Featuring 230 Industry-First Reviews of Fiction, Nonfiction, Children'sand YA books KIRKUSVOL. LXXXVIII, NO. 19 | 1 OCTOBER 2020 REVIEWS READ ABOUT THE FINALISTS FOR THE 2020 Kirkus Prizes ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Rumaan Alam, John Birdsall, Remy Lai, and more from the editor’s desk: New Year’s Reading Resolutions Chairman BY TOM BEER HERBERT SIMON President & Publisher MARC WINKELMAN John Paraskevas It sometimes seems as though nothing has happened as planned this year. # So it’s extra reassuring to present this annual Kirkus Prize issue of the maga- Chief Executive Officer MEG LABORDE KUEHN zine in which we introduce the finalists for our 2020 awards in fiction, nonfic-
[email protected] tion, and young readers’ literature. Yes—the judges have been busy reading all Editor-in-Chief TOM BEER through the pandemic, and the Kirkus Prize is happening. Here’s the com-
[email protected] plete list of 18 finalists; turn to the editors’ columns to learn more about each Vice President of Marketing SARAH KALINA of the books listed here.
[email protected] Managing/Nonfiction Editor FICTION: ERIC LIEBETRAU Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham (Catapult)
[email protected] Fiction Editor Fiebre Tropical by Juli Delgado Lopera (Feminist Press) LAURIE MUCHNICK Tom Beer The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Europa
[email protected] Young Readers’ Editor Editions) VICKY SMITH Luster by Raven Leilani (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
[email protected] Young Readers’ Editor Deacon King Kong by James McBride (Riverhead) LAURA SIMEON Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Grove)
[email protected] Editor at Large The judges for the 2020 Kirkus Prize in Fiction are: bestselling author Chang-rae Lee, editor and MEGAN LABRISE
[email protected] writer Amy Reiter, and Veronica Santiago Liu, founder and general coordinator of Word Up Com- Vice President of Kirkus Indie munity Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria.