Now through November 30, cast your vote to help select the 2027 Sioux City Reads title at SiouxCityLibrary.org/SiouxCityReads. The winning book will serve as inspiration for events, discussions, and challenges throughout the upcoming Sioux City Reads season. Vote for one of the following three exciting books:
In Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear, Natalie is an elite “tradwife” influencer who curates a rustic paradise for her 8 million followers—hiding a team of nannies and high-end appliances behind the scenes. But her performative life shatters when she suddenly wakes up trapped in the brutal reality of 1855. Stripped of modern luxuries, Natalie is forced to trade her curated lifestyle for actual frontier survival, hauling firewood and handwashing clothes until her fingers bleed. Darkly funny, electrifying, and deeply provocative, Yesteryear is a gripping exploration of tradition, fame, and the grand performance of modern womanhood.
In Nina McConigley’s bold debut novel How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder, tween Georgie Ayyar and her sister Agatha Krishna make a startling confession: they killed their newly arrived uncle, and they blame the British. Set in 1986 in rural Wyoming, the story unravels the violence hiding within their house, history, and the sisters’ once-unshakeable bond. Cheeky, unflinching, and deeply authentic to the teenage experience, Georgie’s story uses 1980s pop culture and magazine quizzes to navigate race, family, and survival as an Indian American in the heart of the American West.
Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla is a striking debut novel about twelve-year-old Sofia, who lives in a car with her mother and younger brother. As her mother searches for a safe spot to park each night among a blur of freeways and strip malls, Sofia struggles to carve out an identity while navigating her family’s painful disintegration. Haunting, lyrical, and emotionally charged, this nominee captures the stark reality of economic insecurity and displacement. Rizkalla delivers an indelible ode to survival, memory, and a young girl’s relentless search for home in all its forms.
Copies of each book are available for check out at any Sioux City Public Library location and on the Libby app. The winner will be announced in January. Visit SiouxCityLibrary.org/SiouxCityReads, the library’s Facebook page, or sign-up for the library’s e-newsletter at SiouxCityLibrary.org/news to get all the latest updates.
