FICTION: Tinkers, by Paul Harding
DRAMA: Next to Normal; music by Tom Kitt; book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey.
HISTORY: Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, by Liaquat Ahamed
BIOGRAPHY: The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, by T.J. Stiles
POETRY: Versed, by Rae Armantrout
GENERAL NONFICTION: The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy, by David E. Hoffman
MUSIC: “Violin Concerto,” by Jennifer Higdon, premiered Feb. 6, 2009, in Indianapolis