The 2009 National Book Awards Finalists have been announced.
FICTION
American Salvage, by Bonnie Jo CampbellLet the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Lark and Termite, by Jayne Anne Phillips
Far North, by Marcel Theroux
NONFICTION
Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook, by David M. Carroll
Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species, by Sean B. Carroll
Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City, by Greg Grandin
The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy, by Adrienne Mayor
The First Tycoon: the Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, by T. J. Stiles
POETRY
Versed, by Rae Armantrout
Or to Begin Again, by Ann Lauterbach
Speak Low, by Carl Phillips
Open Interval, by Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon
Transcendental Studies: a Trilogy, by Keith Waldrop
YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose
Stitches, by David Small
Lips Touch: Three Times, by Laini Taylor
Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia
DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN LETTERS
Gore Vidal
LITERARIAN AWARD
Dave Eggers