There’s no rest for Lawrence Wright on the awards circuit this season—even as he collects his general nonfiction Pulitzer for The Looming Tower, it was recently announced that he’s one of five nominees for the New York Public Library‘s Helen Bernstein award for excellence in book-length journalism, excellence in this case defined as “bring[ing] clarity and public attention to important issues, events, or policies.” Flanking Wright (center) on the shortlist are, from left to right:
- Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone
- Michelle Goldberg, Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism
- Jed Horne, Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City
- Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iran
Wright and Chandrasekaran also faced each other last November in the nonfiction category of the National Book Awards, and are nominated in separate categories for next week’s Los Angeles Times book prizes. (And don’t forget that Ricks was on the shortlist for that nonfiction Pulitzer, too!) The $15,000 Bernstein Award will be presented at the NY Public Library on May 1, followed by a panel discussion on combat journalism with former recipients George Packer and Dana Priest.