May 15, 2023
A scene from the 2016 Ohioana Book Awards ceremony (Photoby Mary Rathkey)
Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the finalists for the 82nd annual Ohioana Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second-oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding works by Ohio authors and illustrators in five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature, and Juvenile Literature. The sixth category, About Ohio or an Ohioan, may also include books by non-Ohio authors.
The recognition this year’s stellar list of authors has received includes the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the PEN America Literary Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honors, the Edgar Award, and the Kirkus Prize. Four finalists have had their works adapted for film and television. One finalist is a former Governor of Ohio; another is CNN’s Presidential Historian. Eight authors are previous Ohioana Book Award winners.
On June 1, Ohioana will kick off the tenth annual “30 Books, 30 Days,” our popular feature in which we profile one award finalist every day on our social media. This year, we have thirty-three finalists, expanding the feature by three books and three days!
In mid-June we’ll launch the annual Readers’ Choice Award poll. First held in 2016, the poll allows the public to vote online for their favorite book from among all the finalists.
Winners will be announced in July. The 2023 Ohioana Awards ceremony will be held at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Thursday, September 21. The finalists are:
Fiction
Hyde, Allegra. Eleutheria, Vintage
Ng, Celeste. Our Missing Hearts, Penguin
Okorafor, Nnedi. Noor, DAW
Scalzi, John. The Kaiju Preservation Society, Tor
Umrigar, Thrity. Honor, Algonquin Books
Nonfiction
Brinkley, Douglas. Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening, HarperCollins
Gay, Ross. Inciting Joy: Essays, Algonquin Books
Macy, Beth. Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis, Little, Brown and Company
Millard, Candice. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, Doubleday
Mufleh, Luma. Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children, Mariner Books
About Ohio or an Ohioan
Celeste, Richard F. In the Heart of It All: An Unvarnished Account of My Life in Public Service, The Kent State University Press
Dyer, Joyce. Pursuing John Brown: On the Trail of a Radical Abolitionist, The University of Akron Press
Ervick, Kelcey. The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women’s Lives, Avery
Jarrett, Gene Andrew. Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird, Princeton University Press
Schulz, Kathryn. Lost and Found: Reflections on Grief, Gratitude, and Happiness, Random House
Schwartzman, Nancy and Nora Zelevansky. Roll Red Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland, Hachette Books
Poetry
Fagan, Kathy. Bad Hobby: Poems, Milkweed Editions
Freeman, Siaara. Urbanshee, Button Poetry
Hindi, Noor. Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow., Haymarket Books
Jones, Saeed. Alive at the End of the World, Coffee House Press
Wagner, Sara Moore. Swan Wife, Cider Press Review
Juvenile Literature
Campbell, Marcy. Illus. by Francesca Sanna. The More You Give, Knopf Books for Young Readers
Hale, Shannon. Illus. by Tracy Subisak. This Book is Not for You!, Dial Books
Hoefler, Kate. Illus. by Jessixa Bagley. Courage Hats, Chronicle Books
Kuo, Julia. Luminous: Living Things That Light Up the Night, Greystone Kids
Wang, Andrea. Illus. by Hyewon Yum. Luli and the Language of Tea, Neal Porter Books
Woodson, Jacqueline. Illus. by Rafael López. The Year We Learned to Fly, Nancy Paulsen Books
Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature
Brown, Echo. The Chosen One: A First-Generation Ivy League Odyssey, Christy Ottaviano Books
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. The School for Whatnots, Katherine Tegen Books
McCarthy, Cory. Man O’ War, Dutton Books for Young Readers
Nelson, Marilyn. Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor’s Life, Christy Ottaviano Books
Van Vleet, Carmella. Nothing is Little, Holiday House
Warga, Jasmine. A Rover’s Story, Balzer + Bray