Nonfiction Shortlist

Axton Betz-Hamilton, who grew up in Jay County and now lives in Brookings, South Dakota, for The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity, a true-crime memoir that tells her family’s shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family.

Robert Blaemire, who grew up in Hammond and now lives in Bethesda, Maryland, for Birch Bayh, which reveals the life and career of the U.S. senator from Indiana from 1963 to 1981 and his impact on such issues as civil rights and equal rights for women.

Ross Gay, Bloomington, and an IU professor, for The Book of Delights, a collection of essays, written over a tumultuous year, reminding us of the purpose and pleasure of praising, extolling and celebrating ordinary wonders.

Nancy Kriplen, Indianapolis, for J. Irwin Miller, which tells the life story of the remarkable man who led Cummins Engine Company from its roots as a small, family business to an international Fortune 500 company and transformed Columbus, Indiana, into a gem of midcentury modern architecture. 

Melissa Stephenson, who grew up in Columbus, Indiana, and lives in Missoula, Montana, for Driven: A White-Knuckled Ride to Heartbreak and Back, her memoir about the road to hope following the death of her troubled brother, told through the series of cars that accompanied her.

Bill Sullivan, Indianapolis, and an Indiana University School of Medicine professor who studies genetics and infectious diseases, for Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces that Make Us Who We Are, which translates cutting-edge science into practical insights.