Award Winners

This year, two books received the The 2023 William James Book Award, presented by APA Division 1 for the best book in general psychology.

Mortals: How the Fear of Death Shaped Human Society by Rachel and Ross Menzies is exemplary of Division 1 ideals because it is both accessible to a wide audience and integrative across subdisciplines of psychology as well as related fields. This book impressively combines ideas and research from psychology with perspectives from history, anthropology, and philosophy. The committee found the writing entertaining and fun, while the ideas were serious and deep, which is not an easy integration to achieve!

The other winner of the 2023 William James Book Award is What Are the Chances? Why We Believe in Luck by ​​Barbara Blatchley. Again, the committee found the book to be integrative across subdisciplines of psychology and beyond, epitomizing Division 1’s commitment to interdisciplinarity. The book was also widely accessible and the committee described its contents as “fascinating”, and commended the author on her ability to “impressively integrate ideas and perspectives from a broad range of disciplines”.