The nonfiction book “There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America” by Brian Goldstone won a Pulitzer Prize. The book, published in March 2025 by Crown, a Penguin Random House U.S. imprint, continues a long-standing tradition for Bertelsmann’s publishing division. Since the prizes were first awarded in 1917, 144 Penguin Random House authors have now received the prestigious honor.
‘Masterful reporting, analysis, and storytelling’
The Pulitzer jury recognized “There Is No Place For Us” as “a feat of reportage, analysis, and storytelling focusing on the issues that have created a national crisis of family homelessness among the so-called working poor.” Brian Goldstone’s nonfiction work was already named one of the ten best books of the year by both “The New York Times” and “The Atlantic,” and has received accolades including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
In a letter to Penguin Random House employees, CEO Nihar Malaviya described the Pulitzer Prize as a testament to Brian Goldstone’s “masterful and compassionate reporting.” He also emphasized the dedication of the team at Crown involved in publishing “There Is No Place For Us,” highlighting in particular Goldstone’s editor Amanda Cook, who collaborated closely with him for many years, and Crown publicist Penny Simon, who worked tirelessly to bring the book the attention it deserves.
‘A complex, moving topic’
“There Is No Place For Us,” Malaviya continued, helps readers gain a deep understanding of a complex, moving topic. “I’m honored that Penguin Random House had the privilege of publishing such an important book, and I know it will continue to make a difference in the world,” the CEO concluded.
“Through empathetic and intimate reporting, Brian Goldstone reveals the true scale and severity of American homelessness, which has become a mass condition of the working poor, especially in rapidly gentrifying cities. The stories of the families he follows are unforgettable, and the book has already begun to reshape policy conversations by bringing the hidden homeless – the millions of Americans living in cars, motels, or overcrowded apartments – into the light,” said Amanda Cook, Vice President & Director, Editorial at Crown.
The Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Arts, and Letters have been awarded annually by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York since 1917 – today across 24 categories. Six of these categories are dedicated to books: “Fiction,” “History,” “Biography,” “Memoir or Autobiography,” “Poetry,” and “General Nonfiction.”
