When Xochitl Gonzalez found out her debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, had been chosen as this year’s One Book, One Chicago (OBOC) selection, her first reaction was joy.
“While it’s about many things, ultimately it’s a book about showing up for the people around you: siblings, family, neighbors, your community,” Gonzalez says. “Chicago is a city that has such famous pride in place, I think that the message of Olga will resonate deeply.”
Photo credit: Mayra Castillo
One Book, One Chicago invites thousands of local parents — and their older teens! — to read the same title. They’ll join a citywide conversation through events and activities from September-November 2025.
“At its heart, One Book, One Chicago is about bringing Chicagoans together to have a meaningful communal experience by reading the same book at the same time,” says Jennifer Lizak, coordinator of special projects at Chicago Public Library.
Why this book matters to Chicago
Though set in Brooklyn, the novel still resonates with people in Chicago.
“The Acevedo family’s journey is deeply entwined with The Young Lords Organization, which was founded here in Chicago by Cha Cha Jimenez and other young activists,” Gonzalez says.
“I am thrilled for Puerto Rican Chicagoans to engage with this story and for non-Puerto Ricans to learn a bit more about a community that’s such a vital part of this city.”
What parents should know
For parents, the story provides plenty of entry points:
Family and values: “Mothers and fathers loom large over Olga Dies Dreaming,” says Gonzalez. “It’s a wonderful way to open discussion on what values we want to pass on to our children, and how. And where do our beliefs and choices start, and where do our children’s begin?”
Boundaries and forgiveness: The extreme choices of the mother character, Blanca, push her grown kids, Olga and Prieto, to decide how to move forward. “Perhaps Blanca’s greatest lesson is that her children need to be free to interpret and live those values on their own terms.”
Culture and belonging: Gonzalez says Olga is “at once a powerhouse professional business owner, but she’s also a girl shaped by colonialism and a history of discrimination and activism against that.”
Great for parents and teens to read together
The novel is already taught in many high schools, making it a natural pick for older teens and their parents to read together.
“It has an engaging story — which seems like a love story — while slowly layering in more complicated themes about identity and home and family and agency,” Gonzalez says. “It can open up conversations about what we hold in and what we express out loud … and what it means to forge your own identity that is informed by our parents’ values, but also fully our own.”
Lizak encourages parents to give reading with their teens a try: “Parents who read their own books in front of their kids have a huge influence on those kids becoming readers themselves.”
Events and activities across the city
OBOC offers a low-pressure way to connect with reading and the community. Families can:
Attend dozens of free events at neighborhood branches — from film screenings to musical performances to art workshops.
Join book discussions at neighborhood branches
Explore family-friendly reading lists for kids and teens, curated by CPL librarians, with titles that relate to the novel’s themes.
Attend or watch the grand finale keynote with Xochitl Gonzalez on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at Harold Washington Library Center. It’s streaming live online, and a book signing follows.
“In a time when we’re often so disconnected from each other,” Lizak says, “OBOC provides a place where you can meet with other readers to chat about a book, attend a related event at your local branch, or go on a tour with one of our partner organizations.”
How to get your copy
The library has made the book widely accessible:
Print copies at all 81 locations
Ebooks and eaudiobooks through CPL’s digital collections
Spanish-language editions
Available to check out with your library card (or sign up for a free card at any branch)
A hopeful ending
For Gonzalez, the novel is about resilience.
“Our past heartaches are not what define us; joy awaits us at any age,” she says. “Together, we are stronger and more joyful than apart.”
Reporting by Kim Kovelle.
This content is sponsored by Chicago Public Library. Learn more about One Book, One Chicago at onebookonechicago.org.