The 2020 Booker Prize shortlist is its most diverse ever

The 2020 Booker Prize shortlist is out, and the Guardian has declared it the most diverse lineup in its history.

Four writers of color are in the running for the award: Tsitsi Dangarembga, Maaza Mengiste, Avni Doshi, and Brandon Taylor.

Doshi and Taylor are also among the four debut novelists on the list, joined by Diane Cook and Douglas Stuart.

Also of note: Hilary Mantel’s final installment in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, which had previously won two Bookers, did not make the cut.

So, with all that said, here are the titles, which are also links to learn more about each book. 

• The New Wilderness, by Diane Cook 

• This Mournable Body, by Tsitsi Dangarembga 

• Burnt Sugar, by Avni Doshi   

• The Shadow King, by Maaza Mengiste 

• Real Life, by Brandon Taylor  

• Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart  

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