The 2025 Pulitzer Prizes: A readers’ guide to the seven winning books

Every year, the books chosen for Pulitzer Prizes add up to a specially curated reading list, and the winners of the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes, announced on May 5, are no exception. The annual awards are given by Columbia University for achievements in the United States in “journalism, arts and letters”. The Prizes were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher. The winners in each category of Books will receive a cash award of $15,000 and a certificate. Here’s a guide for readers who’d like to explore the winning books of 2025.

(All information has been sourced from publishers.)

FictionJames, by Percival Everett

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson’s Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck begin to navigate the treacherous...

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