Join the Sioux City Public Library for Sioux City Reads, a community-based reading initiative where Sioux Cityans are involved every step of the way – from book selection to completing challenges and attending book discussions. Now through November 30, cast your vote to help select the next Sioux City Reads title. Copies of each book are available for check out at any Sioux City Public Library location.
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger is set in 1958 in a small Minnesota town. On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Vote for this title, or one of the two other options to become the 2026 Sioux City Reads title! Voting open now through November 30.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore begins in August 1975 when a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. Vote for this title, or one of the two other options to become the 2026 Sioux City Reads title! Voting open now through November 30.
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn is a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. Vote for this title, or one of the two other options to become the 2026 Sioux City Reads title! Voting open now through November 30.
We are closing out the 2025’s Sioux City Reads season with Trivia Night at Buffalo Alice on Wednesday, March 26 from 6:30-8:30pm! Answer pop culture questions from across the decades plus a couple rounds inspired by the 2025 Sioux City Reads book, Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson.
Before advancements in forensic science and DNA analysis, Sioux City faced many unexplained crimes and fatalities. Sarah, our Local History Librarian Specialist, will explore several of these local cases.
Sharing news with others? In the digital age, anyone can publish anything on the internet, even if it’s completely false. This talk will explain why it has become easier to create and spread misinformation and will introduce you to tools that help you evaluate news sources as well as review helpful fact-checking sites. This talk is presented by Senior Planet Partner Resources.
We want to know how this book impacted you – through poetry! Write an original poem, no longer than one page, inspired by the 2025 Sioux City Reads title, Unmask Alice. Submit your poem by Friday, March 14 in-person at any Library location or on the Library's website.
Add a thought or doodle to our window mural in the Atrium at the Aalfs Downtown Library. Inspired by this year's Sioux City Reads selection, Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson, the book reveals that Go Ask Alice, a sensationalized diary chronicling a teenage girl's struggle with drug addiction, was, in fact, a fabrication.
SIOUX CITY, IA – The Sioux City Reads program, a community-based reading initiative where a book chosen by Sioux Cityans becomes the basis for a month of programs, discussions, and events; returns with a new title for 2025: Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson. Sioux Cityans chose this title by voting on the Library’s website. Books selected for voting were based around the true crime genre and upcoming events and discussions will follow this topic and themes from the book. Follow the Sioux City Public Library on Facebook, visit
