Finalist: Cheever: A Life , by Blake Bailey (Alfred A. Knopf )
An absorbing, impeccably researched exploration of the famed writer John Cheever, illuminating his greatness as well as flaws, told in a compelling voice worthy of the subject.
Winners
Prize Winner in Biography in 2010:
T.J. Stiles
A penetrating portrait of a complex, self-made titan who revolutionized transportation, amassed vast wealth and shaped the economic world in ways still felt today.
Biography
Finalists
Nominated as finalists in Biography in 2010:
John Milton Cooper, Jr.
A magisterial work that corrects erroneous perceptions and casts important new light on one of the most pivotal and enigmatic American presidents, fully placing the man in the context of his times.
The Jury
The Jury
David M. Oshinsky(chair )*
Jack S. Blanton Chair in History, University of Texas, Austin
Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina
Kate Tappe Vernon Professor in Biography
John Matteson*
professor of English
Winners in Biography
Jon Meacham
An unflinching portrait of a not always admirable democrat but a pivotal president, written with an agile prose that brings the Jackson saga to life.
2010 Prize Winners
Paul Harding
A powerful celebration of life in which a New England father and son, through suffering and joy, transcend their imprisoning lives and offer new ways of perceiving the world and mortality.
Hank Williams
For his craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.
Liaquat Ahamed
A compelling account of how four powerful bankers played crucial roles in triggering the Great Depression and ultimately transforming the United States into the world's financial leader.
Rae Armantrout
A book striking for its wit and linguistic inventiveness, offering poems that are often little thought-bombs detonating in the mind long after the first reading.