Reading the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Longlist (Well, Half of It Anyway)

There’s something about a book prize list that feels like a dare, right? Especially when it’s one as sparkly and overdue as the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. This is only its second year running, and I’m so glad it exists. Finally, a prize that shouts from the rooftops: “Non-fiction by women is brilliant, varied, important, and you should read more of it.”

The longlist for this year’s prize was announced a few weeks back, and the shortlist is dropping tonight at 9 PM NZT (no pressure, judges). So what better time for a little rundown of my reading adventures through the longlist?

There are 16 books on it, which is a noble but slightly terrifying number if you have a day job and a sleep schedule. I managed to get through 8—so, a solid halfway effort. And I’ve got to say: on the whole, it’s a bloody fabulous list. If you’re a non-fiction reader, or even just a non-fiction dabbler, this is a lineup worth exploring.

You might want to wait for the shortlist announcement and start there—but be warned: sometimes the gems don’t make it through. So if you like discovering under-the-radar brilliance, the longlist is still where it’s at.

Anyway. Let’s get to the good stuff. Here’s what I read, in the completely subjective order of how much I loved them:

1. Ootlin by Nicola Dinan

I’m already calling it: Ootlin will be one of my top reads of the year. If I were handing out prizes, it would win—no question.

This book absolutely gutted me. It’s beautifully written—simple, lyrical, haunting—and tells the story of a child in the “care” system. A real, quiet masterpiece that lays bare the compounding inequities faced by children who should be protected but are instead caught in systems that fail them.

Trigger warning? All of them. This book is not an easy read content wise. But if you can manage it, I urge you to pick it up. It cracked my heart wide open and gave me so much to think about—especially here in Aotearoa, where children in our care system experience some of the worst outcomes imaginable. Higher rates of drug use, more mental health challenges, less access to education, and a far greater risk of ending up in the justice system. It’s brutal, and Ootlin doesn’t flinch away from that truth.

If you read one book from the list, let it be this one.

2. Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller

I read this one a couple of years ago and was surprised to see it on the list—but delighted, too, because it’s such a unique little gem. It’s part memoir, part scientific detective story, part philosophical musing on chaos and order. And somehow, it works.

It sounds completely random (and it is), but it’s also fascinating, elegant, and deeply moving. If you're someone who enjoys being gently lured into unexpected thought spirals, this is your book.

3. The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke

This book is pure emotion. Not just medical memoir, not just social commentary, but a deeply human portrait of love, loss, and the gift of organ donation.

I read this with a friend, and it made the experience even more intense. Normally, I fall headfirst into a book and don’t come up for air, but reading this slowly—discussing each gut-wrenching moment—made me appreciate the quiet grace of it all.

Rachel Clarke has a way of writing about the hardest things with clarity and compassion. Her storytelling is gentle but devastating. I cried. More than once. But I also came away feeling hopeful and full of admiration for the people who fight every day to make impossible things happen.

It’s a solid 4.5 stars from me.

4. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

This is one of those books I wouldn’t have picked up if it hadn’t been on the list, and I would’ve missed out. It’s thoughtful, tender, a bit odd in the best way, and quietly brilliant.

There’s a gentleness to the storytelling, and I found myself thinking about it long after finishing. It’s got that lovely quality of being deeply considered without shouting about it. Sweet, strange, and memorable.

5. Sister-in-Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men by Harriet Wistrich

This is feminist non-fiction at its finest—rage-inducing, yes, but also strangely energising. It made me miss being a lawyer for a hot second (don’t worry, I came to my senses).

It’s a call to arms, but a practical one. Harriet Wistrich has spent her life fighting for justice at the coalface of a legal system that too often fails women, and her stories are powerful. If you’ve ever felt despair at systemic injustice (haven’t we all?), this book offers a spark of possibility. A reminder that change is slow, but it’s not impossible.

And the rest:

• A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry – Really interesting, and I won’t be surprised if this one makes the shortlist. It didn’t knock me sideways, but the standard this year is so high that “just” interesting is still high praise.

• What the Wild Sea Can Be by Helen Scales – A thoughtful, well-written exploration of the ocean and its future. It didn’t emotionally land for me in the way the others did, but it’s a solid read.

• The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale – This was the one I was most excited about, and I’m sad to say it didn’t quite deliver for me. A bit too drawn out, and I struggled to stay engaged. But Summerscale has fans for a reason, and if you like historical true crime, this might still be up your alley.

So, what next?

Well, I’m counting down to 9 PM to see what the judges have picked. Knowing my luck, the shortlist will feature all eight books I haven’t read, and I’ll still have a stack to work through. But that’s the joy of book prizes, right? Always more to discover.

And then—it’s on to the fiction longlist! (Do these people not understand I have laundry to fold?)

I’d love to hear if you’ve been making your way through these lists. Which ones floored you? Which ones flopped? Reading can be a lonely business, but it’s so much better when we’re doing it together—especially when the books are this good.

Because, as always: life’s too short to read bad books.