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 19, 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...
The genius of trees : how trees mastered the elements and shaped the world
Rix, Harriet
Paper Book
**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026** 'Sublime ... A true masterpiece' DAILY TELEGRAPH, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Mind-blowing' GUARDIAN 'Wondrous. Gives us trees as we've never...
Hotel exile: ; paris in the shadow of war
Rogoyska, Jane.
Paper Book
The Hotel Lutetia is a Paris institution, the only 'grand' hotel on the city's bohemian Left Bank. Ever since it opened, it has served as a meeting place for artists, musicians and politicians. Andre Gide took his lunch here, James Joyce lived in one of its rooms, Picasso and Matisse were regular...
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
**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026* **WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION AWARD 2025** **LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2026** 'Please read this book. It may very well change how you live' Rachel Clarke 'I was spellbound'...
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...
To exist as I am : a doctor's notes on recovery and radical acceptance
Green, Grace Spence
Paper Book
A young doctor's life-affirming story of near-death, recovery and radical acceptance
Nation of strangers
Temelkuran, Ece
Paper Book
A powerful reappraisal of the concept of exile, migration and homelessness from internationally acclaimed author and political thinker Ece Temelkuran
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...
Don't let it break you, honey : a memoir about saving yourself
Evans, Jenny
Paper Book
*Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction* 'Not simply a memoir. It is an indictment of failure at the highest levels of police, press and politics' Tom Watson 'Intensely personal ... turning fear into bravery and pain into power'...
With the Law on Our Side: How the Law Works for Everyone and How We Can Make It Work Better
Hale, Lady
Paper Book
**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026* 'A principled, timely and vital reminder of why justice matters' PHILIPPE SANDS 'Accessible, forensic and breathtakingly humane' SHAMI CHAKRABARTI Told through captivating real cases in real...
To be young, gifted and black : creativity and race in the 21st century
Kanneh-Mason, Kadiatu
What does it mean - and how does it feel - to grow up as a Black artist today? 'This exceptional book, written with a mother's love for her seven creative children, sensitively offers profound and original insights and perspectives that enrich our culture. I feel so much wiser...
Finding Albion : myth, folklore and the quest for a hidden Britain
Sewell, Zakia
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026 'I've been waiting for a book like this.' Florence Welch 'Hopeful and inspiring, Finding Albion is a vital quest for more authentic stories of Britain.' Caroline Lucas 'A profoundly...

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