American Society of Journalists and Authors Names 2026 Book Award winners
CONTACT: ASJA staff, asjaoffice@asjaoffice.org
New York, New York (May 27, 2026) – The American Society of Journalists and Authors, the nation’s leading professional organization of nonfiction freelance writers, has announced the winners of the 2026 ASJA Awards for nonfiction books.
The annual ASJA Awards recognize exceptional writing of nonfiction books published in 2025. Details about the winners and honorable mentions appear on the ASJA website. The website also lists winners of the 2026 ASJA Awards for articles and content writing, which were announced in April.
“We are so delighted to announce the winners and honorable mentions in the 2026 ASJA Book Awards competition,” said ASJA Awards co-chair Richard Eisenberg. “The honored nonfiction books were outstanding, with an impressive breadth of topics, ranging from the story of one man’s full facial transplant to a landmark spousal rape trial to the use of dogs in biomedical research to a daughter’s investigation of her father’s secret life and mysterious death.”
For this year’s awards, 29 judges read 48 entries, with some judges reading books in multiple categories. Judges base their decisions on a book’s overall significance, the quality of the author’s research, and the skill of the author’s writing.
2026 ASJA Awards for Books Special Recognitions
This year’s recognitions include “Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America,” by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly, winner of the 2026 Arlenes: Books That Make a Difference. The Arlenes are given every two to three years through the Arlene Eisenberg Memorial Fund in honor of the late writer and ASJA member for whom the foundation is named, and the author of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” and and other bestselling books that made a difference in the lives of mothers worldwide. According to the award’s criteria, the winning book must have “made a difference” by inspiring positive action within a locale or community, society, or the world.
The judges called “Turtle Island” a “beautifully illustrated, meticulously researched book about the foods and traditions of North America’s indigenous peoples, with a fascinating history of the many regions behind the detailed recipes.”
The 2026 ASJA Awards for books also includes the The June Roth Book Award, for books published in 2024 or 2025 that represent exceptional achievement in health and medical writing. The award comes with a $1,000 cash prize funded by the June Roth Memorial Fund, which was established by the husband of a former ASJA president and well-known medical writer. The winner of the 2026 June Roth Book Award is “Face in the Mirror: A Surgeon, a Patient, and the Remarkable Story of the First Face Transplant at Mayo Clinic,” by Jack El-Hai, about about a young man who attempted suicide in 2006, shot off most of his face and received a full facial transplant at the Mayo Clinic. The judges called the book, by El-Hai, also a former ASJA president, “exceptionally written and researched, although the subject matter can be difficult to read.”
El-Hai is one of two ASJA members who were winners of 2026 ASJA Awards for books. The other is Jen Tota McGivney, winner in the service/self-help category for her book, “Finding Your Walden,” about the lessons to be learned from Henry David Thoreau’s 19th-century classic, “Walden.”
The 2026 ASJA Awards for books were given in three other categories: Biography/History, General Nonfiction, and Memoir/Autobiography. Here are all 10 2026 ASJA Awards book winners and honorable mentions.
The Arlenes: Books That Make a Difference
Winner: “Turtle Island” by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly
June Roth Memorial Award ($1,000 prize)
Winner: “Face in the Mirror” by Jack El-Hai
Biography/History
Winner: “Without Consent” by Sarah Weinman
Honorable Mention: “Chicago’s Fine Arts Building” by Keir Graff
General Nonfiction
Winner: “Lab Dog” by Melanie D.G. Kaplan
Honorable Mention: “Death, Taxes, and Turduckens” by Jens Heycke
Memoir/Autobiography
Winner (tie): “No Ordinary Bird” by Artis Henderson and “The Tragedy of True Crime” by John J. Lennon
Service/Self-Help
Winner: “Finding Your Walden” by Jen Tota McGivney
Honorable Mention: “Hello, Cruel World!” By Melinda Wenner Moyer
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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.