The Chicago Public Library has announced its 2025 One Book, One Chicago selection: “Olga Dies Dreaming” by Xochitl Gonzalez. The debut novel, praised as a “Best of 2022” by NPR and The New York Times, will anchor a year of citywide literary programming.
📌 Story Highlights
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2025 One Book, One Chicago pick: “Olga Dies Dreaming” by Xochitl Gonzalez
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Novel follows two Latino siblings confronting family secrets and political realities
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Themes: American dream, family relationships, political corruption, gentrification
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Gonzalez inspired by her background as a wedding planner and daughter of a socialist activist
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Chicago Public Library to host community events with cultural partners and The National Public Housing Museum
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Gonzalez to appear at Harold Washington Library Center on Nov. 20
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1,000 copies of the novel to circulate across library branches
Novel’s Story and Inspiration
“Olga Dies Dreaming” tells the story of two successful Latino siblings whose lives are disrupted when their estranged mother reenters their world. The book examines the American dream, the weight of family secrets, and political corruption.
Author Xochitl Gonzalez, now a writer for The Atlantic, began the novel while working as a luxury wedding planner. “I knew I wanted to write a book that was kind of political and about a political situation that the average American just didn’t really care about, which was the circumstance in Puerto Rico,” Gonzalez said. She also drew on her mother’s history as a militant socialist activist and the first Latina vice-presidential candidate for the Socialist Workers Party in 1984.
Though not autobiographical, Gonzalez’s own experiences shaped the novel’s central character—a wedding planner from a politically active family.
Why the Book Resonates in Chicago
Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown noted that while the book is not set in Chicago, its themes feel local. “There’s a lot of narrative about activism and the history of the Young Lords. Some of the scenes…remind me of Chicago alderpersons and community meetings in Chicago,” Brown said.
The novel also addresses gentrification, which allows the library to collaborate with The National Public Housing Museum, opened earlier this year. Plans include a community event at the museum and a panel featuring its CEO at the Harold Washington Library.
Selection Process and Community Input
The library selects each year’s One Book, One Chicago by consulting more than a dozen cultural institutions. For 2025, the library expanded its panel to include groups such as La Escuelita Bombera de Corazon, Stay & Play Game Cafe, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
Brown explained the choice: “It’s already been voted a top read by our own Chicago librarians. It’s been a popular book within our library card holders. And then we’re also looking for, what are the fresh reads? We’ve never had a Puerto Rican author.”
What’s Next
Xochitl Gonzalez will deliver the keynote event on Nov. 20 at the Harold Washington Library Center. Copies of “Olga Dies Dreaming”—1,000 in total—will circulate across Chicago library branches beginning this month.
Past One Book, One Chicago selections include Gabrielle Zevin’s “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” and Tommy Orange’s “There There.”
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