American Society of Journalists and Authors Names 2025 Book Award Winners
CONTACT: ASJA staff, asjaoffice@asjaoffice.org
New York, New York (Sept. 8, 2025) – The American Society of Journalists and Authors, the nation’s leading professional organization of nonfiction freelance writers, has announced the winners of the 2025 ASJA Awards for books.
The annual ASJA Awards recognize exceptional writing of nonfiction books published in 2024. Details about the winners and honorable mentions appear on the ASJA website. The website also lists winners of the 2025 ASJA Awards for articles and content writing, which were announced in July.
The 2025 ASJA Book Awards were given in five categories: Biography/History, Children/Young Adult Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Memoir/Autobiography and Service/Self-Help. Twenty-two ASJA members participated in judging, basing their decisions on a book’s overall significance, the quality of the author’s research, and the skill of the author’s writing.
Here are the eight book winners and honorable mentions. Read what judges had to say about them in this ASJA Confidential article.
Biography/History
Winner: The Icon & the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America, by Stephanie Gorton (Ecco Press)
Children/Young Adult Nonfiction
Winner: The Abortion Controversy, by Robert Lerose (ReferencePoint Press)
Honorable Mention: A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, The Original Fight Over Science in Schools, by Debbie Levy (Bloomsbury Publishing)
General Nonfiction
Winner: Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens and Other Marvels of the Dark, by Leigh Ann Henion (Algonquin Books)
Honorable Mention: Everest, Inc.: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World, by Will Cockrell (Simon & Schuster)
Memoir/Autobiography
Winner: Hunger Like a Thirst: From Food Stamps to Fine Dining, a Restaurant Critic Finds Her Place at the Table, by Besha Rodell (MacMillan Publishers)
Honorable Mention: The Time We Have: Essays on Pandemic Living, by Michele Weldon (Northwestern University Press)
Service/Self-Help
Winner: Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship With Dogs, by Wendy Lyons Sunshine (Health Communications Inc.)
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About ASJA
The American Society of Journalists and Authors is the nation’s premier organization of professional freelance nonfiction writers. ASJA members write books, journalism and content marketing and have met ASJA’s objective standards of professional achievement by publishing with national magazines, publishers and clients. As First Amendment and right-to-freelance advocates, ASJA stands up for writers’ rights and offers extensive networking and educational opportunities that benefit members and the freelance writing profession as a whole. ASJA believes in diversity and inclusion and actively works to attract members from all backgrounds and experience levels while continuing to emphasize excellence in nonfiction writing. Learn more at www.asja.org.