{"id":32162,"date":"2025-09-19T21:37:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T21:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/32162\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T21:37:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T21:37:07","slug":"one-book-one-chicago-2025-at-chicago-public-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/32162\/","title":{"rendered":"One Book, One Chicago 2025 at Chicago Public Library"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Xochitl Gonzalez found out her debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming<\/a>, had been chosen as this year\u2019s One Book, One Chicago<\/a> (OBOC) selection, her first reaction was joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it\u2019s about many things, ultimately it\u2019s a book about showing up for the people around you: siblings, family, neighbors, your community,\u201d Gonzalez says. \u201cChicago is a city that has such famous pride in place, I think that the message of Olga will resonate deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AuthorPhoto credit: Mayra Castillo<\/p>\n

One Book, One Chicago invites thousands of local parents \u2014 and their older teens! \u2014 to read the same title. They\u2019ll join a citywide conversation through events and activities from September-November 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 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,\u201d says Jennifer Lizak, coordinator of special projects at Chicago Public Library<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why this book matters to Chicago<\/p>\n

Though set in Brooklyn, the novel still resonates with people in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Acevedo family\u2019s journey is deeply entwined with The Young Lords Organization, which was founded here in Chicago by Cha Cha Jimenez and other young activists,\u201d Gonzalez says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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\u2019s such a vital part of this city.\u201d<\/p>\n

What parents should know<\/p>\n

For parents, the story provides plenty of entry points:<\/p>\n

Family and values: \u201cMothers and fathers loom large over Olga Dies Dreaming,\u201d says Gonzalez. \u201cIt\u2019s 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\u2019s begin?\u201d
\nBoundaries and forgiveness: The extreme choices of the mother character, Blanca, push her grown kids, Olga and Prieto, to decide how to move forward. \u201cPerhaps Blanca\u2019s greatest lesson is that her children need to be free to interpret and live those values on their own terms.\u201d
\nCulture and belonging: Gonzalez says Olga is \u201cat once a powerhouse professional business owner, but she\u2019s also a girl shaped by colonialism and a history of discrimination and activism against that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great for parents and teens to read together<\/p>\n

The novel is already taught in many high schools, making it a natural pick for older teens and their parents to read together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has an engaging story \u2014 which seems like a love story \u2014 while slowly layering in more complicated themes about identity and home and family and agency,\u201d Gonzalez says. \u201cIt can open up conversations about what we hold in and what we express out loud \u2026 and what it means to forge your own identity that is informed by our parents\u2019 values, but also fully our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lizak encourages parents to give reading with their teens a try: \u201cParents who read their own books in front of their kids have a huge influence on those kids becoming readers themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Events and activities across the city<\/p>\n

OBOC offers a low-pressure way to connect with reading and the community. Families can:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Attend dozens of free events<\/a> at neighborhood branches \u2014 from film screenings to musical performances to art workshops.
\nJoin book discussions at neighborhood branches\u00a0
\nExplore family-friendly reading lists for kids and teens, curated by CPL librarians, with titles that relate to the novel\u2019s themes.
\nAttend or watch the grand finale keynote<\/a> with Xochitl Gonzalez on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at Harold Washington Library Center. It\u2019s streaming live online, and a book signing follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a time when we\u2019re often so disconnected from each other,\u201d Lizak says, \u201cOBOC 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Cover<\/p>\n

How to get your copy<\/p>\n

The library has made the book widely accessible:<\/p>\n

Print copies at all 81 locations
\nEbooks and eaudiobooks through CPL\u2019s digital collections
\nSpanish-language editions
\nAvailable to check out with your library card (or sign up for a free card<\/a> at any branch)<\/p>\n

A hopeful ending<\/p>\n

For Gonzalez, the novel is about resilience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur past heartaches are not what define us; joy awaits us at any age,\u201d she says. \u201cTogether, we are stronger and more joyful than apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reporting by Kim Kovelle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This content is sponsored by Chicago Public Library<\/a>. Learn more about One Book, One Chicago at onebookonechicago.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Xochitl Gonzalez found out her debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, had been chosen as this year\u2019s One…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[489,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-32162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}