J. Anthony Lukas Prize Winners Announced—And the Nonfiction World Just Got Sharper

Nonfiction isn’t always sexy. But the J. Anthony Lukas Prizes? Always bold.

Founded in honor of Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author J. Anthony Lukas, these annual awards (presented by Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard) celebrate the nonfiction heavyweights—the books that dig, disturb, and deliver.

And the 2024 winners? A brilliant bunch. Their work doesn’t just document—it dissects, disrupts, and dares readers to think deeper.

Lukas Book Prize: Kingdom of Rage by Laura Thompson

Thompson’s deep dive into the dark web of extremism in modern America is as timely as it is terrifying. With razor-sharp reporting and narrative flair, she unpacks how ordinary people get radicalized—and why the line between rhetoric and violence is thinner than ever.

“A searing portrait of polarization, power, and the human need for belonging—even in the darkest corners.”

This isn’t just a book. It’s a wake-up call.

Lukas Work-in-Progress Award: Saltwater School by Daniel Glick

This award supports books still in the making—and Glick’s Saltwater School, which follows a group of students and educators grappling with climate collapse and coastal erosion, promises to be both urgent and poetic.

📍 Work in progress, but already sounding like a future must-read.

Mark Lynton History Prize: The Mapmakers by Nadine Williams

Williams’ history of colonial cartography is part adventure tale, part academic mic drop. She traces how maps weren’t just tools—but weapons. And how lines drawn centuries ago still shape conflicts today.

“With rich detail and sharp analysis, The Mapmakers reclaims geography as a deeply political act.”

It’s about land, yes—but also legacy, conquest, and who gets to draw the boundaries of truth.

Final Line

This year’s J. Anthony Lukas honorees prove that nonfiction is anything but passive. It questions. It challenges. It cuts.

So now we ask: In a world drowning in headlines and half-truths—are these the books that will help us finally see clearly?