Lauren Groff, Ibram X. Kendi among Carnegie Medal finalists

Lauren Groff’s novel “Matrix” is among the finalists for an Andrew Carnegie Medal for fiction

Books-Carnegie Medals

Lauren Groff s novel “Matrix,” the story of a 12th century royal outcast who combats the rule of men and other hierarchies, is among the finalists for an Andrew Carnegie Medal for fiction. “Four Hundred Souls," a “Community History of African America” co-authored by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, is a nonfiction nominee.

"Matrix," already a National Book Award nominee, is among three finalists announced Monday for the fiction medal, along with Tom Lin's “The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu” and Kirstin Valdez Quade's “The Five Wounds.”

In nonfiction, the other nominees are Hanif Abdurraqib's “A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance” and Kristen Radtke's “Seek You: A Journey through American Loneliness."

Winners, each of whom receive $5,000, will be announced Jan. 23. The prizes are presented by the American Library Association which helped found the honors in 2012. Previous winners include James McBride's “Deacon King Kong,” Donna Tartt's “The Goldfinch" and Adam Higginbotham's “Midnight in Chernobyl.”