Arts & Entertainment
Chicago Public Library Picks Debut Novel ‘Olga Dies Dreaming’ for 2025 One Book, One Chicago Program
Left: “Olga Dies Dreaming” (2022). (Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library) Right: Xochitl Gonzalez. (Mayra Castillo)
The Chicago Public Library on Wednesday announced Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel “Olga Dies Dreaming” is this year’s citywide reading program selection.
The One Book, One Chicago program, celebrating its 24th year, brings together residents to read the same book, with book clubs and other related programming held across Chicago Public Library locations citywide.
According to a news release, the book was chosen for its lyrical storytelling and themes that resonate with Chicago such as diaspora, housing justice and resilience. The book also explores identity, family, silence and resistance.
“It resonates deeply with Chicago’s own history of activism and politics—from housing struggles to movements like the Young Lords, to the complex role of political families,” Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown said in a news release. “It is a story about resilience, identity and belonging that mirrors the lived experiences of our neighborhoods today.”
The national bestselling book “Olga Dies Dreaming” tells the story of a wedding planner in New York City grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother and Puerto Rican roots against the backdrop of the months surrounding Hurricane Maria, one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in Puerto Rico’s history. The book is the first Puerto Rican-authored novel selected for One Book, One Chicago.
The book was named in various 2022 best books lists in publications such as the New York Times, NPR and the Washington Post, and won the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize and the New York City Book Award.
“Olga is about many things, but fundamentally it’s about community,” author Xochitl Gonzalez said in a news release. “So the idea of an entire city reading and discussing and being in community with this book that centralizes the value of place and the people in it? Well, it’s beyond thrilling.”
This fall, the Chicago Public Library is hosting various events at Harold Washington Library for readers to further engage with the book and its themes. Events include a silent reading soiree on Sept. 24; a screening of WTTW’s Chicago Stories documentary “The Young Lords of Lincoln Park” and facilitated discussion about gentrification and community activism on Oct. 1; and a housing justice and cultural belonging panel on Oct. 28.
Neighborhood programs throughout the season will also celebrate Puerto Rican culture with music, dance, artmaking and storytelling. View the programming guide here.
Programming will conclude with a keynote with Gonzalez on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at Harold Washington Library.
“From West Pullman on the South Side to Rogers Park on the North Side, Chicagoans share a deep connection with their neighborhoods," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release. "Olga Dies Dreaming explores what it means to call a place home, whether it’s a neighborhood, a city or a country. Chicago residents of all identities will connect with Gonzalez’s thoughtful, resonant prose.”
More than 75,000 Chicagoans participated in the citywide reading program last year, according to the Chicago Public Library. Last year’s book pick was “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin.
A list of previous picks and more information about this year’s One Book, One Chicago programming can be found on the Chicago Public Library’s website.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
