Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction Finalists

Finalists for the seventh annual Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The prize was authorized by the late Harper Lee, and established in 2011 by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird. It is given annually to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change.

Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction Finalists

Gone Again, by James Grippando
The Last Days of Night, by Graham Moore
Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult

“The ABA Journal is honored to be a continuing part of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction,” says Molly McDonough, the editor and publisher of the ABA Journal. “We’re particularly excited about the diversity of topics in this year’s finalists: a compelling narrative on race in America, a riveting piece of historical fiction on the lawyering behind the electrification of America, and a gripping legal thriller with a race against the death penalty at the center of the story.”

A four-person panel will vote on which novel should take the prize, with the result of a public poll counting as a fifth vote. The poll will remain open through June 30. The judges on the panel are Deborah Johnson, winner of the 2015 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction for The Secret of Magic; Cassandra King, author of The Same Sweet Girls Guide to Life; Don Noble, host of Alabama Public Radio’s book-review series and host of Bookmark, which airs on Alabama Public Television; and Han Nolan, author of Dancing on the Edge.

The award ceremony will take place at the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

To vote for one of the books, go here.