Mercer Times

Several books by Princeton University professors have been recognized on various 2024 year-end "best-of" lists. These selections cover a wide range of genres, including novels, memoirs, history, poetry, biography, essays, and nonfiction.

David Bellos's book "Who Owns This Sentence? A History of Copyrights and Wrongs," co-authored with Alexandre Montagu and published by W.W. Norton, was featured in The New Yorker Best Books of 2024 and The Spectator Books of the Year. According to The New Yorker, the book warns against contemporary copyright law overreach while addressing the impact of artificial intelligence on legal structures. Bellos is a professor at Princeton specializing in French literature.

Anne Cheng's "Ordinary Disasters: How I Stopped Being a Model Minority," published by Pantheon, appeared in Hyperallergic's 30 Best Art Books of 2024 and the Washington Independent Review of Books' 51 Favorite Books of 2024. Critic Alice Stephens praised it for connecting personal narratives to broader Asian American history and culture. Cheng is an English professor at Princeton.

Vinson Cunningham's debut novel "Great Expectations," published by Hogarth, was included in several notable lists such as The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2024 and NPR Books We Love 2024. The New York Times highlighted its portrayal of a Black campaign aide navigating political ambitions. Cunningham serves as a Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton.

Eliza Griswold's "Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church," from Farrar, Straus & Giroux, was acknowledged by numerous publications including The New Yorker Best Books of 2024. Publishers Weekly described it as an insightful look into the challenges faced by a progressive Philadelphia church. Griswold is both a journalism professor and director at Princeton.

Simon Morrison's "Tchaikovsky’s Empire: A New Life of Russia’s Greatest Composer," published by Yale University Press, was recognized by the Financial Times for its exploration of Tchaikovsky's imperial influences on his music. Morrison teaches music and Slavic languages at Princeton.

Paul Muldoon's poetry collection "Joy in Service on Rue Tagore," from Farrar, Straus & Giroux, made it to The New York Times Notable Books list for its engaging lyrical style that combines obscure references with musicality. Muldoon is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet teaching creative writing at Princeton.

Arvind Narayanan’s book “AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference,” co-authored with Sayash Kapoor and published by Princeton University Press, was recommended in Bloomberg’s Top Business Leaders Pick the Year’s Best Books for its insights into AI limitations. Narayanan directs the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton.

Joyce Carol Oates had two works recognized: “Flint Kill Creek: Stories of Mystery and Suspense” (Mysterious Press) appeared in The New Yorker Best Books list while “Butcher” (Knopf) was noted by Vogue for its gripping narrative set in the 19th century. Oates holds emeritus status as a humanities professor at Princeton.

Lastly, Nell Irvin Painter’s essay collection “I Just Keep Talking,” from Doubleday, featured in both The New York Times Notable Books list and Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Books list for its sharp analyses on race and class issues among others. Painter is an emerita professor at Princeton specializing in American history.

Mary Cate Connors from the Humanities Council and Liz-Fuller Wright from the Office of Communications contributed to this report.