Professor Raj Patel, a distinguished faculty member, filmmaker and respected scholar, has been appointed as a nonfiction judge for the prestigious 2025 National Book Awards. His selection is not just a recognition of his exceptional academic contributions but also highlights his commitment to promoting important narratives that shape public conversation. Professor Patel's expertise in critical issues surrounding food systems, global inequality, and social justice uniquely positions him to evaluate the significant works of nonfiction that will be considered for this esteemed award.
The National Book Awards celebrate the best in American literature, with categories that honor a variety of genres and voices. Professor Patel's role as a judge in the nonfiction category will ensure that the selection process is informed by a strong understanding of the power of nonfiction to inform, educate, and inspire change. His involvement as a judge truly reflects the LBJ School's mission to empower leaders who tackle the complex problems facing society and to seek creative solutions for addressing them.
"I'm honoured to be in such distinguished company and good taste. We get very few instructions from the National Book Awards about how to judge, but a key stipulation is that our discussions be kind. It's a lovely reminder that respectful and spirited debates about good books can, at their best, lift readers to a better place. I'm very much looking forward to practicing that with this fine panel of judges.” - Professor Raj Patel
About Raj Patel
Raj Patel is a research professor in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and a senior research associate at the Unit for the Humanities at Rhodes University. He studies the world food system and alternatives to it, and recently completed a documentary project about the food system. He has testified about hunger and food sovereignty to the U.S., U.K., and E.U. governments, and is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems.
In addition to publications in journals about economics, philosophy, politics, international development and public health, Dr. Patel writes for a range of newspapers and co-hosts "The Secret Ingredient" podcast. His books include Stuffed and Starved and The Value of Nothing. He co-authored with Jason W. Moore A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature and the Future of the Planet, published by the University of California Press. Dr. Patel's latest book, co-authored with Rupa Marya, is Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021).
Upcoming event featuring Raj Patel: Entropy Economics
