-sort-value="Kwitny, Jonathan"Jonathan KwitnyEndless Enemies: The Making of an Unfriendly World
1986data-sort-value="Lukas, J. Anthony"J. Anthony LukasCommon Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families
data-sort-value="Lelyveld, Joseph"Joseph LelyveldMove Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White
data-sort-value="Bellah, Robert N."Robert N. BellahHabits and the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life
1987data-sort-value="Shipler, David K."David K. Shipler
data-sort-value="McFadden, Cyra"Cyra McFaddenRain or Shine: A Family Memoir
data-sort-value="McPhee, John"John McPheeRising from the Plains
1988data-sort-value="Rhodes, Richard"Richard Rhodesdata-sort-value="Making of the Atomic Bomb, The"The Making of the Atomic Bomb
data-sort-value="Gleick, James"James Gleick
data-sort-value="Callahan, Daniel"Daniel CallahanSetting Limits: Medical Goals in an Aging Society
1989data-sort-value="Sheehan, Neil"Neil Sheehandata-sort-value="Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, A"A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
data-sort-value="Ferris, Timothy"Timothy FerrisComing of Age in the Milky Way
data-sort-value="Bundy, McGeorge"McGeorge BundyDanger and Survival: Choices about the Bomb in the First Fifty Years
data-sort-value="Kohn, Howard"Howard Kohndata-sort-value="Last Farmer, The"The Last Farmer
1990data-sort-value="Maharidge, Dale and Williamson, Michael"Dale Maharidge and Michael WilliamsonAnd Their Children After Them
data-sort-value="Fromkin, David"David Fromkindata-sort-value="Peace to End All Peace: Creating the Modern Middle East, 1914-1922, A"A Peace to End All Peace: Creating the Modern Middle East, 1914-1922
data-sort-value="Gould, Stephen Jay"Stephen Jay GouldWonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
1991data-sort-value="Hölldobler, Bert and Wilson, Edward O."Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilsondata-sort-value="Ants, The"The Ants
data-sort-value="McPhee, John"John McPheeLooking for a Ship
data-sort-value="duBuys, William and Harris, Alex"William duBuys and Alex Harris River of Traps: A Village Life
1992data-sort-value="Yergin, Daniel"Daniel Yergindata-sort-value="Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power, The"
data-sort-value="Dubus, Andre"Andre DubusBroken Vessels
data-sort-value="Edsall, Thomas Byrne and Edsall, Mary D."Thomas Byrne Edsall and Mary D. EdsallChain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics
1993data-sort-value="Wills, Garry"Garry WillsLincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America
data-sort-value="Griffin, Susan"Susan Griffindata-sort-value="Chorus of Stones: The Private Life of War, A"A Chorus of Stones: The Private Life of War
data-sort-value="Rodriguez, Richard"Richard RodriguezDays of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father
data-sort-value="Matthews, Anne"Anne MatthewsWhere the Buffalo Roam: Restoring America's Great Plains
1994data-sort-value="Remnick, David"David Remnick
data-sort-value="Gay, Peter"Peter Gaydata-sort-value="Cultivation of Hatred: The Bourgeois Experience, Victoria to Freud, The"The Cultivation of Hatred: The Bourgeois Experience, Victoria to Freud
data-sort-value="Lukacs, John"John Lukacsdata-sort-value="End of the Twentieth Century: And the End of the Modern Age, The"The End of the Twentieth Century: And the End of the Modern Age
1995data-sort-value="Weiner, Jonathan"Jonathan Weinerdata-sort-value="Beak Of The Finch: A Story Of Evolution In Our Time, The"The Beak Of The Finch: A Story Of Evolution In Our Time
data-sort-value="Nuland, Sherwin B."Sherwin B. NulandHow We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter
data-sort-value="Berendt, John"John BerendtMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story
1996data-sort-value="Rosenberg, Tina"Tina Rosenbergdata-sort-value="Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism, The"The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism
data-sort-value="Dennett, Daniel C."Daniel C. DennettDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and The Meanings of Life
data-sort-value="Weschler, Lawrence"Lawrence WeschlerMr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology
1997data-sort-value="Kluger, Richard"Richard KlugerAshes to Ashes: America's Hundred-Year Cigarette War, the Public Health, and the Unabashed Triumph of Philip Morris
data-sort-value="Ozick, Cynthia"Cynthia OzickFame and Folly
data-sort-value="Freedman, Samuel G."Samuel G. Freedmandata-sort-value="Inheritance: How Three Families and America Moved from Roosevelt to Reagan and Beyond, The"The Inheritance: How Three Families and America Moved from Roosevelt to Reagan and Beyond
1998data-sort-value="Diamond, Jared"Jared DiamondGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
data-sort-value="Pinker, Steven"Steven PinkerHow the Mind Works
data-sort-value="Krakauer, Jon"Jon KrakauerInto Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
1999data-sort-value="McPhee, John"John McPheeAnnals of the Former World
data-sort-value="Currie, Elliott"Elliott CurrieCrime and Punishment in America
data-sort-value="Harris, Judith Rich"Judith Rich Harrisdata-sort-value="Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do"The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do
2000data-sort-value="Dower, John W."John W. DowerEmbracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II
data-sort-value="Weidensaul, Scott"Scott WeidensaulLiving on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds
data-sort-value="Greene, Brian"Brian Greenedata-sort-value="Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory, The"The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
2001data-sort-value="Bix, Herbert P."Herbert P. BixHirohito and the Making of Modern Japan
data-sort-value="Eggers, Dave"Dave Eggersdata-sort-value="Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, A"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
data-sort-value="Conover, Ted"Ted ConoverNewjack: Guarding Sing Sing
2002data-sort-value="McWhorter, Diane"Diane McWhorterCarry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, the Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution
data-sort-value="Solomon, Andrew"Andrew Solomondata-sort-value="Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, The"The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
data-sort-value="Halberstam, David"David HalberstamWar in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals
2003data-sort-value="Power, Samantha"Samantha Powerdata-sort-value="Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, A""A Problem From Hell": America and the Age of Genocide
data-sort-value="Meloy, Ellen"Ellen Meloydata-sort-value="Anthropology of Turquoise: Meditations on Landscape, Art, and Spirit, The"The Anthropology of Turquoise: Meditations on Landscape, Art, and Spirit
data-sort-value="Pinker, Steven"Steven Pinkerdata-sort-value="Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, The"The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature
2004data-sort-value="Applebaum, Anne"Anne Applebaum
data-sort-value="Nadler, Steven"Steven NadlerRembrandt's Jews
data-sort-value="Priest, Dana"Dana Priestdata-sort-value="Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America's Military, The"The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America's Military
2005data-sort-value="Coll, Steve"Steve CollGhost Wars
data-sort-value="Suketu, Mehta"Suketu MehtaMaximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
data-sort-value="Urrea, Luis Alberto"Luis Alberto Urreadata-sort-value="Devil's Highway: A True Story, The"The Devil's Highway: A True Story
2006data-sort-value="Elkins, Caroline"Caroline ElkinsImperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
data-sort-value="Judt, Tony"Tony Judt
data-sort-value="Packer, George"George Packerdata-sort-value="Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq, The"
2007data-sort-value="Wright, Lawrence"Lawrence Wrightdata-sort-value="Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, The"The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
data-sort-value="Earley, Pete"Pete EarleyCrazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness
data-sort-value="Ricks, Thomas E."Thomas E. Ricks
2008data-sort-value="Friedländer, Saul"Saul Friedländerdata-sort-value="Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939–1945, The"The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939–1945
data-sort-value="Brandt, Allan M."Allan Brandtdata-sort-value="Cigarette Century, The"The Cigarette Century
data-sort-value="Ross, Alex"Alex Rossdata-sort-value="Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century, The"The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
2009data-sort-value="Blackmon, Douglas A."Douglas A. BlackmonSlavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II
data-sort-value="Herman, Arthur"Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age
data-sort-value="Hitchcock, William I."William I. Hitchcockdata-sort-value="Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe, The"The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe
2010data-sort-value="Hoffman, David E."David E. Hoffmandata-sort-value="Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy, The"The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy
data-sort-value="Cassidy, John"John CassidyHow Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities
data-sort-value="Wright, Robert"Robert Wrightdata-sort-value="Evolution of God, The"The Evolution of God
2011data-sort-value="Mukherjee, Siddhartha"Siddhartha Mukherjeedata-sort-value="Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, The"The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
data-sort-value="Gwynne, S.C."S.C. GwynneEmpire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
data-sort-value="Carr, Nicholas G."Nicholas G. Carrdata-sort-value="Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, The"The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
2012data-sort-value="Greenblatt, Stephen"Stephen Greenblattdata-sort-value="Swerve: How the World Became Modern, The"The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
data-sort-value="Ackerman, Diane"Diane AckermanOne Hundred Names For Love: A Stroke, a Marriage, and the Language of Healing
data-sort-value="Hvistendahl, Mara"Mara HvistendahlUnnatural Selection: Choosing Boys over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men
2013data-sort-value="King, Gilbert"Gilbert KingDevil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America
data-sort-value="Boo, Katherine"Katherine BooBehind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
data-sort-value="Haskell, David George"David George Haskelldata-sort-value="Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature, The"The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature
2014data-sort-value="Fagin, Dan"Dan FaginToms River: A Story of Science and Salvation
data-sort-value="Bass, Gary J."Gary J. Bassdata-sort-value="Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide, The"
data-sort-value="Kaplan, Fred"Fred KaplanThe Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War
2015data-sort-value="Kolbert, Elizabeth"Elizabeth Kolbertdata-sort-value="Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, The"
data-sort-value="Osnos, Evan"Evan OsnosAge of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
data-sort-value="Gopal, Anand"Anand GopalNo Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes
2016data-sort-value="Warrick, Joby"Joby Warrick
data-sort-value="Coates, Ta-Nehisi"Ta-Nehisi CoatesBetween the World and Me
data-sort-value="Power, Carla"Carla PowerIf the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran
2017data-sort-value="Desmond, Matthew"Matthew Desmond
data-sort-value="Donvan, John and Zucker, Caren"John Donvan and Caren ZuckerIn a Different Key: The Story of Autism
data-sort-value="McElya, Micki"Micki McElyadata-sort-value="Politics of Mourning: Death and Honor in Arlington National Cemetery, The"The Politics of Mourning: Death and Honor in Arlington National Cemetery
2018data-sort-value="Forman Jr., James"James Forman Jr.Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America
data-sort-value="Hansen, Suzy"Suzy HansenNotes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-America World
data-sort-value="Prum, Richard o."Richard O. Prumdata-sort-value="Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World-And Us, The"The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World - And Us
2019data-sort-value="Griswold, Eliza"Eliza Griswold
data-sort-value="Yeung, Bernice"Bernice YeungIn a Day's Work: The Fight to End Sexual Violence Against America's Most Vulnerable Workers
data-sort-value="Rush, Elizabeth"Elizabeth RushRising: Dispatches from the New American Shore
2020data-sort-value="Grandin, Greg"Greg Grandindata-sort-value="End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America, The"
data-sort-value="Boyer, Anne"Anne Boyerdata-sort-value="Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care, The"
data-sort-value="Aronson, Louise"Louise AronsonElderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life
data-sort-value="Woodfox, Albert with George, Leslie"Albert Woodfox with Leslie GeorgeSolitary
2021data-sort-value="Zucchino, David"David Zucchino
data-sort-value="Hong, Cathy Park"Cathy Park Hong
data-sort-value="Murdoch, Sierra Crane"Sierra Crane MurdochYellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country
2022data-sort-value="Elliot, Andrea"Andrea Elliott
data-sort-value="Power, Carla"Carla PowerHome, Land, Security: Deradicalization and the Journey Back from Extremism
data-sort-value="Prager, Joshua"Joshua Prager
2023data-sort-value="Samuels, Robert"Robert Samuels and Toluse OlorunnipaHis Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
data-sort-value="Jing Tsu"Jing Tsu
data-sort-value="Haskell, David"David George Haskell
data-sort-value="Villarosa, Linda"Linda Villarosa
2024data-sort-value="Thrall, Nathan"Nathan ThrallA Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy
data-sort-value="Vaillant, John"John VaillantFire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World
data-sort-value="Kara, Siddharth"Siddharth KaraCobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: General Nonfiction. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210318235111/https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/223. March 18, 2021. March 24, 2021. The Pulitzer Prizes.
  2. Web site: A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, by Neil Sheehan (Random House). March 26, 2021. The Pulitzer Prizes.
  3. Web site: Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America, by Garry Wills (Simon & Schuster). March 26, 2021. The Pulitzer Prizes.
  4. Web site: The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America, by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books). live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200504204137/https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/greg-grandin-0. May 4, 2020. April 17, 2021. The Pulitzer Prizes.