The American Library Association (ALA) has selected JAMES by Percival Everett as the winner of the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and A WALK IN THE PARK: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko as the winner of the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.

The Carnegie Awards, established in 2012, serve as a guide to help adults select quality reading material. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by ALA and reflect the expert judgment and insight of library professionals and booksellers who work closely with adult readers. Click here for more information.
 

2025 Winners

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

• JAMES by Percival Everett (Doubleday)
   

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction

• A WALK IN THE PARK: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, by Kevin Fedarko (Scribner)
   

2025 Shortlist

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

• CINEMA LOVE by Jiaming Tang (Dutton)
• JAMES by Percival Everett (Doubleday)
• MARTYR! by Kaveh Akbar (Knopf)

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction

• CHALLENGER: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, by Adam Higginbotham (Avid Reader Press)
• CUE THE SUN!: The Invention of Reality TV, by Emily Nussbaum (Random House)
• A WALK IN THE PARK: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, by Kevin Fedarko (Scribner)