You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Books by Lady Hale, Sathnam Sanghera and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown have made the 2021 Parliamentary Book Awards shortlist.
The awards were launched by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association in 2016 to champion the best of political writing. Books are awarded across three categories and voted for by parliamentarians.
In the Best Biography, Memoir or Autobiography by a Parliamentarian category, Spider Woman: A Life by Lady Hale (Bodley Head) is up against Appetite: A Memoir in Recipes of Family and Food by Ed Balls (Gallery UK), Beyond A Fringe 2021: Tales from Reformed Establishment Lackey by Andrew Mitchell (Biteback Publishing) and In the Thick of It: The Private Diaries of a Minister by Alan Duncan (William Collins).
For Best Non-Biographical Book by a Parliamentarian, Seven Ways to Change the World by Gordon Brown (Simon & Schuster UK) is in the running against Everything You Need to Know About Politics: My Life as an MP by Jess Phillips (Gallery UK), Hard Choices: What Britain Does Next by Peter Ricketts (Atlantic Books) and Greater: Britain After the Storm by Penny Mordaunt and Chris Lewis (Biteback Publishing).
Finally, the Best Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian shortlist features How to Stop Fascism by Paul Mason (Allen Lane), Value(s):The Must-Read Book on How to Fix Our Politics, Economics and Values by Mark Carney (William Collins), Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera (Viking) and Freedom: How We Lose It and How We Fight Back by Nathan Law (Bantam Press).
Meryl Halls, m.d. of the Booksellers Association, said: “We are delighted to share the shortlist for this year’s Parliamentary Book Awards, which features some of the biggest names in British politics. With books on far-right extremism, the impact of imperialism on modern Britain, and discussions on how to tackle the most pressing global crises, this shortlist demonstrates the excellence and breadth of political writing which the Parliamentary Book Awards were created to champion. We look forward to seeing which of these titles parliamentarians vote for when the winners are announced at the ceremony in March.”
Publishers were invited to nominate titles and authors for the awards, with booksellers selecting the shortlists. Voting is now open for parliamentarians to decide the winner in each category. The award winners will be announced on 9th March 2021.
Stephen Lotinga, chief executive of the Publishers Association, added: "The Parliamentary Book Awards were created to celebrate the relationship between politics and publishing. This year’s shortlist shows us the vibrancy of political writing in the UK today. We have engaging memoirs from key figures, books which give us a glimpse behind the scenes of Westminster and visions for how we should shape our future.
“I am hugely looking forward to gathering together with parliamentarians, authors, publishers and booksellers to celebrate these brilliant books.”