The 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Shortlist

At the end of this year the American Library Association announced the six books shortlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals. This is awarded for the previous year's best books written for adult readers and published in the U.S. The medals, established in 2012, guide adults in selecting quality reading material. The two medal winners, one for fiction and one for nonfiction, receive $5,000 each and are honored during an event at ALA's 2019 Annual Conference. The medals are made possible by a partial grant from the Carnegie Corporation as a testament to Andrew Carnegie who believed that books can change the world! The winners will be announced on January 27, 2019.
Take a look at the six finalists and decide which one would get your vote -


FICTION:
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
A novel set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris follows the director of a Chicago art gallery and a woman looking for her estranged daughter in Paris who both struggle to come to terms with the ways AIDS has affected their lives.

There, There by Tommy Orange
A large cast of interwoven characters depicts the experience of Native Americans living in urban settings. Perfect for readers of character-driven fiction with a strong sense of place. -- Abby Johnson for LibraryReads.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Unexpectedly chosen to be a family manservant, an 11-year-old Barbados sugar-plantation slave is initiated into a world of technology and dignity before a devastating betrayal propels him throughout the world in search of his true self.

NONFICTION:
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth Macy
In a book that includes deeply human and unforgettable portraits of the families and first responders affected, the author takes readers into the epicenter of America's more than 20-year struggle with opioid addiction.

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
In this powerful and provocative memoir, genre-bending essayist and novelist Kiese Laymon explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a black body, a black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse.

The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantu
A former agent for the U.S. Border Patrol describes his upbringing as the son of a park ranger and grandson of a Mexican immigrant, who upon joining the Border Patrol encountered the violence and political rhetoric that overshadows life for both migrants and the police.