One Book One Sioux County a collaborative program among the 8 public and 3 academic libraries in Sioux County in an attempt at community building through community conversation.
In this annual endeavor people and libraries-both public and academic-across Sioux County read and discuss the same book. The libraries host book talks in their own towns throughout the year. In the fall a collaborative event is held at a central location. In the past this has been the author visiting and a panel discussion of people involved in the story.
Mark your calendars: 2025’s main event will be on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at Northwest Iowa Community College.
Visit our calendar to view information about other upcoming events related to this year’s One Book One Sioux County selection or contact your local library to see when they are hosting a book discussion.
This year’s selection is The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.
About the Book The Frozen River
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
About the Author Ariel Lawhon
Ariel Lawhon is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her novels include: The Wife the Maid and the Mistress; Flight of Dreams; I Was Anastasia; Code Name Hélène; The Frozen River; and When We Had Wings (co-written with Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner). Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Library Reads, One Book One County, Indie Next, Costco, Amazon Spotlight, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons. She splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.
One Book One Sioux County Selections by Year:
- 2024 – Don’t Look Back by Achut Deng & Keely Hutton – watch the video introduction from the authors
- 2023 – Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom –watch the event recording and the video introduction from the author
- 2022 – Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America’s Heartland by Patricia L. Bryan and Tom Wolf – watch the event recording and Q&A and the video introduction from the authors
- 2021 – The Line Between by Tosca Lee – watch the Q&A with author Tosca Lee
- 2020 – Black River by S.M. Hulse – watch the recording of the Zoom discussion
- 2019 – The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens – Watch the Q& A with author Allen Eskens
- 2018 – The Witness of Combines by Kent Meyer – Watch the panel discussion
- 2017 – The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland by Dan Barry – click here to view the video recording of the Panel Discussion featuring Clark Kauffman, Jane Hudson, Sue Gant, & Ronald Vos
- 2016 – Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
