Hang around Booklandia for any length of time – say, 20 minutes or so – and you know that authors whose books have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize pretty much have their tickets punched for the rest of their authorly lives. Cuz the Pulitzer Prize is a Big Deal. (Not as big as our PAWsome Book Awards, of course. Nobody can top that.)
But wait a minute. What about worthy books that shoulda won a Pulitzer but didn’t?
As you may know, the Pulitzer Prize was established in Columbia University by the will of Joseph Pulitzer. Prizes are awarded by the University on the recommendation of The Pulitzer Prize Board. The Board meets twice annually. There are 23 categories across journalism, books, drama and music. The Prizes are announced during the Spring.
Here are 10 books we’ve read that were either up for the award or should’ve been. All are expertly written. All feature strong characters and themes speaking to some powerful facet of American life. All are distinct, powerful, and memorable in their own unique way:
1. A River Runs Through It
By Norman Maclean
Based on Maclean’s own experiences growing up in western Montana, the title novella is recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century. It made Maclean one of the most beloved writers of our time and A River Runs Through It a classic of the American West. A masterful blend of lyrical prose and subtle emotional insights.
2. All the President’s Men
By Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward
The most devastating political detective story of the century: two Washington Post reporters, whose brilliant and bold investigation blew the Watergate scandal wide open, tell the behind-the-scenes drama the way it really happened.
3. Christy
By Catherine Marshall
An historical fiction novel set in the fictional Appalachian village of Cutter Gap, Tennessee, in 1912. The novel was inspired by the work of Marshall’s mother, Leonora Whitaker, who taught impoverished children in the Appalachian region when she was a young, single woman. The novel explores faith, mountain traditions, folk beliefs, and folk medicine.
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
By Betty Smith
Full of power and pathos, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the timeless classic about Francie Nolan and growing up poor in the slums of Brooklyn, New York in the early 20th century. A masterpiece.
5. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
By Laura Hillenbrand
Olympic runner Louis Zamperini was just twenty-six when his US Army bomber crashed and burned in the Pacific, leaving him and two other men afloat on a raft for forty-seven days. They were captured by the Japanese and survived torture and deprivation as POWs by the thinnest of margins.
In this gripping biography, Laura Hillenbrand tracks Zamperini’s story from beginning to end, including how he became a Christian and later found the courage to forgive his tormentors.
6. In the Wild
By Jon Krakauer
In 1992 Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, hitchhiked to Alaska and disappeared into the Denali wilderness. Five months later, McCandless was found emaciated and deceased in his shelter. What happened? How did he die?
In compelling and pellucid prose, Krakauer follows McCandless back to the beginning of his trek and attempts to find some answers.
7. My Antonia
By Willa Cather
Willa Cather’s heartfelt novel is the unforgettable story of an immigrant woman’s life on the hardscrabble Nebraska plains.
Through Jim Burden’s affectionate reminiscence of his childhood friend, the free-spirited Antonia Shimerda, a larger, uniquely American portrait emerges, both of a community struggling with unforgiving terrain and of a woman who, amid great hardship, stands as a timeless inspiration.
8. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
By Carson McCullers
Set in a small town in 1930s Georgia. An enigmatic John Singer draws out the haunted confessions of an itinerant worker, a doctor, a widowed café owner, and a young girl. Each yearns for escape from small town life. But the young girl, Mick Kelly, the book’s heroine (loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music.
Wonderfully attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated. Through Mick she gives voice to the quiet, intensely personal search for beauty.
9. The Giver of Stars
By Jojo Moyes
Tightly written and eminently engaging, The Giver of Stars has more plot twists than the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair. Sweeping in its grandeur and epic scope, this thoroughly engrossing novel is based on a true story from American history. It’s a wonderful story of love, loyalty, and friendship, ably capturing how opening a new book is like coming home. (From whence does the title come? Hint: Amy Lowell.)
Historical fiction at its finest. A triumph!
By Delia Owens
Set in rural North Carolina over a span of about 20 years, Where the Crawdads Sing is a wistful, bittersweet story about Catherine Danielle Clark, aka “Kya.” Also known as the Marsh Girl. The story centers on Kya’s young life and beyond as she navigates the wilds of North Carolina alone.
It’s a masterful tale of love and loss. Abandonment and rejection. Loneliness. Hope and longing. And survival against the odds. Spellbinding!
What are your picks for Shoulda Won a Pulitzer?
Pages & Paws 