Finalist: The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century , by Alex Ross (Farrar, Straus and Giroux )

in exposing mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, evoking a national outcry and producing reforms by federal officials.

For his stories on the skirting of tax laws to pad pensions of county employees, prompting change and possible prosecution of key figures.

Co-commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation and The Perth Theater and Concert Hall, and premiered October 25, 2007 in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City (G. Schirmer, Inc.).

For its exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, telling the developing story in print and online.