Musician Neneh Cherry And Medic Rachel Clarke Are Among Finalists For A Major Nonfiction Prize

A moving memoir by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry and the gripping story of a heart transplant by British doctor Rachel Clarke are among finalists for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction , set up to help fix the gender imbalance in nonfiction publishing.

Cherry's "A Thousand Threads" and Clarke's "The Story of a Heart" are on a six-book shortlist for the 30,000 pound 39,000 prize.

The other contenders include two books about nature and the environment: "Raising Hare" by British writer Chloe Dalton, and "What the Wild Sea Can Be" by U.K. biologist Helen Scales.

Also on the list are "Agent Zo," British historian Clare Mulley's biography of a World War II resistance fighter, and China-born British lawmaker Yuan Yang's "Private Revolutions," which explores the lives of young women in modern-day China.

British journalist Kavita Puri, who is chairing the panel of judges, said the "eclectic" list includes "narratives that honor the natural world and its bond with humanity, meticulously researched stories of women challenging power and books that illuminate complex subjects with authority, nuance and originality."