LONDON (AP) 鈥� A moving memoir by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry and the gripping story of a heart transplant by British doctor Rachel Clarke are among finalists for the , set up to help fix the gender imbalance in nonfiction publishing.
Cherry鈥檚 鈥淎 Thousand Threads鈥� and Clarke鈥檚 鈥淭he Story of a Heart鈥� are on a six-book shortlist for the 30,000 pound ($39,000) prize.
The other contenders include two books about nature and the environment: 鈥淩aising Hare鈥� by British writer Chloe Dalton, and 鈥淲hat the Wild Sea Can Be鈥� by U.K. biologist Helen Scales.
Also on the list are 鈥淎gent Zo,鈥� British historian Clare Mulley鈥檚 biography of a World War II resistance fighter, and China-born British lawmaker Yuan Yang鈥檚 鈥淧rivate Revolutions,鈥� which explores the lives of young women in modern-day China.
British journalist Kavita Puri, who is chairing the panel of judges, said the 鈥渆clectic鈥� list includes 鈥渘arratives that honor the natural world and its bond with humanity, meticulously researched stories of women challenging power and books that illuminate complex subjects with authority, nuance and originality.鈥�
The award is a sister to the 30-year-old and is open to female English-language writers from any country in any nonfiction genre. It was in response to statistics showing men in the U.K. buy more nonfiction than women 鈥� and write more prize-winning nonfiction books.
The company Nielsen Book Research found in 2019 that while women bought 59% of all the books sold in the U.K., men accounted for just over half of adult nonfiction purchases.
The inaugural winner was Canadian author-activist for 鈥淒oppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World.鈥�
Winners of both nonfiction and fiction prizes will be announced June 12 at a ceremony in London.
The Associated Press
