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The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 longlist is here, and I have to say, it’s looking incredible.
Every single book on this list sounds like the kind of story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction was launched in 2023 as a sister prize to the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and I love that it celebrates books that are not only well-researched and insightful but also engaging and accessible.
What’s the Prize About?
This prize is all about honoring the best narrative non-fiction written by women.
The winner gets £30,000 and a statuette called The Charlotte, which is such a nice touch!
I love that this prize is open to women from all over the world, as long as their book is published in the UK between April 1 of the previous year and March 31 of the award year.
That means the 2025 prize covers books published between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
The books on the longlist usually span a wide range of topics—history, memoir, science, nature, politics, and more.
I always find at least one book that completely changes the way I think about something.
Meet the Judges
I’m always curious about who’s picking the books, and this year’s judging panel is led by Kavita Puri, a journalist, author, and broadcaster. She’s joined by:
- Dr. Leah Broad – A writer and historian who focuses on women’s cultural history.
- Elizabeth Buchan – A novelist and critic.
- Dr. Elizabeth-Jane Burnett – A writer and environmental academic.
- Emma Gannon – An author and the writer of The Hyphen newsletter on Substack.
It’s a strong mix of experts from different fields, which makes me even more excited to see which books they’ve chosen.
Key Dates for the 2025 Prize
Here’s the timeline for this year’s award:
- Longlist Announcement: February 12, 2025
- Shortlist Announcement: March 26, 2025
- Winner Announcement: June 12, 2025
I love following along with the process, especially seeing which books make it from the longlist to the shortlist.
It’s always fun to try and guess the winner!
Last year, the first-ever Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction went to Naomi Klein for Doppelganger—a book that really stuck with a lot of readers.
I’m so curious to see if this year’s winner will be just as impactful.
Here’s a look at the nominees and why I’m so excited about them:
The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale
You know I love a good true-crime story, and this one sounds absolutely chilling.
It’s about the 1953 case where bodies were found in a house after someone had already been executed for similar murders there years before.
The idea that a massive miscarriage of justice could have happened makes my stomach turn.
Kate Summerscale is known for her deep, thoughtful investigations, so I know this will be a page-turner.
What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean by Helen Scales
I’ve been trying to read more about environmental issues, and this one caught my attention right away.
Helen Scales (who has the perfect last name for a marine biologist, by the way) explores the magic of the ocean while also showing how fragile it is.
I love books that make me feel connected to nature, and I just know this one is going to make me want to stare at the sea for hours and feel all emotional about coral reefs.
Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang
China is changing so fast, and I love stories that explore personal lives within massive historical shifts.
This book follows four women trying to manage modern China, and I need to read this.
It reminds me of how much I loved Factory Girls by Leslie Chang, so I have a feeling it’s going to be just as eye-opening and powerful.
The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke
I already know this one is going to make me cry.
It follows the real-life story of a little girl’s heart transplant and the family that made the impossible decision to donate her organs.
I love medical nonfiction when it’s written with heart (no pun intended), and Rachel Clarke always brings so much compassion to her writing.
This one is going to wreck me in the best way.
A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry
I love reading about creative lives, and Neneh Cherry’s memoir looks like such a ride.
From Sweden to London to New York, from punk to hip-hop to jazz, she’s lived so many lives in one.
I always enjoy books that explore how art and identity mix, and I know this one is going to be full of energy and bold storytelling.
The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor
This book dives into the rivalry between Richard II and Henry IV—two cousins whose power struggle changed England forever.
Medieval history is so juicy, and I already know Helen Castor will bring it to life in a way that makes it feel like a Shakespearean tragedy.
I love learning about history through gripping storytelling, and this sounds like it’ll be just that.
Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World by Anne Applebaum
Anne Applebaum is one of those authors who just knows how to explain big, global issues in a way that makes them feel urgent and real.
This book looks at how modern autocrats work together to hold onto power (which is terrifying, honestly).
I don’t read that much political nonfiction, but when I do, I want it to feel like an exposé that keeps me hooked, and I think this will deliver.
Tracker by Alexis Wright
This is a book I might not have picked up on my own, but now that I’ve read about it, I really want to.
It’s a collective memoir about Tracker Tilmouth, an Aboriginal activist and leader, told through stories from the people who knew him.
I love books that feel like oral histories, where you get multiple perspectives shaping the narrative, so I think this will be such a unique reading experience.
Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux
Okay, I need to read this.
Paul Gauguin has always had this reputation as a wild, rebellious artist who ran off to Tahiti to paint in paradise, but this book flips that story upside down.
Instead of the usual myth, Sue Prideaux gives us a more layered, human look at Gauguin—not just as a painter but as a person who fought against French colonial injustice in Tahiti.
Plus, new discoveries like his actual memoir and even a sample of his teeth (yes, really) reveal just how misunderstood he was.
I love books that make me rethink everything I thought I knew, and I can’t wait to dive into this one.
Also, it’s beautifully illustrated, so it’ll be a feast for both my brain and my eyes.
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
This one sounds so heartwarming.
Imagine rescuing a tiny baby hare, expecting it to leave one day, but instead, it keeps coming back—running from the fields to your doorstep like a pet that still belongs to the wild.
Chloe Dalton’s lockdown took an unexpected turn when she found herself raising a hare, and it turned into this incredible, almost magical bond.
The book isn’t just about that relationship, though; it also explores how hares have been seen in myths and history, which I think will make it even more special.
I already know this will be one of those books that makes me stop and appreciate the simple, beautiful moments in life.
Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
This one is part biography, part memoir, part science mystery—basically, my kind of book.
David Starr Jordan was a scientist obsessed with classifying fish, but life (and multiple disasters) kept literally smashing his discoveries to pieces.
Yet he kept going.
At first, journalist Lulu Miller thought he was just another arrogant scientist who refused to accept defeat, but when her own life started falling apart, she saw his story differently.
I love books that weave together science, history, and personal reflection, and this one sounds like it’ll make me think about chaos, resilience, and how we make sense of the world.
Also, the title alone? Intriguing!
Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Fearless WW2 Resistance Fighter Elżbieta Zawacka by Clare Mulley
I love stories about hidden history, and this one is wild.
Elżbieta Zawacka—Agent Zo—was the only woman to be trained by Polish Special Forces in WW2 to secretly parachute behind enemy lines to fight the Nazis.
And then, after all that, she was imprisoned by the post-war Communist regime, and her story was buried for decades.
It blows my mind that someone so fearless, who fought for her country with everything she had, was nearly erased from history.
I have to read this—women like her deserve to be remembered, and I can’t wait to see what Clare Mulley uncovers about her life.
Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men by Harriet Wistrich
I already know this book will make me angry in the best way.
Harriet Wistrich has spent her career fighting for people—especially women—who have been failed by the justice system.
She’s taken on cases involving domestic abuse survivors, victims of police negligence, and women who were deceived by undercover officers.
Basically, she’s the kind of lawyer who actually changes lives.
This book dives into those cases and exposes just how unfair the legal system can be, especially for women.
I know this will be frustrating to read at times, but it also feels necessary.
Harriet Wistrich is the kind of person who reminds me that justice is something we have to fight for.
Ootlin by Jenni Fagan
This memoir sounds so powerful.
Jenni Fagan grew up in the UK’s broken care system, moving through fourteen different homes before she was even seven years old.
Can you imagine how destabilizing that must be?
She started writing this book twenty years ago, but now she’s finally telling her story in full.
It’s about survival, resilience, and the way storytelling can shape our lives.
I think this is going to be raw and emotional, but also incredibly inspiring.
Books like this—where someone takes back their own narrative—are always the ones that stay with me the longest.
By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle
This book weaves together history, law, and activism in a way that sounds so compelling.
It traces the forced removal of the Muscogee people in the 1800s and connects it to a modern legal battle over tribal land rights.
The fact that a small-town murder case led to a Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed Native land ownership is wild.
I love when books shine a light on history that’s been ignored or distorted, and this one seems like it will be both heartbreaking and empowering.
Plus, Rebecca Nagle is a Cherokee journalist, so she’s telling this story from within the community it affects.
I know this is going to be an important read.
Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Barraclough
I’ve always been fascinated by Vikings, but this book is about the real people behind the legends—not just the warriors, but also the artisans, travelers, writers, and even enslaved people.
It covers everything from hairstyles to love notes (yes, Vikings wrote love notes!), and I love that it expands beyond just Norway and Sweden to include Iceland, Greenland, and even Russia.
History is so much more interesting when we go beyond the usual stereotypes, and I’m excited to learn about the Viking world in a whole new way.
Also, Viking gossip? I’m here for it.
So yeah, this longlist is stacked.
There’s history, crime, politics, nature, memoirs—everything.
I know I won’t be able to get to all of them right away, but there are definitely a few that I need to read as soon as possible.
What do you think? Have you read anything by these authors before? Which one sounds the most interesting to you?
