The National Book Foundation has released its longlists for the 2015 National Book Awards across four categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Children's Fiction. Each list contains 10 nominated works. The fiction nominees include seven novels and three short story collections that cover a wide range of topics from marriage and family to racism and sexuality. Some highlights among the fiction nominees are Lauren Groff's "Fates and Furies", a novel told from the perspectives of both members of a married couple, and Hanya Yanagihara's "A Little Life", which follows four friends in New York over many years.

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National Book Foundation releases 2015 nominees
Madi Schulz l @Mad_Dawgg | Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 12:15 am
The National Book Foundation released its 2015 long-lists
for the National Book Award this month in four categories
—Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry and Children’s Fiction—
comprising 10 books each. The fiction section judges for
this year are Daniel Alarcón, Jeffery Renard Allen, Sarah
Bagby, Laura Lippman and David L. Ulin. Seven novels
and three collections of short stories are among the
nominees.
The fiction nominees are:
1) "A Cure for Suicide Jesse Ball,"
This story follows a man (the claimant) and a woman (the
examiner) who move into a small house together. The
examiner teaches the claimant how to do simple tasks like
how to meet people and identifying simple objects. But
when the examiner brings the claimant to a party, and he
meets the charismatic and unpredictable Hilda, he begins
to question everything he has learned.
2) "Refund: Stories Karen E. Bender,"
"Refund is a collection of short stories set in modern-day
America about money and how it motivates and shapes
the characters, all while delivering colorful stories that
differ greatly in content but stay true to the theme.
"
3) "Did You Ever Have a Family," Bill Clegg
In Clegg's debut novel, main character June Reid has just suffered a tragedy unlike any other. The night
before her daughter’s wedding, her daughter, her daughter’s fiancé, her ex-husband and her boyfriend all
die in a tragic disaster. Alone, June copes by driving across the country away from the hometown that
held the memories of her dead loved ones. Along the way, she meets a slew of people who contribute to a
new community and new family who could possibly replace the one she has lost.
Watson Library
Stacks of books in Watson Library on
campus.

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4) "The Turner House," Angela Flournoy
When ailing matriarch Viola moves in with her eldest son and learns the house that has been in their
family for 50 years is worth a tenth of the mortgage, all 13 children are called home to decide the fate of
the house. According to the , this book is "a striking examination of the price
we pay for our dreams and futures and the ways in which our families bring us home."
National Book Foundation
5) "Fates and Furies," Lauren Groff
Told first from husband Lotto’s viewpoint and then from wife Mathilde's, "Fates and Furies" is an
interesting inside look on marriage. The book starts with Lotto's perspective (the fates) and then
transitions into Mathilde's (the furies.) Lotto remembers their marriage from a positive perspective;
Mathilde remembers it from the negative. This book examines both sides of their marriage, their secrets
and their fears and leaves the reader with a complete embodiment of the couple. The National Book
Foundation says, “
.”
Groff delivers a deeply satisfying novel about love, art, creativity, and power that is
unlike anything that has come before it
6) "Fortune Smiles: Stories," Adam Johnson
In this collection of six awarded short stories, Johnson explores different cultures as his stories follow
characters in North Korea; his signature and award-winning topic, East Germany; and survivors of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In these stories, Johnson explores love and loss, technology and politics.
7) "Welcome to Braggsvillle," T. Geronimo Johnson
This “ ” novel follows four UC-Berkeley students as they stage a mock-
lynching at a Civil War reenactment. When D’aron, the main character, finds himself in an alternative
history class and lets it slip that back home they perform the reenactment, chaos ensues. D’aron and his
three new friends at Berkeley travel to protest the performance.
dark and socially provocative
8) "Honeydew," Edith Pearlman
Don’t let the title fool you. This collection of 20 short stories includes topics such as illegitimate
pregnancy, anorexia and drug use. Those topics are just in the title story. Other stories include: a group of
displaced Somali women in suburban Boston, a widowed pedicurist and a cruise ship with an interesting
stowaway.
9) "A Little Life," Hanya Yanagihara
Four broke classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way.
Although each friend presents a different personality, the group revolves around Jude. Over the years, the

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friendships get deeper and darker until they come to realize Jude is actually their greatest challenge,
haunted by a horrible childhood and an unspeakable trauma.
10) "Mislaid," Nell Zink
This story begins with an affair between Lee, a gay, blue-blooded, poet and professor, and Peggy, a
lesbian freshman, that results in an unplanned pregnancy. After a decade and two children—a 3-year-old
daughter and a 9-year-old son—Peggy finally runs away with her daughter to an African-American
settlement and adopts an African-American identity. As the kids grow up, they are challenged by the
varying personalities of their parents before finally meeting when the two are in college together. This
complex story examines racism as well as sexuality.
All four categories and their nominations can be found on the National Book Foundation's .website
— Edited by Madeline Umali