Yesterday, North Little Rock native Nate Powell’s “Swallow Me Whole,” was nominated as a finalist, in the Young Adult Fiction category, for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It’s the first graphic novel nominated since Art Spiegelman’s “Maus.”

“What makes this book so worthy of acclaim is the way it immerses the reader in the life and mindset of a gifted yet mentally ill teenager,” said Walter M. Mayes, a middle school librarian and one of the members of the award committee. “To get a glimpse of what it must feel like to be inside such a head can be overpowering and disorienting upon first read, but when reread, the book offers such literary power that it is hard to deny, even if you don’t totally ‘get’ what is happening. Teens will find this book compelling, weird, scary, and ultimately affirming.”

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The winners will be announced on Friday, April 24.

Vulture, now hopping on the critical bandwagon, has a 12 page excerpt.

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To celebrate the nomination, Nate’s publisher Top Shelf is giving away a copy of his autobiographical short story collection “Please Release” with every copy of “Swallow Me Whole” purchased.

Previously: my review/feature on “Swallow” and Nate here.

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