The Booker Prize Longlist: Standouts to Watch

Brit Bennett is an American novelist and essayist born and raised in Southern California. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University and completed her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won the Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction and the Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers[1][2][6][7]. Bennett’s debut novel, *The Mothers* (2016), became a *New York Times* bestseller and was a finalist for the NBCC John Leonard First Novel Prize and the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction. It tells a story of young love and secrets within a tight-knit Black church community in Southern California, drawing on her own upbringing[1][3][5]. Her second novel, *The Vanishing Half* (2020), also achieved *New York Times* bestseller status and was selected as a *Good Morning America* Book Club pick. It explores themes of racial identity and family, following twin sisters who grow up together but lead very different lives as adults. The novel was longlisted for the National Book Award, a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and named one of the ten best books of 2020 by *The New York Times*[1][2][4][5][7]. Bennett has been recognized as a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, a NAACP Image Award finalist, and listed among *Time* magazine’s Next 100 Influential People[1][4]. In addition to her novels, Bennett’s essays have appeared in prestigious publications such as *The New Yorker*, *The New York Times Magazine*, *The Paris Review*, and *Jezebel*. She is based in Los Angeles and is noted for addressing themes of race, identity, and systemic injustice in her work[1][2][4][5]. As of 2025, Bennett remains a significant contemporary voice in American literature, with her works continuing to receive critical acclaim and cultural relevance.

Carl Hiaasen is an American journalist and novelist born and raised in South Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism in 1974 and began his career as a reporter at Cocoa Today (now Florida Today). In 1976, at age 23, he joined The Miami Herald, where he worked as a city-desk reporter, general assignment reporter, and later as part of the newspaper’s investigations team. Hiaasen was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1980 and 1981 for investigative series on medical malpractice and drug smuggling, respectively. From 1985 to 2021, Hiaasen wrote a widely read opinion column for The Miami Herald, known for its sharp commentary on Florida’s politics, environment, and social issues. His columns often addressed topics such as pollution, overdevelopment, the criminal justice system, and national events like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Trayvon Martin case. For his work, he received several awards, including the Damon Runyon Award, the Heywood Broun Award, and the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. Hiaasen began writing novels in the early 1980s, initially collaborating with fellow journalist William D. Montalbano on three mystery thrillers. His first solo novel, Tourist Season, was published in 1986. Since then, he has published more than 20 novels for adults and five for young adults, all set in Florida and noted for their satirical humor and social commentary. His books have been translated into 34 languages and include bestsellers such as Strip Tease, Stormy Weather, Skinny Dip, Bad Monkey, and Squeeze Me. Hiaasen remains a prominent voice in American literature and journalism, celebrated for his advocacy of environmental preservation and his distinctive, irreverent style. His most recent novel, Wrecker, was published in 2023.

Diane Marie Cook is an American writer known for her fiction and her work in radio. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. Cook earned her MFA from Columbia University and began her career as a producer for the radio program This American Life, where she developed skills in storytelling and narrative craft. Her first book, the short story collection Man V. Nature (2015), was widely acclaimed, becoming a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award, the Believer Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, and receiving an Honorable Mention for the PEN/Hemingway Award. The stories in this collection have appeared in prominent literary journals such as Harper’s, Tin House, and Granta, and have been included in anthologies like The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories. Cook’s debut novel, The New Wilderness (2020), was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, marking a significant achievement in her literary career. The novel has also been adapted for television, with Cook serving as writer and producer alongside director Matt Reeves. Her writing is recognized for its imaginative exploration of human relationships with nature and society, often blending realism with speculative elements. Cook has received several fellowships and awards, including a 2016 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and fellowships from Yaddo, MacDowell, Playa, and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. She has taught writing and literature at Columbia University and the University of Michigan’s New England Literature Program. In 2020, she was the Leeds Lit Fest “International Writer in Residence.” Diane Cook continues to be an influential figure in contemporary American literature, with her work regularly featured in major publications and her presence felt in both literary and media circles.