Colson Whitehead is a finalist for $75,000 PEN America award

NEW YORK (AP) — Colson Whitehead, winner of the National Book Award for his novel “The Underground Railroad,” is a finalist for a new $75,000 prize given by the literary and human rights organization PEN America.

Whitehead’s story of a young runaway slave is among five nominees for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, PEN told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Other finalists include Jane Mayer for “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.”

PEN also announced finalists in nine other competitive categories, from best sports writing to best debut fiction.