Books detailing life as a musician and future of the ocean shortlisted for U.K. Women's Prize for Non-Fiction
The $55K prize awards 'exceptional narrative non-fiction by women'
Books detailing life as a musician, the future of the ocean and coming of age in China are among the shortlisted titles for the 2025 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction.
The £30,000 (approx. $55,482 Cdn) prize awards "exceptional narrative non-fiction by women."
The Women's Prize for Non-Fiction was first announced in 2023 as a companion to the influential Women's Prize for Fiction.
The inaugural winner was Canadian writer Naomi Klein for her book Doppelganger.
This year, no Canadians made the shortlist.
The 2025 shortlisted books are A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry, a memoir about navigating life as a musician; The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke, the story of a how a girl's tragic accident saved a young boy's life; Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, a memoir about how she unexpectedly became the custodian of a newly born hare; Agent Zo by Clare Mulley, the untold history of a Second World War resistance fighter; What the Wild Sea Can Be by Helen Scales, which examines the future of the ocean; and Private Revolutions by Yuan Yang, which explores coming of age in China.
The jury for the prize is comprised of journalist and broadcaster Kavita Puri, writer and broadcaster Leah Broad, novelist and critic Elizabeth Buchan, writer and environmental academic Elizabeth-Jane Burnett and writer Emma Gannon.
"Included in our list are narratives that honour 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," wrote Puri, jury chair, in a press statement.
These books will stay with you long after they have been read.- Kavita Puri
"These books will stay with you long after they have been read, for their outstanding prose, craftsmanship, and what they reveal about the human condition and our world. It was such a joy to embrace such an eclectic mix of narratives by such insightful women writers — we are thrilled and immensely proud of our final shortlist."
This year's winner will be revealed on June 12.
The Women's Prize was established by Women's Prize Trust, a registered charity championing women writers on a global stage.
The fiction prize has been given out annually since 1996. The £30,000 (approx. $55,482 Cdn) prize recognizes the year's best novel written by a woman in English. Writers from around the world are eligible.
The shortlist of six novels will be announced on April 2 and the winner will be announced on June 12.
Three Canadians have won the fiction prize: B.C. author Ruth Ozeki won in 2022 for The Book of Form and Emptiness; Winnipeg's Carol Shields won in 1998 for her novel Larry's Party and Toronto's Anne Michaels won in 1997 for her novel Fugitive Pieces.
