The New York Public Library has named five finalists for the 38th annual Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, an honor recognizing books that highlight significant national and global issues.
This year’s nominees address a range of timely topics, including energy policy, climate change, resource extraction, public health disparities, and debates over education. The selected books were chosen from over 100 submissions by an 11-member Library Review Committee. The winner, to be announced in May, will receive a $15,000 cash prize.
The five finalists are:
- Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future by Jonathan Mingle, which chronicles a years-long legal battle over a controversial natural gas pipeline.
- On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America by Abrahm Lustgarten, which examines how climate change could reshape U.S. migration patterns.
- Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future by Vince Beiser, which explores the global competition for critical metals essential to modern technology.
- Systemic: How Racism is Making Us Sick by Layal Liverpool, which investigates how racial disparities impact health outcomes.
- They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms by Mike Hixenbaugh, which documents political battles over school curricula.
The award, established in 1987, honors the contributions of journalists in fostering public awareness. Previous winners include investigative reporters and authors covering topics such as environmental crises, social justice, and government policy.
The selection committee, composed of professional journalists, will evaluate the finalists before announcing the recipient in the spring.
