Harris used to think that meditation was for people who collect crystals, play Ultimate Frisbee, and use the word “namaste” without irony. After he had a panic attack on live television, he went on a strange and circuitous journey that ultimately led him to become one of meditation’s most vocal public proponents. Harris and his friend Jeff Warren, a masterful teacher and “Meditation MacGyver,” embark on a cross-country quest to tackle the myths, misconceptions, and self-deceptions that stop people from meditating. They rent a rock-star tour bus (whose previous occupants were Parliament Funkadelic) and travel across eighteen states, talking to scores of would-be meditators—including parents, military cadets, police officers, and even a few celebrities. They create a taxonomy of the most common issues (“I suck at this,” “I don’t have the time,” etc.) and offer up science-based life hacks to help people overcome them. In author of The Four Tendencies and The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin ‘s words, “If you’re like many people, you’re intrigued by the promise of meditation but don’t know how to begin—or you’ve benefited from meditation in the past but need help to get started again. If so, Dan Harris has written the book for you.” Harris is also the author of 10% Happier, a #1 New York Times bestseller. He went on to launch the 10% Happier podcast and app called 10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. Jeff Warren is a writer, meditation instructor, and founder of the Consciousness Explorers Club, a meditation adventure group in Toronto. Carlye Adler is a journalist and co-author of many books, including three New York Times bestsellers.  

In BORN A CRIME, told during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed, Mr. Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. He weaves his stories together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love. Congratulations to Mr. Noah, his editor, Chris Jackson, and everyone at Spiegel & Grau and the Random House Publishing Group. The Thurber Prize for American Humor was founded by Thurber House in 1997 in honor of James Thurber, one of the foremost American humorists of the 20th century, author of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and creator of numerous cartoons for The New Yorker  magazine. This prize annually recognizes excellence in humor writing.