The 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction longlist

Here are the books that make up the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction longlist, a hopeful lineup that reflects the belief that every woman’s voice has the power to elicit and inspire change. These captivating titles span politics, memoir, science, history, biography, art and more, in an extraordinary, international celebration of women’s writing.

Updated February 18, 2026
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Wyndham Library
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Daughters of the bamboo grove : from China to America, a true story of abduction, adoption, and separated twins
Demick, Barbara
Paper Book
In 2000, a Chinese woman gave birth to twins in a bamboo grove, trying to avoid detection by the government because she already had two daughters. Two years later, an American couple travelled to Shaoyang to adopt a Chinese toddler they thought had been abandoned. Their understanding had...
The finest hotel in Kabul : a people's history of Afghanistan
Doucet, Lyse
Paper Book
Top 3 Sunday Times Bestseller Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlisted for the Nero Book Award Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Observer and Economist Book of...
Art cure : the science of how the arts transform our health
Fancourt, Daisy
Paper Book
Discover how art can improve our health, make us happier and even help us live longer with the inspiring new book from the award-winning scientist and world-leading expert. 'Every day we are overwhelmed by advice on how to live better. Art Cure is an amazing...
Ask me how it works : love in an open marriage
Paul, Deepa
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'Stunningly poetic and vulnerable . . . If this book doesn't change your perspective on relationships, nothing will' GILLIAN ANDERSON 'A fascinating and big-hearted portrait of sex, intimacy and non-monogamy' CLOVER STROUD...
Death of an ordinary man
Perry, Sarah
Paper Book
'Please read this book. It may very well change how you live' Rachel Clarke 'I was spellbound' Kathryn Mannix Death of an Ordinary Man is an unforgettable account of this universal aspect of life. It is not a book about grief: it is a book about dying, and it...
Mother Mary comes to me
Roy, Arundhati
Paper Book
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FOYLES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 AUDIBLE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BLACKWELL'S NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 WINNER OF THE GOOGLE PLAY BEST OF 2025 AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 LONGLISTED...
Indignity : a life reimagined
Ypi, Lea
Paper Book
*Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction* Named a Book of the Year by Financial Times, Sunday Times, Prospect, TLS, Washington Post, NPR 'Stunningly multilayered... explores what happens when philosophies meet history, when...

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