Louise Erdrich wins National Book Critics Circle prize for fiction

Louise Erdrich's "LaRose" has won the National Book Critics Circle prize for fiction, an honor she first received more than 30 years ago for her debut novel "Love Medicine."

The nonfiction prize went to Matthew Desmond's "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," part of a wave of books about the class divide that have received increased attention since the political rise of Donald Trump.

Other winners announced Thursday night were Hope Jahren's "Lab Girl" for autobiography, Ruth Franklin's "Shirley Jackson" for biography, Ishion Hutchinson's "House of Lords and Commons" for poetry and Carol Anderson's "White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide" for criticism.

Margaret Atwood, whose "The Handmaid's Tale" has returned to best-seller lists more than 30 years after its original release, was given an honorary award for lifetime achievement.

The critics also gave a prize for best debut book to Yaa Gyasi, for her novel "Homegoing." Michelle Dean, whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The New Republic and elsewhere, was cited for excellence in reviewing.

The critics circle was founded in 1974 and consists of nearly 600 critics and book review editors from around the country.