Winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for biography, Amanda Vaill’s Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution documents the lives of Angelica and Elizabeth Schuyler. Intelligent, independent and unconventional, the sisters came from a privileged New York family that was involved in the American Revolution. Both made remarkable matches: Angelica eloped with a wealthy British businessman, creating a family scandal, while Elizabeth married Alexander Hamilton. In this meticulous and fascinating chronicle, Vaill captures the spirit of her extraordinary subjects. Topics like women’s empowerment and social class will generate rich discussion among readers.
Jason De Leon provides an in-depth look at the lives of Latin American migrants and their guides—known as coyotes—in Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling. For seven years, De Leon lived with a network of smugglers, reporting on their activities as they steered migrants through Mexico. Thanks to this access, he gained enormous insight into smuggling methods, learning the complexities of the industry and the personal stories of the people involved. Recipient of the 2024 National Book Award for nonfiction, his exposé of a dangerous and widespread enterprise is a masterwork of immersive journalism.
In 1990, Cristina Rivera Garza’s sister was murdered in Mexico. With Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice, Rivera Garza delivers a stirring tribute to her sibling. Liliana was 20 when she was killed by an ex-boyfriend. He was never apprehended, and the tragedy inspired Rivera Garza to do her own investigating. Telling a story that’s moving and urgent, she draws on interviews, letters and law enforcement documents to reconstruct the last months of Liliana’s life. A wake-up call about violence against women, the book—winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for memoir—reflects on family, gender and justice.
In Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, Karen Hao evaluates the impact of artificial intelligence and explores what the future might hold for the groundbreaking field of technology. Focusing on tech entrepreneur Sam Altman, who co-founded OpenAI, Hao provides a compelling account of Altman’s 2023 dismissal from the company and the controversies around the organization. She also considers AI competition among nations and the need for oversight in the industry. Hao brings a reporter’s eye for detail and a wealth of research to the book, which earned the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction.