🏆 Winner:

Midnight’s Daughter by Sarita Sarvate

Midnight’s Daughter is a poignant memoir that chronicles the journey of an Indian woman who rises above the shadows of her mother’s mental illness, the constraints of poverty, and the weight of Hindu patriarchy. 

✨ Pain Always Shifts: How I Learned to Cope with a Chronic Headache One Mountain at a Time by Lynn Hall

Pain Always Shifts is a profound exploration of the psychological toll of chronic pain, set against the backdrop of a wilderness adventure. As Lynn Hall conquers Colorado’s 58 highest peaks, she delves into her years-long struggle with an unrelenting headache and the trauma that sparked it. Through the challenges of the climb, she discovers joy, trust, and a renewed sense of agency, weaving a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally inspiring.

✨ Unreformed: A Captivity Narrative by Deirdre Sugiuchi

Unreformed is a captivity narrative that recounts how Deirdre Sugiuchi endured her adolescence in a White evangelical reform school in the Dominican Republic. Despite the oppressive environment, she survived and thrived, channeling her resilience into a mission as an adult: to speak out against the systemic abuse within America’s troubled teen industry. Sugiuchi’s powerful story sheds light on a dark reality, advocating for justice and the protection of vulnerable children.