Bono’s audiobook Surrender, which the U2 frontman authored and narrated, was named Audiobook of the Year at the 2024 Audie Awards, which recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. The awards were presented at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles on Monday (March 4).
Bono’s audiobook, subtitled 40 Songs, One Story, was released by Penguin Random House Audio in November 2022. It runs 20 hours and 25 minutes. A companion album, Songs of Surrender, debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in April 2023.
The four other finalists for audiobook of the year were All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby, narrated by Adam Lazarre-White, published by Macmillan Audio; Inside Voice: My Obsession with How We Sound, written and narrated by Lake Bell, published by Pushkin Industries; Sing a Black Girl’s Song, by Ntozake Shange, edited by Imani Perry, foreword by Tarana Burke, narrated by Alfre Woodard, D. Woods and full cast, published by Hachette Audio; and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, narrated by Meryl Streep, published by HarperAudio.
Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) hosted the awards show. Presenters included Felicia Day (a 2024 Audie Award winner), Lake Bell (a 2024 finalist) and Samira Wiley (a 2021 finalist).
Former first lady Michelle Obama won in the business/personal development category for The Light We Carry. Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald won in the literary fiction & classics category for Homer’s The Iliad. In the humor category, the winner was Leslie F*cking Jones, written and narrated by Leslie Jones, with a foreward by Chris Rock.
All 27 categories were gender-neutral this year. The best male narrator and best female narrator categories were transformed to best fiction narrator and best non-fiction narrator.
The awards are presented by Audio Publishers Association (APA), a not-for-profit trade organization. Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks.
The full list of winners can be found on the APA’s website: audiopub.org.
Here are 2024 Audie Award winners in selected categories:
Audiobook of the year
Surrender
Written and narrated by Bono
Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Autobiography/memoir
Making It So
Written and narrated by Patrick Stewart
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Business/personal development
The Light We Carry
Written and narrated by Michelle Obama
Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Fantasy
The Dragon Reborn
By Robert Jordan
Narrated by Rosamund Pike
Published by Macmillan Audio
Fiction
Tom Lake
By Ann Patchett
Narrated by Meryl Streep
Published by HarperAudio
Humor
Leslie F*cking Jones
Written and narrated by Leslie Jones, foreword by Chris Rock
Published by Hachette Audio
Literary fiction & classics
The Iliad
By Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
Narrated by Audra McDonald
Published by Audible Studios
Short stories/collections
Wild and Precious: A Celebration of Mary Oliver
By Mary Oliver, with the contributions by Sophia Bush, Ross Gay, Samin Nosrat, Rainn Wilson, and Susan Cain
Narrated by Sophia Bush
Published by Pushkin Industries
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